“Serbian composer Isidora Žebeljan is justly celebrated for her music’s intense originality and fiery emotional expression.” BBC Music Magazine

Isidora Žebeljan (Belgrade, 1967-2020) was one of the most original classical music composers of the early 21st century and also Serbia’s most outstanding and internationally acclaimed  composer. She first attracted international attention with her opera Zora D, which has been performed across Europe since its 2003 premiere in Amsterdam, directed by Sir David Pountney.

Her work has been commissioned by internationally prominent institutions and festivals, including the Berlin Philharmonic Foundation, Bregenz Festival, Venice Biennale, Accademia Musicale Chigiana Sienna, City of London Festival, University of Kent, Muziektheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen, Genesis Foundation London, Eduard van Beinum Foundation, International Horn Society et al. Žebeljan’s works are performed by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Octet, Brodsky Quartet, I Solisti Veneti, RAI National Symphony Orchestra Torino, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Dutch Chamber Choir, London Brass, conductors Paul Daniel, Claudio Scimone, David Porcelijn, Michael Seal, Christian Reif, soloists Stefan Dohr, Alessandro Carbonare, Daniel Rowland, Oliver Triendl, Anna Fedorova, Marcel Beekman and many more. Her compositions are regularly performed in Europe, Israel, USA, Canada, Australia and Asia.

She was a Professor of Composition at the Belgrade Faculty of Music as first woman in Serbia to held this position. She regularly appeared as a conductor and pianist of her works, and was an advocate for other composers from her native Serbia. She was a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences. The recordings of her music were published on CD’s and online albums by Deutsche Grammophon, CPO, Chandos Records, etc.