Hristijan Risteski
Biography Hristijan Risteski
Hristijan Risteski
"A Macedonian-born saxophonist, clarinetist and composer whose music is shaped by the interplay of composition and improvisation, structure and openness."
Hristijan Risteski is a Macedonian-born saxophonist, clarinetist and composer based in Austria, whose music moves fluidly between composition and improvisation, structure and openness.
Rooted in contemporary European jazz and shaped by the clarity of classical training, his artistic voice draws from the rhythmic language of Macedonian music as a natural extension of his identity. Rather than treating tradition as an external influence, he integrates it into a personal and evolving musical language.
His playing is marked by a focused sound, lyrical depth and a strong sense of form, while his compositions unfold as narratives — balancing intimacy and intensity, space and momentum.
With his quartet, an international ensemble featuring musicians from Europe and the USA, Risteski develops a sound that is both precise and open, combining detailed writing with expressive improvisation.
The group's debut album Waters Dance, recorded at ArteSuono Studio in Italy, explores themes of movement, identity and transformation. Conceived as a unified work, the album reflects an ongoing search for connection — between musical traditions, personal experience and contemporary expression.
Risteski has performed across Europe in a wide range of settings, from intimate ensembles to orchestral and interdisciplinary projects. In 2024, he appeared as a featured soloist at the Stefaniensaal in Graz in a concert dedicated to the music of Astor Piazzolla.
Born in Ohrid, Macedonia in 1994, he began playing clarinet at the age of ten. He studied classical clarinet in Skopje before continuing his artistic development at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG), where he completed his jazz studies and is currently pursuing a master's degree.
In April 2026, at the Jazz Factory Festival in Bitola, Hristijan was honored with the "Goce Dimitrovski" Award for Best Young Jazz Artist in Macedonia for 2025.
