CONCERT: ArtLink(s) Balkan

“ArtLink(s) Balkans program”

As a part of the “ArtLink(s) Balkans program”, on Saturday, 10 October, at Belgrade Cultural Centre, several rising artists from Serbia and the Region – pianist Azra Medić from Sarajevo, trumpeter Demir Kanturovski from Skopje, guitarist Nadja Janković from Kotor, and the winner of the “ArtLink Most Promising Young Artist in Serbia Award” for 2007, cellist Nemanja Stanković were presented to the Festival audience.

Azra Medić, piano (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Azra Medić was born in Banjaluka in 1983. She graduated from the Music Academy in Sarajevo as the best student of the University in Sarajevo in the class of Neda Stanković and Boris Kraljević. In 2008 she finished her specialisation studies in Zagreb, in the class of prof. Djuro Tikvica.

From 2008 till 2012 Azra studied in Germany, where she finished two postgraduate programs, one in Kassel in the class of prof. Iwan Urwalow, and the other in Freiburg in the class of prof. Elza Kolodin. She is now a PhD candidate at the Music Academy in Sarajevo, in the class of prof. Aleksandar Serdar.

During her studies she won many prizes in national and international competitions: International piano competition for pianists and piano ensembles in Moscow – I prize, Citta di Gorizia – I prize, Nicolai Rubinstein in Paris – II prize, Roma 2004 – III prize, Federal competitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina – first and special prizes.

Azra Medić has participated in masterclasses conducted by professors Rudolf Kehrer, Igor Khudolei, Diane Anderson, Peter Feuchtwanger, Noel Flores, Martin Hughes, Leslie Howard, Christopher Taylor, Markus Schirmer, Avedis Kouyoumdjian and others. She performed recitals and chamber music concerts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Greece, Italy, France, Austria, Russia, Czech Republic, and Switzerland, and gave masterclasses in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Czech Republic.

Since 2012 Azra Medić works at the Music Academy in Sarajevo as an assistant at the piano department.

Nadja Janković, guitar (Montenegro)

Nadja Janković was born on 28 December 2000. She began playing guitar and piano at the age of nine. Nadja lives in Kotor, Montenegro. She graduated from the “Vida Matjan” junior school of music in Kotor, classical guitar department, with prof. Dražen Joković and prof. Srdjan Bulatović, PhD. She is also a 6th-grade student of piano at the same school. She has enrolled at the Kotor middle school of music in the class of Marije Brčić.

Nadja made guitar performances in Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Greece and Austria. Since 2013, Nadja took part in a number of international seminars, schools of classical guitar, with Aleksandar Hadži Đorđević, Vera Ogrizović, Srđan Tošić, Darko Karajić, Đani Šehu, Jelica Mijanović, Xhevdet Sahatxhija, Goran Krivokapić, Danijel Cerović, Tomas Oferman, Maroje Brčić, Vladimir Gorbač, Zoran Krajišnik, Carlo Marchione, Olaf Van Gonnissen and Andrea De Vitis.

Nadja Janković won an impressive number of international prizes including:

1st place, XIII „Julian Arcas“, international competition, classical guitar, Almería, Spain, October 2013.

1st place and Special prize, VI „Giovani Musicisti“, international competition, classical guitar, Treviso, Italy, March 2014.

1st place and Special prize, „XLI Muzički festival mladih Crne Gore“, National competition of classical guitars, Herceg Novi, Montenegro, April 2014.

1st place, XIX „Eduard Pamfil“, international competition, classical guitar, Bucharest, Romania, December 2014.

1st place, I „ Zagreb guitar festival“, international competition, classical guitar, Zagreb, Croatia, January 2015.

1st place, XVI „Guitar Art Festival“, international competition, classical guitar, Belgrade, Serbia, March 2015.

1st place, VI „Poreč tirando con pizzicato“, international competition, classical guitar, Poreč, Croatia, March 2015

1st place, IX „Vojvodina guitar fest“, international competition, classical guitar, Novi Sad, Serbia, April 2015

1st place „Sarajevo international guitar festival“, international competition, classical guitar, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, April 2015.

1st place, „VI Tremolo fest“, international competition, classical guitar, Skoplje, Macedonia, May 2015.

2nd place, International Competition „XI Guitar Foundation of America“, international competition, classical guitar, Oklahoma City, SAD, jun 2015.

1st place, „32 International Guitar Festival of Volos“, international competition, classical guitar, Volos, Greece, July 2015.

1st place „18th INTERNATIONAL YOUTH COMPETITION FORUM GITARRE WIEN“ international competition, classical guitar, Vienna, Austria, August 2015.

…and many others.

Demir Kanturovski, trumpet (Macedonia)

Demir Kanturovski was born on September 25, 1995, in Kočani, Macedonia. He now lives in Berovo. Demir is studying at the Faculty of Music in Skopje. He comes from a family with a long and rich musical tradition and plays the trumpet since he was only six years old. Demir is also studying at Elementary music school in Štip, in the class of Professor Vaso Ristov at the Faculty of Music in Skopje.

His prizes include:

Special award at the State competition in Skopje,

Special award at the State competition in Bitola,

First prize at the International competition “Ohrid Pearls” in Ohrid,

First prize at the International competition “Petar Konjovic” in Belgrade, Serbia,

First prize at the International competition in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria,

Demir’s most notable performances are with the Macedonian Philharmonic in 2013 and 2014.

Nemanja Stanković, cello

Nemanja Stanković was born in Kragujevac (Serbia) where he completed the Secondary School of Music in the class of Boža Saramandić, as the valedictorian. In 2009, he graduated as the best student of his generation from the Belgrade Faculty of Music, where he studied with Sandra Belić. Nemanja completed his post-graduate studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg (Austria) with Enrico Bronzi, as well as at the Scuola di musica di Fiesole (Florence, Italy) in the class of Natalia Gutman. Nemanja Stanković is currently taking Master cello course at the Wien Konservatorium Privatuniversität with Maestra Natalia Gutman. He has taken PhD studies at the Belgrade Faculty of Music under the tutelage of Sandra Belić.

Since March 2011, Nemanja Stanković has been the principal cellist of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has attended masterclasses given by renowned musicians, including Jens Peter Maintz, Ralph Kirshbaum, David Strange, Mischa Mayski, Elizabeth Wilson, Alexander Gebert, Monika Leskovar, Alexander Baillie, Daniel Weis, Ivan Kucher…

Nemanja has received awards and prizes as a finalist of many international competitions: International cello competition in Liezen (Austria – 1st prize, 2012), Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade (Serbia – 1st audience prize, 2010), Johannes Brahms in Pörtschach (Austria – finale, 2011), Antonio Janigro in Poreč (Croatia – 3rd prize, 2004), Petar Konjović in Belgrade (Serbia – 1st prize, 2007), Fidelio Spezial Wettbewerb (Austria, finale – 2012), Heran competition in Usti nad Orlici (Czech Republic), International students’ competition in Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina – 1st prize, 2008)…

In 2007, he was hailed the Most Promising Young Artist in Serbia by the jury of „ArtLink Belgrade“. This recognition led him to record his first CD (supported by AUDI) featuring the works of Paganini, Dvorak, Davidoff, Haydn and Tchaikovsky.

He has performed as a soloist with orchestras: „Belgrade Philharmonic orchestra“, „Radio-television of Serbia“ symphony orchestra, „Camerata Serbica“, „Orchestra Giovanile Italiana“, „Czech Virtuosi“, „Belgrade Faculty of Music“ symphony orchestra, „Christiansted Symphoniker“, „BGO Dušan Skovran“, „Norbal“…

Nemanja Stanković boasts remarkable appearances at international festivals: Note di Primavera (Florence), Estate Fiesolana, BEMUS (Belgrade), Young Stars of Today (Sweden), Mendelssohn Marathon (Empoli, Fiesole), Schumann Marathon (Lucca, Prato, Empoli), Belgrade Cello Fest, ArtLink Summer Festival…
Nemanja has performed as a soloist at the Concerts for Life and Peace held in Italy and Israel/Palestine (December 2010) under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Youth. He has also given performances at the Grand Salon and the Cathedrale Saint-Louis des Invalides (Paris, France), as well as in the Wiener Konzerthaus (Schubertsall), Musikverein Wien (Gläserner Saal)…

Nemanja Stanković has performed as a member of many renowned musical ensembles, including St. George Strings, EUYO, Camerata Serbica, RTS Symphony Orchestra, Music Youth of Skopje Orchestra (Macedonia), YMISO, Balkans string quartet etc.