Back to jury
Darko Kostovski
Piano
Macedonia
Years active: 2018, 2020
Darko Kostovski was born in 1978 in Skopje, Macedonia. He received his first piano lessons with Prof. Aida Islam, Prof. Maria Pisinova, and Prof. Boris Romanov at the State Music and Ballet Educational Centre "Ilija Nikolovski–Luj". At the age of fifteen, he became the youngest student at the Cologne Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Dr. h.c. Arbo Valdma, where he earned the highest degree—Diploma "Cum Laude"—as a concert pianist in 2004.
He further developed through master seminars with Aleksandar Lonquich, Pavel Gililov, Paolo Giacometti, Anthony Spiri, Henry Sigfridsson, Rita Kinka, Kemal Gekić, Evgeni Koroliov, and György Kurtág. His awards include 3rd Prize at the International Piano Competition in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic (1993), 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition in Taranto, Italy (1995), and the "Yamaha Preis" in Weimar, Germany (1996). During his studies, he was also awarded as the best foreign student in Germany (Musikhochschule Köln) by DAAD.
As a soloist he has performed in many countries, including France, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Egypt, and Germany, and he has appeared at many festivals (including Klangbogen Festival in Vienna, Ohrid Summer, Skopje Summer, EXPO Germany, Euregio Festival, and Beethovenfestival Bonn). He has performed in major halls such as the Cologne Philharmonie, Tallinn Philharmonic, and Skopje Philharmonic, and also at venues including the Palace of Versailles in Paris, the former Bundestag in Bonn, the Cairo Opera House, and EXPO 2000 in Hanover.
He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Jeunesse Music Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Macedonian Philharmonic, the MRTV Macedonian Radio Chamber Orchestra, and the Zagreb Soloists. His enthusiasm for chamber music led in 2010 to the founding of the duo "Dali" with violinist Liza Marija Šuman. He has numerous recordings for Macedonian Radio and Television as well as Radio Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). His repertoire ranges from Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Chopin to Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Macedonian composers, and works from the 20th century.
He further developed through master seminars with Aleksandar Lonquich, Pavel Gililov, Paolo Giacometti, Anthony Spiri, Henry Sigfridsson, Rita Kinka, Kemal Gekić, Evgeni Koroliov, and György Kurtág. His awards include 3rd Prize at the International Piano Competition in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic (1993), 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition in Taranto, Italy (1995), and the "Yamaha Preis" in Weimar, Germany (1996). During his studies, he was also awarded as the best foreign student in Germany (Musikhochschule Köln) by DAAD.
As a soloist he has performed in many countries, including France, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Egypt, and Germany, and he has appeared at many festivals (including Klangbogen Festival in Vienna, Ohrid Summer, Skopje Summer, EXPO Germany, Euregio Festival, and Beethovenfestival Bonn). He has performed in major halls such as the Cologne Philharmonie, Tallinn Philharmonic, and Skopje Philharmonic, and also at venues including the Palace of Versailles in Paris, the former Bundestag in Bonn, the Cairo Opera House, and EXPO 2000 in Hanover.
He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Jeunesse Music Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Macedonian Philharmonic, the MRTV Macedonian Radio Chamber Orchestra, and the Zagreb Soloists. His enthusiasm for chamber music led in 2010 to the founding of the duo "Dali" with violinist Liza Marija Šuman. He has numerous recordings for Macedonian Radio and Television as well as Radio Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). His repertoire ranges from Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Chopin to Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Macedonian composers, and works from the 20th century.