Nina Rakić
Serbian Conductor
Biography
With completed elementary and secondary music education at the “Petar Krančević” Music School in Sremska
Mitrovica, majoring in piano with excellent results, and additional training in percussion and solo singing, I can
distinguish myself by possessing absolute pitch, as one of my greatest attributes.
I graduated in 2023 from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Department of Conducting, in the class of Professor
Biljana Radovanović-Brkanović, with an average grade of 9.95. I completed my master’s academic studies in 2024
in the class of Professor Maestro Bojan Suđić, with a GPA of 10.00.
During my education, I won awards at national and international competitions and received the Saint Sava Award
of the City of Sremska Mitrovica. I was a scholarship holder of the Fund for Young Talents of the Ministry of Youth
and Sports and the City of Sremska Mitrovica, as well as a scholarship recipient for exceptionally gifted students
from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.
Since 2018, I have been collaborating as a répétiteur and assistant conductor with the Serbika Choir from Sremska
Mitrovica, under the leadership of Professor Vladimir Opačić, a lecturer at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. With
this choir, I participated in preparations for the entrance exam at the Faculty of Music, which I successfully
enrolled in 2019.
One of the more notable projects I realized was an online choral performance by students of the Faculty of Music
in Belgrade in 2020, where we performed the modern spiritual composition “Pomiluj” by student Nikoleta
Radulović. The project was published on YouTube.
I worked as an assistant conductor on the international project Opera: Past, Present, Perfect!, where we performed
Britten’s children’s opera “The Little Sweep” and the miniature opera “Pure Water” by composer Olga Janković,
staged at the “Duško Radović” Little Theatre. The production won the Belgrade City Award.
As a conductor, I passed my final conducting exams before a three-member committee, conducting the Art
Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence “Stanislav Binički,
” and received the highest mark on all three occasions.
I also participated in masterclasses with Maestro Martin Akerwall, a conductor who graduated from the Sibelius
Academy under Jorma Panula, and Professor Uroš Lajovic in Dubrovnik, where I worked with the Dubrovnik
Symphony Orchestra
In July 2022, 2023, and 2024, I was an active participant in a seven-day masterclass with Maestro Martin Akerwall
in Belgrade, working with the Belgrade Chamber Orchestra, composed of renowned musicians from the Belgrade
Philharmonic.
I co-founded the Sonore Chamber Orchestra (KOS) in 2022 together with my colleague Bojan Kljajić. The
orchestra has performed at events such as the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
and the gala graduation concert “An Evening with Mozart” in June 2023. That concert, in which I performed
simultaneously as soloist and conductor, was announced by RTS as a special event.
In 2022, I won second prize at the international piano competition in Timișoara, and in 2023, first prize at the
competition in Smederevo. Based on these achievements, the Faculty of Music awarded me six additional ECTS
credits.
In September 2023, after a successful audition, I had the opportunity to conduct the Szeged Symphony Orchestra
in a competition in Szeged, where the jury was chaired by the renowned Vasily Petrenko. I organized an orchestral
performance by the Sonore Chamber Orchestra in Sremska Mitrovica, supported by the City Department of
Culture. The program featured Grieg’s Peer Gynt suites. I also directed and prepared the orchestra for a major
event — the performance of the world-famous ensemble Il Divo at the Štark Arena on October 28, 2023.
During the 2023/2024 season, I was a participant in the Opera Studio of the National Theatre, where I worked as a
répétiteur and performed various conducting duties.
In November 2023, I conducted contemporary music at the KoMA Festival with the string ensemble
Metamorphosis. Also, in December 2023, I held a concert with the Sonore Chamber Orchestra at the Lazar
Vozarević Gallery in Sremska Mitrovica, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This event,
supported by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, featured Grieg’s Holberg Suite and
both Peer Gynt suites.
At the beginning of 2024, I appeared as a guest on the renowned RTS television program “I Love Classical Music”, where I conducted works by Lehár, Gounod, and Saint-Saëns (Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra), performing
alongside distinguished young soloists. The pianist was Stefan Đoković, and the episode aired on March 24, 2024.
In March 2024, I received an award from the City Department of Culture of Sremska Mitrovica as a “Successful
Individual in the Field of Culture and Sports” for my contribution to improving the quality of life for people with
disabilities and raising cultural awareness.
I took my final master’s conducting exam by conducting the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Television of Serbia.
In July 2024, I participated in the GIPAK project — a collaboration between Chinese and Serbian artists — where I
was engaged as a répétiteur, pianist in the orchestral ensemble, assistant conductor, and assistant director, under
the patronage of Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević.
I am proud that my project Music Is Female was approved by the Ministry of Culture, and I had the honor of
conducting two full-length concerts: one at the Museum of Srem in Sremska Mitrovica on September 18, 2024, and
another at the National Museum in Belgrade on September 22, 2024.
In December 2024, I organized two concerts — in Belgrade and in Sremska Mitrovica — with my Sonore Chamber
Orchestra, featuring pianist Sonja Radojković as the soloist. These concerts were supported by the local
government of the City of Sremska Mitrovica and included an orchestral performance with the Maestre Quartet,
composed of two pianos, flute, and tamburitza.
In 2025, I established a collaboration with the Royal String Orchestra of Saint George, under the royal patronage of
HRH Prince Philip Karađorđević. Under my direction, this elite ensemble successfully performed three concerts —
one at the National Museum in Belgrade, another at the Dobrica Milutinović Theatre in Sremska Mitrovica (which
also served as my final specialist exam, graded 10), and an open-air concert in Sremska Mitrovica as part of the
Lux Aurelis – Roman Days International Festival, supported by the EU, on August 2, 2025. I also successfully
passed the audition for the position of Assistant Music Director with the Southampton University Symphony
Orchestra in May 2025.
Nina Rakić is a student of the Open University Sibelius Academy, where she worked with the student orchestra
under the mentorship of Petri Komulainen. She is also a participant of the Jorma Panula Academy, where she
worked with his orchestra, as well as the Eduardo Portal Conducting Academy, where she conducted the Socrates
Symphony Orchestra. In October, she participated in the Zoraqi Conducting Competition, where she passed the
first round and, in the second round, collaborated with the National Radio Orchestra Shqiptar.
Whether conducting or accompanying on piano, Nina Rakić brings passion, intellect, and a humanistic approach to
her artistic expression, making her a powerful and inspiring figure in contemporary classical music.
She completed her Specialist Studies in Conducting at the Faculty of Music in the class of Professor Bojan Suđić
with a perfect GPA of 10.00 (2025).
Performances
Concert Supported by the City of Sremska Mitrovica (December 2024)
Orchestral performance with the Maestre Quartet (two pianos, flute, tamburitza).
Royal String Orchestra of Saint George (2025)
Collaboration under the royal patronage of HRH Prince Philip Karađorđević, with performances at the National Museum in Belgrade, the Dobrica Milutinović Theatre in Sremska Mitrovica, and an open-air concert as part of the Lux Aurelis – Roman Days International Festival (August 2, 2025).