Rate My Professor Doretta Balkizas

Doretta Balkizas is an Australian violinist serving as the newly appointed Lecturer in Violin at the University of Queensland School of Music, returning to Australia in July 2024 after residing in Germany since 2015. She earned a Master of Music with distinction in 2018 from the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin and completed her undergraduate degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under violinist Alice Waten. Renowned for her versatility, Balkizas performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral artist, collaborating with esteemed ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Bremer Philharmoniker, and Australian Chamber Orchestra. Her international engagements have included tours across Europe, Asia, and Australia, showcasing her technical prowess and musicality.

As a concerto soloist, she has appeared with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and Nanning Symphony Orchestra in China. Balkizas excels in chamber music, participating in prestigious festivals such as the International Holland Music Sessions, Musica Viva Festival, Coriole Music Festival, Mackay Chamber Music Festival, and Yellow Barn Music Festival, where she collaborated with Roger Tapping of the Juilliard String Quartet and Donald Weilerstein. Her accomplishments include being a finalist in the 2015 Symphony Australia Young Performer Award and a major prize-winner in the Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship for Violinists, receiving the inaugural Fritz Kreisler Prize. At UQ, she contributes through teaching violin, directing the Pulse Ensemble of selected string students, and performances like the UQ Chamber Players Concert Series, ACO String Quartet Regional Tour, and Mackay Chamber Music Festival events in 2024 and 2025. She is available for supervision.