Goran Končar (b. 1954), one of the most prominent Croatian violinists, studied at the Music Academy in Zagreb with Martin Barić and Josip Klima, and obtained a master’s degree in the class of Leonid Kogan at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 1978. He also studied with Max Rostal in Bern and Henryk Szeryng in Geneva, then with Yfrah Neaman in London.
He was Neaman’s assistant at the Guildhall School of Music from 1981 to 1983.He has been teaching at the Music Academy of the University of Zagreb since 1988. He has held master classes in Madrid, Berlin, Turin, Milan, Sidney, Tokyo, Beijing, Stellenbosch and elsewhere. In 2004, he started the LAUS Summer Academy in Dubrovnik together with the world’s greatest violinists (Zakhar Bron, Viktor Tretyakov, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Leonid Sorokow).His international solo career began in 1982 with guest performances in majority of European countries, as well as USA, Japan, Korea and Israel.
From 1984 to 1994 he was the concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, Croatian Radio Television Symphony Orchestra and Zagreb Philharmonic. He has performed with renowned orchestras and conductors all over the world.He won first and special prizes at national competitions, as well as the Music Life Award in Moscow (1980) for his performance of Shostakovich’s Concerto for violin and orchestra, the first prize at the International Competition in Bratislava (1984) and numerous other accolades. Among the awards received Vladimir Nazor Award (2006) holds a prominent place.
In his solo and educational activities he is particularly dedicated to interpretations of works by Johann Sebastian Bach (solo sonatas and partitas), as well as to the repertoire refined with Max Rostal (W. A. Mozart and the French Bruch, E. Bloch, F. Mendelssohn) and Leonid Kogan (Russian literature P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. Glazunov, A. Khachaturian, S. Prokofiev and D. Shostakovich for the performance of whose works he received a Russian prize as the first foreigner to do so).He pays special attention to the performances of classics of the 20th century (B.Bartok, B. Martin, S. Gubaidulin, A. Nilsson, K. Goldmark) and contemporary pieces, which is why numerous composers have dedicated their works to him (Boris Papandopulo, Milko Kelemen, Giuseppe Gavazza, D. Holloway, Ivo Malec).His first record was released by EMI in 1984 in London, and he recorded for BBC, CBS, France Musique, HRT and other radio and TV stations.
Croatia Records released one of the rare integrated performances of Eugene Ysaye’s solo violin sonatas.From 1987 to 2012 he managed the Zagreb Quartet and for a full quarter of a century his skill and art were part of this oldest Croatian and European chamber ensemble.Professionally, he is dedicated to studying the sound of historical instrumentsand raising awareness of the value of tonal wood from Croatia and Bosnia that was used to make the most valuable instruments. In order to promote Croatian makers of string instruments, in 2005 he initiated the founding of the Croatian Association of Professional Makers and Restorers of String Instruments.