Biography

Zita Draušnik was born in 1989 in Cakovec, Croatia. She began her first cello lessons at the age of six at the music school in Varaždin with Darij Milkovic and later continued at the Zagreb Academy of Music with Valter Dešpalj. She is a laureate of international competitions such as Concertino Praga, David Popper, Liezen, Alpe-Adria Gorizia, and the Croatian National Competition.

At the 2007 International Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria, she won second prize and a special award: the “Recital des Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad.” Her competition successes also include the “Darko Lukic Prize” and the “Vatroslav Lisinski Prize.”

Zita has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the North Czech Philharmonic, Zagreb Philharmonic, Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Soloists, Varaždin Chamber Orchestra, and the Croatian Chamber Orchestra. She has given numerous solo performances in Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Russia. She was twice presented by the “Vladimir Spivakov Foundation” in its concert series for international young soloists in Moscow.

In 2008, she was selected to participate in the “New Masters on Tour” concert series of the international festival Holland Music Sessions. This program introduces young artists in prestigious concert halls across Europe, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Dr. Anton Philipszaal in The Hague, and more.

In 2006, Zita Draušnik represented her home country Croatia at the Eurovision Competition in Vienna. She was awarded the top scholarship in 2007 and also received support from the “Musik und Jugend” foundation. She has worked with renowned cellists such as Ralph Kirshbaum, Frans Helmerson, Heinrich Schiff, Anner Bylsma, Michael Flaksman, Dmitry Ferschtman, and Gerhard Mantel.

As a member of the cello ensemble “Cellomania,” she performed at the Cello Biennale Amsterdam in 2008. In the same year, she received the Rector’s Award and graduated from the Zagreb Academy of Music in the class of Valter Dešpalj. She continued her studies with Reinhard Latzko at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where she was recognized as the best string student and received the “Josef Windisch Scholarship.”

From 2010 to 2014, Zita Draušnik was a member of the Vienna Volksoper Orchestra. For the next ten years, she served as the deputy principal cellist of the Zagreb Philharmonic. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Liechtenstein Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches chamber music at the Zagreb Academy of Music.