The extraordinary Macedonian artists, pianist Marija Vrshkova and violinist Kliment Todoroski, delighted the audience of the “Ohrid Summer” festival with a wonderful evening. Under the arches of the acoustically renowned “Saint Sophia” church, they performed “Sonata Op. 45 in C minor” by Edvard Grieg, followed by an adaptation of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” for violin and piano, and “Concert Fantasy on Themes from Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ Op. 19” by Igor Frolov. According to pianist Vrshkova, this composition has likely never been performed in such a musical format in Macedonia.
Vrshkova and Todoroski, with their flawless musicianship, confirmed their high status among the best Macedonian performers who are beloved by the audience. This is not their first collaboration, nor their first performance at the “Ohrid Summer” festival.
“Kliment literally grew up musically with me since he was little, and I remember his first performance when he was about ten or twelve years old. But after a long break, this is our first joint concert. I am very happy that we performed together, especially on the eve of the ‘Saint Kliment and Panteleimon’ holiday. The program we performed was fantastic. As for the ‘Ohrid Summer’ festival, I love it as part of my musical life, and I always accept invitations to play here with great pleasure,” said pianist Vrshkova.
Vrshkova graduated from the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje with the highest honors, cum laude, under Prof. T. Svetiev, where she also completed her master’s studies in piano. During her education, she received numerous awards within the former Yugoslavia, and her most significant international award is the Third Prize at the International Competition for Young Pianists in Rome, Italy. She has participated in numerous piano and chamber music seminars and has represented Macedonia several times in the World Youth Orchestra, collaborating with top conductors and soloists. She is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje.
Violinist Todoroski has won several national and international awards, including the third prize at the “Petar Konjović” competition in Belgrade, the second prize at the “Cornelia Bronzetti” competition in Romania, and the first special prize at the International Competition “Ohrid Pearls.” He has performed as a soloist with the Macedonian Philharmonic, the Chamber and Symphony Orchestra of FMU in Skopje at “Ohrid Summer,” “Heraclea Nights,” and more. He has participated in several projects with the eminent violinist Jovan Kolundžija, the National Chamber Orchestra of Toulouse, and the Symphony Orchestra. He has been working as a concertmaster at the National Opera and Ballet since 2009.
