Tina Zerdin

Harpist Tina Žerdin began her musical journey at an early age as a gifted pianist at the music school of her hometown Velenje in Slovenia. She remained devoted to the piano and later to solo singing until her first encounter with the harp. After only one year of study, she won the Slovenian Republic’s Competition for Young Musicians.

She studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Prof. Adelheid Blovsky Miller, completing both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with distinction. In addition, she attended numerous masterclasses and further refined her artistic development, particularly with representatives of the French harp school.

During her studies she was a scholarship holder of the Slovenian Ministry of Culture. After graduation, she received a merit scholarship from the University of Music in recognition of her outstanding academic achievements. In 2010, she was also awarded a scholarship by the Bayreuth Festival.

An active concert career began already during her student years, leading to collaborations with renowned orchestras and festivals. As a soloist, she has performed with the Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Slovenian Philharmonic, the Slovenian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Macedonian Philharmonic, the Wiener Kammerorchester, the State Philharmonic of Oradea and the State Philharmonic of Piteşti in Romania, as well as the Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the National Opera in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

She currently serves as principal harp of the Wiener Akademie, the Wiener Kammerorchester, and the Synchron Stage Orchestra. She is also a frequent guest at the Vienna Volksoper, the Vienna State Opera, and other Viennese orchestras. In the seasons 2014 and 2015, she appeared as principal harp at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

Alongside her performing career, she is active as a pedagogue, teaching at the Private Music School Ptuj in Slovenia and at the Musikschule Klangspiele in Vienna. From 2013 to 2015, she founded and directed an educational programme at the National Opera in Ulaanbaatar.

A central focus of her artistic work is the interpretation and performance of Slovenian harp repertoire. She has premiered works by Tomaž Bajželj, Igor Dekleva, Brina Jež Brezavšček, Jani Golob, Aleš Strajnar, Gregor Pompe, Slavko Šuklar, Ivo Petrić, Tomaž Svete, and Jaka Pucihar.

In 2015, her first solo CD featuring Slovenian harp music was released by the Society of Slovenian Composers. A second recording devoted to Slovenian repertoire was published in 2021 in collaboration with Slovenian Radio.