Ana Vidović (born 8 November 1980) is a Croatian

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

ist. A guitarist

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

, she has won a number of prizes and international competitions all over the world.

Early life

Vidović was born on November 8, 1980, in

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. Her father, Ljubomir, played bass guitar and performed with his band nationwide in his youth. She has two older brothers, Viktor, a classical guitarist, and Silvije, a concert pianist. Inspired by her brother Viktor, she started playing guitar at age 5. She attended a music school in her hometown, and began performing at 8. By the age of 11, Vidović was performing internationally and showed such an extraordinary talent that at 13, she became the youngest student to attend Academy of Music in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

(at the time of the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

). She studied with Professor István Römer, graduating in 1998. Her reputation in Europe led to an invitation by world renowned classical guitarist and professor Manuel Barrueco to study at the Peabody Conservatory in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland, from which she graduated in 2003.

Career

Her international career includes frequent recitals, concerto engagements, festival appearances, and tours all over the world. Vidović has performed with numerous orchestras. She often plays works by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

, who is her favorite composer, and other composers such as Federico Moreno Torroba, Manuel Ponce, Francisco Tárrega, and Joaquín Rodrigo (including Concierto de Aranjuez). Ana Vidović has won over twenty awards at international competitions, in which she participated until she was 18 years old. Her accolades include first prizes in the Albert Augustine Memorial International Competition (

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England) at the age of 13, the

Fernando Sor Fernando Sor (baptised 14 February 1778 – 10 July 1839) was a Spanish classical guitarist and composer of the Classical period (music), late Classical era and Romantic music, early Romantic era. Best known for writing solo classical guitar mu ...

competition (

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy), and the Francisco Tárrega competition ( Benicàssim, Spain). Other top prizes include the

Eurovision Young Musicians Eurovision Young Musicians (), often shortened to EYM, or Young Musicians, is a biennial classical music competition for musicians aged between 12 and 21. It is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) between members of the union, who ...

competition, the Mauro Giuliani competition in Italy, the Printemps de la Guitare competition in Belgium, and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York. In a review of one of her performances in 2006, Stephen Brookes of ''

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'' wrote: "her playing ..was virtually immaculate – detailed, precise and polished. But this was no mere virtuosic display. Vidovic's playing is nuanced and intensely personal, both deeply felt and deeply thought." ''Guitar Reviews Stephen Griesgraber noted "It is difficult to know where to begin when discussing the enormous talents of Ana Vidovic. Her dynamic range, beauty of sound, precision of articulation and virtuosity are such that listening becomes more of an absolute musical experience." She cites

Paco de Lucía Francisco Sánchez Gómez (; 21 December 194725 February 2014), known as Paco de Lucía (), was a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer, and record producer. A leading proponent of the new flamenco style, he was one of the first flamen ...

as a role model,

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

as a significant musical inspiration, along with many other composers and musicians. She mentioned

Jacqueline du Pré Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film) ...

's performance of the Elgar Concerto as one of her favorite classical CDs. Vidović plays a Jim Redgate guitar exclusively and said, " everalyears ago, I tried a Redgate ..and felt an immediate connection .. This is a very special instrument that you could explore for many years." She has released six CDs, two live DVDs, and has been featured on compilation albums. ''Guitar Virtuoso'' (2006) DVD is a performance of works by Bach, Torroba, Paganini, and Walton; while on ''Guitar Artistry in Concert'' (2009), she performs the music of Torroba, Piazzolla, Pierre Bensusan, Sérgio Assad, Stanley Myers, Villa-Lobos, and Barrios.

Discography

;CDs * ''Ana Vidovic'', Croatia Records, 1994 * ''Ana Vidović - Guitar'', BGS Records (BGCD 103), 1996 * ''The Croatian Prodigy'', BGS, 1999 * ''Guitar Recital: Ana Vidovic'',

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

Laureate Series (8.554563), 2000 * ''Ana Vidovic Live!'', Croatia Records, 2001 * ''Moreno-Torroba: Guitar Music, Vol. 1'', Naxos (8.557902), 2007 * ''Live at Hampden Hall'', Octave Records, 2023 ;DVDs * ''Ana Vidovic: Guitar Virtuoso'', Mel Bay Publications Inc. (21186DVD), 2006 * ''Ana Vidovic: Guitar Artistry in Concert'', Mel Bay Publications Inc. (21991DVD), 2009

References

External links

Official site
*

* *
Interview with NY Classical Guitar Society in 2007

Interview with Tokafi Guitar Magazine in 2007

Live Performance at the Kennedy Center in 2004

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidovic, Ana Croatian classical guitarists Croatian women guitarists Women classical guitarists 1980 births Living people People from Karlovac Croatian expatriates in the United States University of Zagreb alumni Peabody Institute alumni 21st-century women guitarists