Tonka Javorovic

Tonka Javorović (born 1998, Zagreb) began studying the cello at the age of seven under the tutelage of Bernarda Debuš Redžić. In 2015, she continued her studies with Valter Dešpalj and completed her degree as mag.mus. in 2020 under the guidance of Monika Leskovar at the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb. In 2022, she completed her postgraduate studies at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (MDW) in the class of Reinhard Latzko.

In May 2022, Tonka successfully auditioned for The Zagreb Soloists ensemble and currently serves as a guest artist. Until October 2023, she was a tutti substitute with the Zagreb Philharmonic, after which she was appointed principal cellist at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. In 2024, she was accepted into the European Orchestra Academy established by the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Tonka has participated in numerous solo and chamber music seminars with renowned cellists and pedagogues such as Ivan Monighetti, Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), Xenia Jankovic, Romain Garioud, Claudio Bohórquez, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Gustavo Tavares, Evgeny Rumyantsev, Michael Flaksman, among others. She has attended masterclasses at prestigious venues like the Gstaad Menuhin Festival String Academy, the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein, and Cello Academy Rutesheim.

As a soloist, Tonka has performed with leading orchestras including the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, the Zagreb Soloists, the Cantus Ensemble, the Webern Kammerphilharmonie, and the Croatian Music Youth Orchestra. She has garnered numerous awards from national and international competitions, notably winning 1st prize and the Croatian Society of Composers' Award at the 7th Croatian Competition of Young Music Artists Papandopulo in 2018, as well as the award for best-placed Croatian candidate at the 2020 Antonio Janigro competition.

From 2017 to 2023, Tonka was a member of the award-winning Trio Eusebius, a piano trio she formed with Eva Šulić and David Vuković. The trio achieved significant success, winning the international Ferdo Livadić Competition and the Boris Papandopulo Competition for standard chamber music ensembles in 2019. In 2021, they also secured the main prize at the Darko Lukić Competition. Beyond her work with Trio Eusebius, Tonka frequently performs as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborating with prominent artists at festivals across Croatia and abroad, including the Osor Musical Evenings, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Samobor Music Autumn, Milka Kelemen Days Festival, the Grafenegg Festival in Austria, Spazio Klassik in Italy, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, isaFestival, and Franjo Krežma Memorial, among others.

Her performances have taken her across Europe, as well as on tours in North and South America, Asia, and the Middle East. Since 2013 Tonka has represented Croatia in the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO). In 2013, she participated in the Summer School Leverhulme made by the EUYO, working with Sistema Europa and El Sistema Venezuela. In 2014, she joined the European Music Campus Orchestra (EMCO) in Austria made by EUYO. She joined EUYO on many tours and projects since 2015. One of the highlights in the EUYO for here were when in 2019, she had the chance to be a principal cellist at the spring tour and that same year in collaboration with EUYO mentored the Orchestra for Myanmar in Yangon. In 2021, she participated in a collaborative project between the EUYO and the Stauffer Center for Strings in Cremona, Italy, where she mentored the EUYO String Quintet and had the opportunity to learn from and perform with the renowned cellist Steven Isserlis.

Tonka is the recipient of five Oscars of Knowledge awarded by the Ministry of Science, Education, and Sports and the Agency for Education for her outstanding achievements in national competitions. She is a scholarship holder of the Academy of Music in Liechtenstein and a recipient of the Rector's Award and two Dean's Awards.