IBLA FOUNDATION
New York City
32nd ANNIVERSARY – IBLA GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
Celebrating the life of Chairwoman Baroness Maria Zerilli Marimo’
Dr. Salvatore Moltisanti, President
2023 IBLA FOUNDATIONS WINNERS – BIOGRAPHIES
Julija Bal, Piano – SERBIA
IBLA GRAND PRIZE Top Prize Winner, Julija Bal’s originality as a composer and pianist attracted the attention of the public and music critics at her debut at New York’s Carnegie Weill Hall as well as concerts in Virginia, North Dakota, Arkansas and New York. Her playing style, described as an original combination of powerful individuality and temperament as well as distinctive sound-making techniques, has captivated audiences with her virtuosic transcriptions of Schubert, Albéniz and Villa Lobos for piano.
Julija was also selected for the “Tansman International Competition of Music Personalities” in Lodz, Poland and in the spring of 2010 she won the international piano competition “Bradsaw & Buono” in New York. Winner of the international competition “Petar Konjovic”, and of various state and federal competitions in Belgrade, the “Competition of Young Pianists of Yugoslavia” in Nis, the “Yamaha” competition in Novi Sad.
She finished basic and secondary music / piano school at the “Isidor Bajic” music school in Novi Sad under the guidance of prof. Biljana Dabic. In 1990 she joined The Group for Talented Performers at the Academy of Arts called “Group 0” in correspondence with all music schools in the former Yugoslavia under the guidance of prof. Kemal Gekic. 1998. She Undertook bachelor’s studies in piano at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, before her under the guidance of prof. Kemal Gekic and then prof. Jokut Mihailovic. In 2009 she completed her master’s piano studies under the guidance of prof. Biljana Gorunovic with honors. She has also collaborated with professors K.Gekic, J. Mihailovic, B.Dabic, Alan Fraser (Canada-Serbia), L. Pogorelic (Croatia), A. Valdma (Estonia), K. Bogino (France), I. Jones (England), S. Panovska (Malaysia).
Julija has collaborated with radio and television stations like NBC, Polish radio, RTS and her compositions were presented at the First World Convention of EPTA 2009. Julija Bal teaches comparative piano at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts in Serbia.