Ivanka Kordić graduated in piano from the Academy of Music in Zagreb as an excellent student in the class of Professor Ivo Maček. She further refined her skills under Professor S. Neuhaus in Vienna.
She spent her entire professional career at the Vatroslav Lisinski Music School in Zagreb, where she served as the head of the Piano Department from 1983 to 1996. The Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia promoted her to the rank of professor of excellence and senior advisor. She also collaborates with the Academy of Music in Zagreb in the subject “Pedagogical Practice.”
As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with prominent domestic and international musicians. She has performed concerts throughout Croatia and in several other European countries. She was a member of the chamber orchestra Gaudeamus, which performed at the most prestigious music festivals (Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Rab, Zadar, Ljubljana, Osor, Samobor, Plovdiv, Graz, Mistelberg, Idria, and Maribor). She has also recorded for Aulos and the National Radio.
Ivanka Kordić is frequently a jury member at national and international piano competitions. She conducts masterclasses and creative workshops across Croatia and abroad. She has been a long-standing lecturer at the International Summer Music School in Pučišća on the island of Brač (Croatia) and the International HGM Summer Piano School in Grožnjan (Croatia). She is regularly invited to participate as a jury member in international competitions. Kordić conceived and organized the International Zlatko Grgošević Piano Competition in Croatia.
She is an active member of the Croatian Association of Music and Dance Pedagogues (HDGP) and a long-time vice-president of the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) Croatia. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and honors for her highly professional work and pedagogical skills, both in Croatia and abroad. Among other awards, she has received the HDGPP and EPTA awards for outstanding achievements and contributions to piano pedagogy, as well as the Ivan Filipović Award presented by the Ministry of Science and Education for significant achievements in education.
As one of the most successful piano teachers in her country, Ivanka Kordić has trained many generations of young pianists. Her students have won over 1,000 awards and recognitions at national and international competitions (Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, the USA, and the United Kingdom). They have performed as soloists with renowned orchestras, recorded for radio and television, and performed in Croatia and abroad (including the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, Royal Albert Hall in London, Musikverein in Vienna, Ehrbar Saal in Vienna, and the Berliner Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal). They have continued their education at universities in Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France. Ivanka Kordić has received numerous awards for her pedagogical work both at home and abroad.
Recently, she has been engaged in pedagogical and research work, which has resulted in the publication of a piano primer titled “Veselo putovanje 1” (“Joyful Journey 1”) and a textbook and collection for young pianists titled “Veselo putovanje 2”, as well as a handbook for piano teachers.