Donemus Webshop — Nikolic, Maria

Maria Nikolic is a Hungarian–Serbian oboist, composer, and photographer currently based in The Hague, Netherlands. Her musical journey began early — at the age of twelve she gave her first solo recital, marking the start of a promising career. Over the years, she has received numerous rewards, including ten first prizes at both national and international competitions. Twice awarded the title of Laureate for her contributions to music in the South European region, she was also a recipient of the Dositeja scholarship from the Serbian Ministry of Culture and Education in recognition of her exceptional talent.
A decisive moment in Maria’s artistic path came at the age of nineteen, when she met the renowned oboist Maurice Bourgue. This meeting proved transformative: she later moved to France to study with him, an experience that profoundly shaped her musical and personal development.
In 2019, Maria relocated to the Netherlands to continue her studies at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, where she completed her Master’s degree under the guidance of Karel Schoofs and Alexei Ogrintchouk. During this period, she also began studying Baroque oboe with Frank de Bruine, which led her to develop a more organic and sustainable approach to oboe playing.
Alongside her performing career, Maria has developed a strong creative voice as a composer and improviser. Her works explore the intersection of sound, movement, and visual art, often drawing inspiration from French and Dutch Art Nouveau and impressionistic aesthetics. Through composition, she seeks to translate emotions, memories, and visual impressions into sound — focusing on color, texture, and atmosphere. Her debut composition cycle, Memories We Carry, is dedicated to her mentor Maurice Bourgue and reflects on themes of remembrance, transformation, and beauty emerging from grief. Improvisation also plays a central role in her artistic process, allowing her to connect instinctively with sound and gesture, and to blur the boundaries between written music and spontaneous creation.