Dragan Djordjevic- Suzuki – violoncello, Serbia; Dino Imeri – piano, North Macedonia

Dragan Djordjevic- violoncello

Press and critics describe and say, Dragan is one of the most original artistic personalities of his generation. Recognized as a Serbian cello school ambassador, Dragan is the founder of Viva Cello ensemble and festival Ravanelius, co-founder of the Rubikon quartett and program director of Cello Fest in Belgrade.

Born in Serbia at the age of six he entered the music world by starting with Suzuki method playing violin at the School for Musically Gifted Children in his hometown Ćuprija, but two years later chose cello and receive first lessons from prof. Relja Ćetković. After studies in Belgrade at faculty of Music Arts in class of prof. Sandra Belić he continued education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with prof. Stefan Popov. After London Dragan met Korean cellist Young Chang Cho and continued studies at the Hochschule fur Musik in Essen in Germany.

As a very young musician he was appointed as a professor of cello at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade. At the time beside teaching, one of main priorities was to keep on study with cellists and musicians such as Misha Maisky, Boris Pergamenschikow, David Grigorian, Thobias Kuhne, David Takeno, Stanislav Apolin and also chamber music with  Welinger, Takacs, Melos and Alban Berg Quartets.

He has been Laureate and special prize winner of international competitions such as „Antonio Janigro“, Markneukirchen, the Orpheus Laureates and Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade.

As a soloist and chamber musician he performed in Europe, USA, China at distinguished international music festivals including the BBC PROMS, City of London Festival, George Enescu Festival, Sion-Valais Shlomo Mintz Festival,  Ohrid Summer, Cellissimo Festival, BEMUS, CellEAST, Kotor-Art, International Cello-Fest in Belgrade. He was invited to perform with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Kammer Philarmonie Amade, National Radio Orchestra of Romania,Macedonian Philharmonic, Belgrade Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of RTV Slovenia, Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with artists such as Julian Rachlin, Itamar Golan, Emil Tabakov, Clemens Schuldt, En Shao, Mincho Minchev, Alena Baeva, Nemanja Radulović, Roman Simović, Francesca Dego, John Adams, Peter Sculthorpe, Leslie Howard and many others.

In 2011 Dragain was invited by maestro Valery Gergiev to play as guest principal cellist of Symphony Orchestra of Mariinsky Theatre, Dragan won Zagreb Concert Management Award, recital in the new Concert Hall of Marinsky Theatre in St. Peterburg, debut with RUBIKON Quartet at the City of London Festival.

Dedicated to a teaching and beside being full time professor of cello at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade, he has given masterclasses in China, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and in many other Balkan Countries.

Dragan Đorđević plays a cello made by James and Henry Banks in 1797.

Dino Imeri-piano

Dino Imeri (1990) is one of Macedonia’s finest pianists and professors, hailed by the French OPS Magazine as a “wizard of the piano”.  He has successfully performed on some of the most prestigious concert podiums and his artistic creations have always thrilled audiences world-wide. His prizes include Best artists of the University “Sts Cyril and Methodius” (a once in a career award), and was ranked amongst the ten best European pianists. His performances in London, Rome Cannes, Strasbourg, Bari, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade and Sofia are just a few of Imeri’s rich concert agenda that have been praised for his “refined sound, immaculate technique, instrumental culture and interpretative freedom if immense quality” (E. Docheva, kultura.bg). He regularly collaborates with renowned orchestras, conductors, instrumentalists singers, multimedia artists etc.

With a concert career that spans over 15 years, Dino Imeri also communicates his knowledge to young pianists in his capacity of professor at the Faculty of Music in Skopje. He has been a jury member of various national and international competitions, and for his humanitarian work he is the recipient of the “St. Mother Theresa” award.

“Dino Imeri’s name should be written with golden letters in the contemporary Macedonian and world piano history” (V. Kostoska- Peneva, musicologist).

Programme:

1. V. Beethoven: Seven variations on Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” WoO 46

1. Schnittke: Suite in old style op. 80

1. Schumann: Adagio and Allegro op. 70

interval

1. Rachmaninoff: Sonata for violoncello and piano G minor op. 19

                                                Lento. Allegro moderato

                                                Allegro scherzando

                                                Andante

                                                Allegro mosso