Maria Sotriffer is an Austrian violinist of Ukrainian descent. Her most recent successes include winning first prize at the renowned Huml Competition in Zagreb in 2025, where she also received concert prizes with the Zagreb Philharmonic and the Zagreb Soloists. In 2024, she won the Ysaÿe International Music Competition in Liège.

Born in Vienna into a family of musicians, Maria began violin lessons with her mother at the age of two. From a young age, she performed alongside international greats such as Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Janine Jansen, and Aleksey Igudesman. She has appeared at major festivals including the Oleg Kagan Music Festival in Kreuth (Germany) under the direction of Natalia Gutman, the Julian Rachlin & Friends Festival in Dubrovnik and Pernegg, and the Eilat Music Festival in Israel. A special highlight was her performance with Rudolf Buchbinder in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.

As a soloist, Maria Sotriffer has performed with the Zagreb Philharmonic, the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava, Camerata Musica Vienna, the Traismauer Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Neue Streicher, the Beethoven Philharmonic Orchestra Baden, the Nouvelle Étoiles String Ensemble Paris, and the Camerata Medica Vienna. Among her many competition achievements are first prizes at the 20° Concorso Internazionale di Esecuzione Musicale Padova, the Mimas Music Festival Competition, the XII International Competition for Young Musicians Città di Massa, the Nouvelles Étoiles International Music Competition, the London International Concerto Competition, and the International Johannes Brahms Competition Pörtschach (Esta Prize).

Recent highlights include solo performances at prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus Vienna, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Smetana Hall in Prague, the Musikverein Vienna, and the Radiokulturhaus in Vienna.

At just four years old, Maria became the youngest student ever accepted to the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, studying in Eugenia Polatschek’s class. She later continued her studies with Pavel Vernikov, Thomas Christian, Gerhard Schulz, and Albena Danailova at both the Music and Arts Private University and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She is currently pursuing her Master Soloist degree at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne under Svetlana Makarova.

Maria Sotriffer has participated in masterclasses with Donald Weilerstein (at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival), Boris Kuschnir, Midori Goto, Pierre Amoyal, and Ingolf Turban, which have greatly enriched her musical perspectives. She also studied baroque violin with Hiro Kurosaki. She is a scholarship holder of the renowned Swiss Lyra Foundation and the Liechtenstein Music Academy.

Maria plays a violin by Franz Geissenhof – the “Viennese Stradivarius” – dating from 1804.