Dunja Krsmanović was born in 2005 in Čačak, Serbia, where she completed her primary music education at the “Dr Vojislav Vučković” Music School. She continued her secondary music education in Kragujevac in the class of Professor Boža Saramandić and graduated as Valedictorian of the generation in 2023. She is currently a third-year cello student at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade in the class of Professor Srđan Sretenović. In 2024, she completed a semester in the class of Professor Ana Topalović at the Conservatory in Vienna. She is the cellist of the string quartet “Numa” and the chamber orchestra “13 Strings”. 

She attended masterclasses and studied with David Pia (Geneva), Xenija Janković (Serbia/Russia), Wendy Law (USA), Arlen Hlusko (USA), Patrice Jackson (USA), and Margarete Höffer (Germany). She additionally took private lessons with Johannes Krebs (Graz), Julian Arp (Graz), and Andreas Puzelberger (Linz). Dunja has performed under the baton of distinguished conductors including Srboljub Dinić, Vesna Šouc, Nemanja Mitrašević, Rade Pejčić, Mirian Khukhunaishvili, Timothy Redmond, Austin Wintory, Desar Sulejmani, Silvia Massarelli, and many others.

She is the recipient of numerous national scholarships recognizing exceptional talent and continuous artistic development. In 2026, she was awarded the National Scholarship of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia. She also received support from the Fund for Young Talents of the Republic of Serbia – Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation in both 2023 and 2024 as one of the country’s gifted young students. Previously, she received scholarships from the Ministry of Education of the City of Čačak for exceptionally talented students in 2021 and 2022, as well as special awards for winning first and second prizes at the National Competition in those years.

As a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, she has performed at numerous venues in Serbia, including Parobrod Cultural Center, Kolarac Endowment, SKC Belgrade, Legat Slavenski, Czech Center, Belgrade Philharmonic, Russian House, Czech House, the Museum of Theatre Arts of Serbia, Synagogue in Novi Sad, and many others. Internationally, she has appeared at the Royal Theatre Zetski Dom in Montenegro, the Macedonian Philharmonic, the National Theatre in Sarajevo, and the “Aleksandër Moisiu” Cultural Center in Durrës, Albania. 

In 2024, she performed at the prestigious 25th anniversary edition of the “Young Euro Classic Festival” in Berlin at the Konzerthaus as part of an orchestral tour. As a member of the Western Balkan Youth Orchestra (WBYO), she toured Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Germany in 2024. She has also been invited to participate in the orchestral tour of the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory in Italy during November and December 2025. 

As an orchestral musician, she regularly performs with ensembles such as “13 Strings,” “4 Strings” Quartet, the Western Balkan Youth Orchestra (WBYO), Fame’s Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Music, the contemporary music ensemble “Gradilište,” and the Belgrade Youth Orchestra (BEOM). In 2026, she also performed in two projects with the RTS Symphony Orchestra. In many orchestral projects, she served as principal cello. A particularly significant engagement was in April 2025, when she served as principal cellist of the international Fame’s Orchestra in Skopje under the leadership of concertmaster Roman Simović. Within the same project, she performed alongside world-renowned violinist Rusanda Panfili.

As a soloist, she has presented numerous recitals, including her graduation recital in 2023, and has appeared at competitions, concerts of young artists, Baroque evenings, and exhibitions. She regularly performs both nationally and internationally, developing experience across a broad range of musical styles, including classical, contemporary, experimental, and film music. She is especially dedicated to contemporary music and collaboration with living composers.

She performed three times at the “KoMa” Festival – Concerts of Young Composers, as well as at the leading Serbian international composers’ festival “Tribina Kompozitora,” premiering works by contemporary Serbian composers. She has performed works by contemporary composers such as Ana Krstajić and Austin Wintory, as well as works by composers Igor Andrić, Miloš Zatkalik, Aleksandar Sedlar, Svetlana Savić, Dragana Jovanović, and others.

Among her recent solo appearances are a recital at Muzej pozorisne umetnosti (2026), Legat Slavenski (SOKOJ) in 2026 and a solo recital at the “Artem” Student Center in Kragujevac in 2023. In 2022, she performed a solo recital within the traveling exhibition “Čija je mustra bečka?” organized by the Austrian Cultural Forum. With her quartet, she performed at the opening ceremony of the “Arlemm” Festival in 2024. She also participated in the Belgrade CelloFest 2025 within CEBEF and has appeared at many festivals throughout Serbia and abroad.

During her education, she won several prestigious national and international awards. In 2026, she became the Grand Prix winner of the International Vivaldi Competition in the Professional category. In 2024, she won First Prize at the International Competition “Golden Stairs” in Valjevo. At the National Competition of Ballet and Music Schools of Serbia in 2023, she won Second Prize. In 2022, she became the winner of the virtual international competition “Caneres” in Vienna and won Second Prize at the International String Competition in Niš. Particularly notable are her First Prize at the National Competition in 2021 and First Prize with the maximum score of 100 points at the International Festival “Petar Stojanović” in 2020.

In 2025, she received support from the IN.TUNE European Alliance for the realization of her student project “PodKlas,” becoming the first scholarship recipient from the Faculty of Music within this prestigious European program for artistic innovation and collaboration. Since 2024, she has been actively engaged as a youth worker within the “Edukultura” community, organizing programs for young musicians and encouraging artistic mobility and cultural participation.

Through the Culture Moves Europe program (Creative Europe Call), she participated in an artistic residency at the French festival “Au Grès du Jazz” in 2023, collaborating with international jazz artists and participating in interdisciplinary programs for European musicians. 

In her artistic work, she is dedicated to cultivating a rich sound identity, exploring contemporary techniques, and connecting classical and modern performance practices. She is especially inspired by collaborations with living composers, chamber music, and the development of innovative performance projects. In the coming years, she plans to continue her studies at European academies, develop original multimedia projects combining contemporary music and visual arts, and actively participate in international orchestral and solo programs. As a youth worker and cultural activist, she is devoted to expanding cultural practices among young people and increasing accessibility to music education.