Iva Bittová was born in 1958 in Bruntál, northern Moravia, in the former Czechoslovakia. Both of her parents were musicians. Her mother, Ludmila, was a preschool teacher who spent most of her life with her family; her father, Koloman Bitto, was a musician strongly influenced by the land of his birth, southern Slovakia. His main instruments were string bass, cimbalom, guitar, and trumpet. Bitto’s exceptional ability to play almost any instrument he laid his hands on, in classical or folk styles, proved a major influence on his three daughters as they grew up. Both of Iva’s sisters – her older sister Ida and her younger sister Regina – are professional drama and music performers. Bittová was also featured as an actress in radio, TV, and movie productions. While working full-time in theatre, she rekindled her interest in playing violin, an instrument she had set aside in her younger years. After her father’s early death, she decided to follow in his professional footsteps as an instrumentalist composing her own music. In 1982, Bittová started studying with Professor Rudolf Šťastný, the first violinist of the Moravian String Quartet. In the intervening years the violin has become her life’s passion and the most inspiring musical instrument in her professional life.