Jovan Kolundžija The leading Serbian violinist Jovan Kolundžija graduated from the Belgrade Academy of Music under Professor Peter Toškov and continued his post-graduate studies with Professor Henryk Szeryng. During his early career he became Professor Szeryng’s favorite disciple and one of the most praised violinists in the world.

Maestro Jovan Kolundžija gave over four thousand concerts all over the world. Beside his concert career, he is a founder of Art Centre GUARNERIUS in Belgrade, hosting great musicians from all around the globe as well as important young talents.

Numerous awards and prizes testify to his high artistic achievements, both at home and abroad, most notably:

Competition for Young Yugoslav Violinists - Zagreb
The Carl Flesh Competion – London
Sabre Marroquin Competition – Mexico
The Jacques Thibault Competition – Paris
International Youth Competition Award – Belgrade
Award of the Hungarian Television – Budapest
Ivo Tijardovic (awards for numerous interpretations of supreme quality) – Zagreb
Orlando Award (for the best concert at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival)
Golden Lyra (the highest Yugoslav artistic award ever received by one musician) – Belgrade
Award for the Best Interpretation of the Year (1977, 1978, 1979 and 1986) Belgrade
The Award of the Association of Yugoslav Composers – Belgrade
October Award of the City of Belgrade
Award golden BEOCUG (2006) for permanent contribution to culture of Belgrade.
Award of City of Belgrade for best concert and great and permanent contribution in culture of Belgrade (2007)

He also participated in special concerts organized by UNESCO in Belgrade and Paris, and has done recordings for numerous radio and TV programs, only for national TV RTS he has more than 300 hours of recorded programs, (he appeared twice in the worldwide famous Jacques Chancel's shows organized by the French Television). He is a member of FIAM – Unesco and he has numerous recordings to his credit, including the recently released CD of complete Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin by J. S. Bach.

He held numerous humanitarian concerts.

Special projects:

In 1994 he performed as soloist a program consisting of ten different concertos in only four days TEN MAGNIFICIENTS (Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Mendelson, Bruch, Lalo, Wieniawsky, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brams) with St. George Strings and Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Best Concert of the Season in 1994, with Novi Sad Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2008 he performed in Belgrade a program DO YOU LOVE BEETHOVEN consisting of complete opus of Beethoven sonatas written for solo violin and piano, during four successive days. Concert was pronounced as best concert of the year.

In 2009 he performed in Belgrade a program BRAVISSIMO MAESTRO MOZART consisting of 15 Mozart sonatas during four days accopanied by great pianists from Canada, Russia, Korea and Serbia.

He plays on the famous Guarnerius violin made in 1754 by Petrus Guarneri in Venice, which was recommended to him by Professor Henryk Szeryng in the USA.

Tours:

Many times he performed in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria,The Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraina, Belorussia, Litvania, Lethonia, Estonia, Spain, United Kingdom, Venezuela, the USA, Germany, China, Thailand, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia.

Played with Henryk Szerying, Alexis Weissenberg, Aldo Ciccolini, Yevgeni Svetlanov, Carlo Zecchi, Milan Horvat, Lovro Matacic, Vaclav Smetacek, Oskar Danon, Alexis Hauser, Veronika Dudarova, Ken-ichiro Kobayashi, Hans Peter Frank, Siztin Ehrling, Pavle Despalj, Zivojin Zdravkovic, Mladen Jagust, Sheldon Morgenstern...

Festivals:

Salzburg, Berlin, Evian, The Prague Spring, Bratislava Musical Festivities, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Belgrade Music Festival, The Ohrid Summer, Cervantino...

He performed in the most famous concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Tchaikovsky concert hall in Moscow, Gaveau in Paris, Concert hall Georges Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest, Santa Cecilia in Rome, Beas Artes in Mexico City, Gevand Haus in Leipzig, Dvořák concert hall, etc. ...

Some of the reviews:

““ Jovan has the inborn qualities which cannot be learnt or taught. By this, I mean the quality of the sound, the warmth, the humane approach to music, the feeling for style. He is a happy combination of heart and spirit... He reaches the highest peaks of performing art....An exceptionally brilliant international career lies ahead of him...” (Henryk Szeryng)

“ ....We admired the great command and the fire of your performance, your mastery of projection and unique conception...” (Yehudi Menuhin)

“ His future career promises to be spectacular”. (Alexis Weissenberg)

“...he recreated the spirit of the music by the sureness of his execution, the roundness of his pure, clear tone...” (EL TEMPO, Bogota)

“...the lyricism of an expanding, vibrant soul...” (LE MONDE, Paris)

“....incredible maturity, incredible perfection, and exceptional intuitive mobility...” (SMENA, Bratislava)

“..his talent unites strict musicality with virtuosity...” (TAGESSPIEGEL, Berlin)

“...a talent which appears once in hundred years...” (VJESNIK, Zagreb)

“...And finally, the Yugoslav music miracle, violinist Jovan Kolundzija,   one of those that rarely appear in such intensity of all happily inspired and ripe components predestined for supreme music making...” (VJESNIK, Zagreb)

“...A great interpreter who achieved a complete triumph...” (LA CORUNA, Spain)

“...the ingenious Ambassador of Yugoslav music...” (SOL DE MEXICO, Mexico City)

“...Kolundzija played Tartini with sense of excitement...” (NEW YORK TIMES, New York)

“...Alive, elegant and exceptional, Jovan Kolundzija seduced Paris audience at the Gaveau Hall the other night...” (LE PARISIEN, Paris)

“His art in performing on violin represents a kind of mission in our Country, his charismatic personality brought to concert halls an amazing audience and thousand of admirers, many children decided to play on violin thanks to him. His art represents more than the performance itself, more than one concert and on performance – represents art mission…” (part of justification by the Committee of the City Belgrade at rewarding Kolundžija in 2007.)

“ …..His exceptional biography this evening got its confirmation in all that has said his professor, great violinist Henryk Szerying calling him “great combination of heart and soul”….His relation toward music was intimate, but serious, virtuoso but ample, he placed highest standards to the music…” not reaching the tears sentimentality, which is often heard on concert podiums…” (Branka Radović, Politika 2008.)

During four nights of Beethoven and Kolundzija we heard hundreds of motives, one more beautiful than other, appearing, interweaving, playing with piano in illusion simplicity and clearness of phrase – which is hardest to reach….” (Gordana Krajačić, Borba 2008.)

It’ s a real accomplishment! ( Daily news Politika, 26. December 2008) “During four concert nights in Kolarac hall, Jovan Kolundžija performed all of ten Beethoven sonatas, accompanied by pianists Natalija Mladenović and Nada Kolundžija. In much bigger music countries, Europe and the world, between violinists younger and older generations, it is the real rare privilege to audience to participate at such events…Kolundžija has reached the real accomplishment which is the dream of biggest violinist of the world…Kolundžija with deep concentration, calm, very well-measured, completely in coordination, logic in form and expression, has reminded us to old values of the music….attending the interpretation carried with his own charisma. Real triumph !

Duo for violin and piano (Daily news Politika, 14. December 2009) “ Sonata and variation of V. A. Mozart have left the public without words and with frenetic applause. The impression left on classical music fans has just confirmed the critics of biggest experts. For Kolundžija they told that he possess such qualities which could not been learn, that he is the jewel between world famous violinists, one of the best.

Lord on the stage (Daily news Politika, 12. December 2009) His celebrity is celebrity of a performance and art duration. He performs on a noble violin of Petrus Guarnerius dated 1754. from Venise, however the softness of the sound and nuances reached, no instruments will be able to sound so greatly unless it is leaded by master hands.