The musical program of the “Ohrid Summer” festival continues tonight with a concert featuring the exceptional Serbian cellist Dragan Đorđević Suzuki and one of Macedonia’s finest pianists, Dino Imeri, to be held in the “Saint Sophia” church at 9 PM.
Professional critics regard Dragan Đorđević as one of the most original artistic personalities of his generation. Dubbed a kind of Serbian ambassador of the cello, Dragan is the founder of the “Viva Cello” ensemble and the “Ravanelius” festival, co-founder of the “Rubicon” quartet, and artistic director of the “Cello Fest” in Belgrade.
Born in Serbia, he began studying music and the violin using the Suzuki method at the Specialized Music School for Talented Children in his hometown of Ćuprija at the age of six. After just two years, he switched to the cello, studying under Prof. Relja Ćetković. After studying at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, he continued his education at the Guildhall School of Music in London under Prof. Stefan Popov, and later at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany, with cellist Young-Chang Cho from Korea.
He is a laureate and award-winner at cello competitions such as “Antonio Janigro,” the Youth Music Competition in Belgrade, and the “Orpheus” competition in Markneukirchen.
Dedicated to a pedagogical career, Dragan is a full-time professor at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and holds masterclasses in China, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, and other Balkan countries. He plays on an instrument made by James and Henry Banks in 1797.
Dino Imeri (1990), or “the piano wizard” (French OPS Magazine), is one of Macedonia’s most renowned pianists and professors. He performs with great success on prestigious stages worldwide, and his artistic creations leave audiences and critics captivated.
He has been named the Best Artist of UKIM (an honor awarded once in a career) and is ranked among the top ten European pianists. London, Rome, Cannes, Strasbourg, Bari, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Sofia are just some of the cities included in his rich concert agenda, where Imeri showcases his “refined sound quality, impeccable technique, instrumental culture, and incredible freedom with an extraordinary interpretative quality” (E. Docheva, Kultura.bg). He regularly collaborates with eminent orchestras, conductors, instrumentalists, singers, multimedia artists, and others. With over fifteen years of brilliant concert activity behind him, Dino Imeri imparts his knowledge and experience to young talents as an associate professor at the Faculty of Music – Skopje at UKIM.
He is a member of numerous international expert committees and juries and has received the “Mother Teresa” award for his humanitarian work. “Dino Imeri’s name is written in golden letters” (V. Kostoska Peneva, musicologist) in contemporary Macedonian and world piano history.