Croatian soprano Nikolina Hrkać graduated with a Master of Music (Vocal Performance) from the Music Academy in Zagreb (Croatia) in 2023 with First Class Honours. Recently, she has been awarded as a double prize winner of the International Singing Competition Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg (Germany). Additionally, she won the 1st Prize at the International Singing Competition Lav Mirski in Osijek (Croatia) in 2018 and The Musical Youth Award at the Lions Grand Prix Competition in Rijeka 2017 (Croatia). She also received The Dean's Award in 2020/2021 and The Rector’s Award in 2021/2022 at the Music Academy in Zagreb.
Soprano Nikolina Hrkać is currently training as a Young Artist on the Global Talent Programme at the National Opera Studio (NOS), London.
In the season 2022/23, she was a recipient of the Young Artist Scholarship of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
Her operatic experience includes Ännchen in Der Freischütz (Brixen Classics Festival), Bastienne in Bastien und Bastienne (Croatian National Theatre in Varaždin), Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb), La Fée in Cendrillon (Music Academy Zagreb), Noémie in Cendrillon (Music Academy Zagreb), The Shepherd in Jakov Gotovac's Ero The Jocker (Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb), and The Voice in La Rondine (Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb).
She has performed roles in contemporary opera and operettas such as The Pig Squealer in Igor Kuljerić's The Animal Farm (Concert Hall Vatroslav Lisinski) and Violetta Valery in Linda Uran's Priležnici (Theatre Komedija).
Her concert repertoire includes Johann Sebastian Bach's Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, Angelo in Handel's La Resurrezione, Telemann's Zuerne nur du alte Schlange, and Alessandro Melani's Qual mormorio giocondo.
She often collaborates with the Croatian Baroque Ensemble, performing Baroque and Early Music repertoire.
Recent concert highlights include her debut at Brixen Classics Festival 2022, where she performed the part of Ännchen in C. M. von Weber’s Der Freischütz alongside Michael Volle, Christopher Ventris, and Gabriela Scherer, conducted by maestro Daniel Geiss. Klassikpunk praised her interpretation commenting: "Ännchen was really good, everyone agrees afterwards. Not only her lovely appearance speaks for the young soprano, but also the qualities of her voice, which is very warm in timbre and well trained in legato, adorn the role of Ännchen perfectly."
Her performance at the Opera Gala Concert in Rheinsberg 2023 was described as playful and seductive: "Nikolina Hrkać delights with intensive vocal and acting arrangement as Ännchen in Weber's Der Freischütz (Einst träumte meiner sel'gen Base...Trübe Augen) as well as seductive Zerlina (Batti, batti) from Mozart's Don Giovanni."
Future engagements include Handel's Messiah (Müpa Budapest) and Serpina in La Serva Padrona (Korkyra Baroque Festival).
Updated January 2023. This biography should not be reproduced without asking permission from the National Opera Studio.