Biography
Defined by a distinctive sonority, exceptional clarity, and a naturally grounded musical sensibility, Anton Ždanovič stands among the leading European percussionists of his generation. A laureate of numerous international competitions and an internationally acclaimed soloist, he combines magnetic musicality with refined technical precision at the core of his artistic identity.
Born in Belarus, Ždanovič developed artistically in Czechia, Italy, and Belgium, where he received his formal musical education and shaped his individual artistic voice. As a marimba and percussion soloist, he has appeared with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (Czechia), Sichuan Symphony Orchestra (China), Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra (Spain), the State Chamber Orchestra of Belarus, Prague Philharmonia, and other notable ensembles. He has collaborated on projects with Andrea Bocelli, Ennio Morricone, Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, and Gérard Depardieu—encounters that have profoundly influenced his musical language.
A winner and laureate of international competitions and auditions across Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czechia, Moldova, China, and Belarus, Ždanovič has twice received recognition from the Czech Music Fund (2013, 2015) for his contribution to contemporary Czech music. His concert activity spans Denmark, Germany, the United States, South Korea, Oman, Switzerland, China, and numerous other European countries.
Ždanovič began his percussion studies with his father, Viačaslaŭ Ždanovič, and later continued his training at the Belarusian State Academy of Music High School under Ludmila Klindukhova. He earned his Master’s degree from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in 2017, studying with Daniel Mikolášek and Václav Mazáček, as well as guest professor Rune Martinsen of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. His artistic development also included a year at the Conservatorio G.B. Pergolesi (2014–2015) under Antonio Santangelo and focused work at the LUCA School of Arts (2016) under the supervision of Ludwig Albert. From 2017 to 2020, he pursued postgraduate studies with Martin Opršal at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts, specialising in solo performance.
In 2015, he entered the Orchestral Academy of the Czech Philharmonic—Czechia’s foremost symphony orchestra—performing with the ensemble for two seasons until 2017 under conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Jiří Bělohlávek, Manfred Honeck, Wayne Marshall, Jakub Hrůša, Juraj Valčuha, and David Robertson. During this period, he further refined his timpani expertise under Michael Kroutil, solo timpanist of the Czech Philharmonic.
Between 2018 and 2019, he served as a teaching assistant at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, and since 2018 he has been a doctoral researcher in the arts at the University of Antwerp.
His orchestral academy experience also includes the PKF–Prague Philharmonia (2013–2014, 2015–2016) and the Brno Philharmonic (2014–2016). He later served as Principal Timpanist of the Prague Royal Philharmonic (2018–2020) and the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra (2020–2021). Since 2022, he has been the timpanist of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra in Chengdu, China.