Creating and presenting new music is not merely an inner, personal impulse. The enjoyment of music, which begins with deep listening, brings not only an aesthetic pleasure and a genuine understanding of musical works but also a profound appreciation for the art of music itself
In the early 1980s, Belgrade saw the flourishing of a pluralistic new wave scene, mirroring global trends in popular music. I was a teenager when I formed a band made up of keyboards, vocals and drums. I composed several songs using “lyrics” drawn from Kafka’s novels. We had only one performance, but it was so well received that it led us to a renowned music producer. Instead of offering us a recording contract, he suggested I arrange the songs for string quartet and present them to a professor at the Music Academy.
It turned out that my talent was indeed suited to classical composition – I was accepted into the composition programme at the age of 16, studying under Professor Srđan Hofman.
After graduating, I worked as an assistant professor at the same department. I quickly became part of Belgrade’s rich cultural and concert life, as well as the wider artistic scene across Yugoslavia and Europe. I was actively composing numerous scores for ballet, theatre and film, exploring experimental music theatre and studying electronic music. Together with fellow students, I formed a group of composers, The Magneficent Seven, and we made video clips for new compositions, much like MTV did for pop music. Belgrade Television had excellent cultural programming, and everything felt avant-garde and alive.
I witnessed the disintegration of my homeland, the politicization of ethnicities that complicated relationships, material – and even more so, spiritual deprivation, which became unbearable. Economic sanctions brought all my concert and compositional work in Europe to a halt. My connections with friends and colleagues from the former Yugoslavia were severed. Following the birth of my first child in the mid-1990s, I decided to leave the country and move to the United States.
I arrived in Belgrade at a historic moment, in which the academic community is united in the fight for freedom of thought, democracy, the defence of the university and the profession – and against corruption and the rule of falsehoods
Emigration is always difficult, regardless of the circumstances. I could not imagine life in America – films present an idealised, not realistic, image of society. The harshness of capitalism and the need to support my family made it impossible to continue my creative work. I started a small business – a music school – and gave private piano lessons. In time, I secured a professorship at the respected DePaul University in Chicago. After a break of several years, I returned to composing.
I encountered extraordinary musicians and artists and resumed concert activity with great success. American awards and recognition followed, but nothing felt quite the same as in Yugoslavia. On the contrary – it often seemed that life was placing before me unimaginable obstacles that I was constantly required to overcome. Yet I remained optimistic, always ready to try again or approach things differently – because the act of creating a new composition is, in itself, a new beginning. I saw adversity as a test and accepted struggle as a necessary part of the journey.
This year, I had the great honour of returning as a guest professor and Fulbright Scholar. From the perspective of my American experience, I was able to advocate for the importance of introducing music appreciation classes in higher education in Serbia, which could bridge the divide between people and shatter cultural, ethnic, political, and religious barriers. It seems to me that the current political repression in Serbia is even more complex than it was when I left. I feel that I have arrived in Belgrade at a historic moment, one in which the academic community is united in the fight for freedom of thought, for democracy, for the defence of the university and the profession – and against corruption and the rule of falsehoods. My return to the University of Arts after almost three decades symbolises the closing of a life cycle, as well as a synthesis of my interdisciplinary work in both Chicago and Belgrade. Music is an art that profoundly touches human existence and crosses all borders.