A night to remember was created by the world-renowned guitar virtuoso Vlatko Stefanovski, who held a concert as part of the 64th “Ohrid Summer” festival, marking five decades of his musical career. The audience at the Ancient Theatre enjoyed phenomenal compositions performed by the members of the “Vlatko Stefanovski Trio,” Jan Stefanovski and Ivan Kućić. The evening’s guests included Macedonian saxophonist Goran Papaz and Damir Imeri on keyboards, with whom Stefanovski has collaborated for many years.
“I grew up in Ohrid. My parents were involved in the arts, they were theater people, and every year we were at ‘Ohrid Summer,’ so this festival and this city are deeply ingrained in my subconscious. It’s not my first time performing at the festival, but every time I have the honor to perform, I feel a bit special, as I do now. With great pleasure, my band, my collaborators, and I held the concert,” said Stefanovski.
The Ancient Theatre in Ohrid also saw an audience that traveled especially to enjoy the concert performed by this masterful guitar artist. He received significant support from friends and fans outside the country’s borders.
“I have friends from Zagreb who came to see the concert, fans from Norway who, believe it or not, gathered and came with three or four planes just to see this concert. So, we have a special feeling and a bit more responsibility compared to other concerts we play at other festivals. We felt the need to make this special,” Stefanovski added.
Half a century on the world music scene is no small feat, and according to guitarist Stefanovski, his career was built gradually and laboriously.
“Of course, the world stages were not conquered immediately; first, the family had to be conquered to believe in what you are doing, then to convince your schoolmates that what you do is worth something, then to convince your neighborhood, your city, your country, and the world remains to be conquered a bit later. So, we conquered some significant stages, I can’t complain. I am very grateful to the audience, the collaborators, and the Almighty who still seems to protect me and give me strength and faith to continue,” he said.
Always humble, Stefanovski attributes his career to everyone involved.
“Everyone has built a piece of the mosaic called five decades of a musical career. I can’t say that I alone am responsible for everything. There have been some quiet collaborators who are not so exposed to the public. I’m talking about sound engineers, designers, photographers, cameramen, directors, all of whom added something to the mosaic. One must be aware and grateful,” Stefanovski recounted.
For his successful five-decade career, Macedonia’s greatest ambassador, Vlatko Stefanovski, received a plaque from the “Ohrid Summer” festival. According to the director of this major musical-theatrical event, Natasha Popović, Stefanovski is the best Macedonian and Balkan guitarist of all time who, with his guitar, best promotes Macedonian song and music around the world, touching all hearts through the rhythm of the seven-eight beat, but also many other rhythms.
“‘Ohrid Summer,’ with its rich tradition of 64 years, reaches world peaks in art but knows how to appreciate those who, with their works, write history and tell a story with a universal echo. It is a great honor, on behalf of the entire team of ‘Ohrid Summer,’ to present this plaque as a sign of gratitude for the special contribution, commitment, and successful cooperation, as well as the numerous performances on the ‘Ohrid Summer’ stage that are part of his 50-year successful career,” emphasized Popović.
Vlatko Stefanovski’s concert tour marking his jubilee on the music scene continues. He announced major concerts in Belgrade, Zagreb, and Skopje, but he considers last night’s concert at “Ohrid Summer” to be one of the most significant.