The critics have praised pianist VLADIMIR VALJAREVIC for his “caressing legato,” “silk-on-velvet seductiveness” (Fanfare Magazine), “beautiful lyricism and . . . wide variety of tones and colorings, perceptively applied with care” (All Music Guide). He has also been called “an outstandingly responsive partner and superb tonalist” (The Strad). He has distinguished himself as performer, educator, and administrator - a result of his diverse interests and versatility.

Some of Valjarevic’s solo and chamber performances include appearances at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Xi'An Concert Hall in Xi'An, Sumida Triphony Chamber Hall in Tokyo, Leiszhalle in Hamburg, Conservatory Hall in Geneva, Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche in Berlin, "Kolarac" Hall in Belgrade, Concert Hall "Bulgaria" in Sofia, Conservatory of Music in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Manchester Music Festival in Vermont, Southwest Virginia Festival for the Arts, and the French and Swiss Embassies in Washington, D.C. In New York, he has performed at Bargemusic, “Concerts at One” at Trinity Church, “Meet the Virtuoso” at the 92nd Street Y, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Steinway Hall, Yamaha Salon, The United Nations, and The New School’s Tishman Auditorium, among others. Committed to exploration of the contemporary repertoire, Valjarevic has worked under the direction of various composers and has taken part in numerous world premieres. In addition, he appeared in the European premiere of Cage’s dance drama “Four Walls” in Berlin and then Hamburg. Valjarevic has performed extensively as a member of the Kaleidos Duo, with violinist Miroslav Hristov, and The Hudson Piano Trio.  

Valjarevic teaches piano at Mannes School of Music (College, Prep) and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, and piano literature and pedagogy at Mannes. He was the teaching assistant to Pavlina Dokovska for over a decade and still continues a close collaboration with her, in pedagogy and performance. As part of his outreach activities, he conducts piano master classes semi-annually under the auspices of Southwest Virginia Community College. His summer festival affiliations have included Beijing International Music Festival and Academy, and Xi'An Music Festival  in China, Round Top Festival in Texas, International Institute for Young Musicians in Kansas, International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York. As the head of the Mannes Prep piano department, he created a variety of programs and incentives for students, in addition to setting the foundation of the secondary piano curriculum at Mannes College. He serves as the chamber music coordinator at the Beijing International Music Festival and Institute in China and the assistant artistic director at the Southwest Virginia Festival for the Arts. He has given piano masterclasses and lectures on piano pedagogy in the US and China, including a presentation at the Music China World Fair in Shanghai. 

Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Valjarevic received his initial music education in Tuzla as a student of Planinka Jurisic-Atic. After studies at Belgrade Conservatory (Serbia), he came to New York City on a scholarship from the Mannes School of Music. There, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees with honors, garnering the Marian Marcus Wahl Performance Award at graduation. His principal teachers were Pavlina Dokovska and Vladimir Feltsman. Valjarevic received a doctoral degree from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where he was a student of Susan Starr, and a recipient of the Saldarini Scholarship Award. Upon graduation, he was presented with the Elizabeth Wyckoff Durham Award for Excellence in Keyboard Studies. After winning a Fulbright Scholarship Award and Swiss Arts Government Grant, Valjarevic studied at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland under the tutelage of Pascal Devoyon. While in Geneva, he received chamber music instruction from Jean Jacques Balet and clavichord lessons from Nicole Hostettler at the Centre de Musique Ancienne. He has participated in Master Classes with Naum Shtarkman, Gaby Casadesus, Gyorgy Sandor, Jerome Lowenthal, Lilian Kallir, Eteri Andjaparidze, and Lydia Kouteva, and in festivals such as IMS Prussia Cove in England, the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, the Apeldoorn Festival in The Netherlands, the International Festival-Institute at Round Top in Texas, The International Keyboard Institute and the Beethoven Institute in New York, and Kneisel Hall in Maine (as a recipient of Artur Balsam Scholarship). As a soloist and chamber musician, he has won numerous prizes at National Competitions in the former Yugoslavia as well as at the “Citta di Stresa” and “Citta di Marsala” International Competitions for the Young in Italy. He has recorded for Labor Records, Romeo Records, Centaur Records, Blue Griffin, and MSR Classics. Vladimir Valjarevic is a Steinway Artist. 

Violinist MIROSLAV HRISTOV was hailed by Fanfare Magazine for his "razor sharp technique" and a "full palette of tonal colors." He presents master classes and performs extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in several international festivals and concert series, including the Musical Treasures series in Carnegie Hall, the Interharmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy, the Sofia Music Weeks International Festival, the Balabanov House Music Days, the Big Arts Concert Series in Florida, and the Fredell Lack Series in Houston, Texas. Recent performances include solo and chamber performances in the national recital halls of Taiwan and Singapore. Hristov was First Prize winner of the International Violin Competition "Dobrin Petkov," and a prizewinner for the MTNA Collegiate String Performance Competition.

Hristov has recorded for Centaur Records, Romeo Records, Blue Griffin Records, the Divine Arts Record label, Bulgarian National Radio and WUOT Knoxville. His recordings are broadcast on NPR stations across the United States and abroad. As part of the internationally-acclaimed Kaleidos Duo with pianist, Vladimir Valjarevic, Dr. Hristov's recordings and performances have received rave reviews from The Strad Magazine, Fanfare, DUMA (Sofia, Bulgaria), and Lucid Culture (New York).

With over twenty years of teaching experience, Dr. Miroslav Hristov has gained recognition as one of the leading violin pedagogues in the country. In the last several years, students from Dr. Hristov’s studio have earned top prizes at national and international competitions, including the American Protégé International Concerto Competition, The ENKOR International Solo Violin Competition, the Music Teachers National Association (National Finalist), the Cleveland Orchestra of Tennessee Aria and Concerto Competition, among many others. Recent teaching awards include the Tennessee Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year, the Tennessee Governor's School for the Arts Outstanding Teacher Award, the University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and the University of Tennessee School of Music's Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award, an award nominated by and voted on by the UT School of Music Student Advisory Board.

Recent graduates from the Dr. Hristov’s studio have received full scholarships and assistantships to attend prestigious graduate programs around the country, including Indiana University, University of Houston, Arizona State University, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Appalachian State University, and Columbus State University. Others have secured competitive jobs, including appointments to the violin faculty of the Universidad Pontifica Católica de Puerto Rico, Crown College, as well as performing arts organizations, such as the National Symphony of Ukraine, the Lexington Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, among others. Many of his students participate in prestigious festivals, such as the Aspen Music Festival, Meadowmount Music Festival, Yo-Yo Ma’s Winter Music in China.

Miroslav Hristov is Professor of Violin at the University of Tennessee. He is also Founder and Director of the University of Tennessee's Ready for the World Music Series, which brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world, emphasizing each region's contribution to western classical music.