Katarina Kochetova is a Ukrainian-Serbian pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger who has distinguished herself as one of the leading voices on the European jazz scene.
Born in Kiev (Ukraine), she grew up in Belgrade (Serbia), where her parents, musicians Max Kochetov and Ksenija Kochetova, encouraged her musical talent. She began studying classical piano at the age of 6 with teachers Nada Filipovic, Milica Vasiljevic-Bisenic and Ruzica Gojkovic. At the age of 13, she entered the Belgrade Music School "Kornelije Stankovic" (jazz piano department), where she studied with Milos "Mike M" Krstic and Aleksandar Grujic. She has participated in international competitions: she won prizes in "Naturalmente Piano Forte", "The Best Musical Mind" and "Katowice Miasto Ogrodow Composition Competition". In 2018, she entered the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (Austria), where she studied jazz piano with Oliver Kent.
In 2022, she completed her bachelor's degree and began her master's program. She spent a gap year at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (Sweden), actively participating in the local jazz scene. She performs as a soloist and sideman with well-known artists: Jure Pukl, Joe Sanders, Alex Hitchcock, Ben Tiberio and others. She leads her own projects "Katarina Kochetova Trio" and "Katarina Kochetova 5tet". In 2023, she recorded her debut album "Beyond Motion" (released in June 2024), which features original works with Jure Pukl (tenor saxophone) and Joander Cruz (alto saxophone). She combines classical music education with the freedom of jazz improvisation, creating unique arranged works
