Dragomir Bratić
started playing piano at the age of fourteen. He graduated from the Music School “Josip Slavenski” in Belgrade in the class of prof. Zlata Poparić with honours. He graduated piano studies and finished his master’s degree at the Department of Chamber Music (piano duo) at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade in the class of Ninoslav Zivkovic and Zorica Ćetković, respectively. He also attended master classes of Arbo Valdma, Igor Lasko, Pavel Nersesjan, Natalia Troull, Daniel Rivera. For the time being he works as a piano teacher at the Music School “Davorin Jenko” in Belgrade.
Dragomir is an active member of the Association of Music Artists of Serbia since 2005. From 2011 he is the director of the State competition of students of music and ballet schools of Serbia under the patronage of the Association of Music and Ballet Schools of Serbia. Also, he holds a position at the Organization Board of the International Piano Competition for Young Pianists Davorin Jenko since 2016.
Apart from an active pianist career (piano duo with Maja Rajković) Dragomir Bratić is a devoted teacher and has a wide interest in pedagogical work. He is the author of textbooks entitled „Music Culture“ for elementary schools. He took part in the debate – as author and presenter – at the 17th International Competition for Young Pianists in Šabac, “Principles of assessment in music competitions. Subjective and objective assessment?” which was accredited by the Institute for Advancement of Education.
At the Piano Competition PIANO / FVG held in May 2014 in Sacile, Italy – sponsored by the Central European Initiative Forum and Alink, Argerich Foundation – Dragomir held a lecture on the Serbian piano school, and the strengths and weaknesses of competitions.
Dragomir Bratić was co-author (with Professor Dragoljub Katunac, Novi Sad Academy of Arts and Alyosha Jurinić, Croatian pianist) at the Belgrade conference “Meeting with the artist: Frederic Chopin International Competition – Then and Now” (Chopin Fest 2016).
Dragomir is a constant jury member in nearly all national competitions, and is frequently ivited to competitions in Slovenia, Italy, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Germany, Hungary, Austria, France, Poland, and Georgia.
Based on the originality of approach to working with children he is one of the most talented and most successful piano teachers in his country. So far his students have won over 550 first and special awards (laureate) in Serbia and abroad, e.g. in Italy, Slovenia, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, USA, Rusia, Georgia… He has received numerous awards for his educational work not only in Europe but also in the USA – Carnegie Hall Award for the most successful pedagogue. Dragomir’s students are recognised performers in many prestigious concert halls of Serbia and abroad, like the Carnegie Hall in New York or the Musikverein in Vienna.
Nenad Kačar
Croatian pianist and pedagogue Nenad Kačar was born in 1965 in Zagreb.
He has been involved with music since his early childhood, and as a five-year-old, he had his first public performance. During his schooling through he sensitized the public through numerous concerts, and gets noticed which, in return, made it possible to to obtain prestigious national scholarships.
He studied and graduated at the Zagreb Academy of Music in the class of a prominent Croatian pianist and professor, academician Jurica Muraja. He continued his training with numerous pianists, E. Timakin, M. Lorković A. Preger, R. Kerer, M. Farre and I. Žukov.
He has performed in almost all major music centers of Croatia as well as in numerous European countries (Slovenia, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Russia, etc.). He recorded for various domestic and foreign radio and TV stations. In the field of chamber music, he has collaborated with a number of prominent musicians, conductors, ensembles and orchestras.
Since 2017 he has collaborated in piano duo with pianist Nataša Mitrović.
In March 2019, at the Croatian Music Institute in Zagreb, he performed with the Croatian Chamber Orchestra and conductor Diana Tchobanov, also performing, with great success, the solo part of the Mozart Concert K.V.466 which will be released on CD.
Since 1987, he has been engaged in pedagogical activities and, with results, he presents the range of Croatian piano pedagogy. Regularly, his students are winners of numerous competitions, winning first prizes at domestic and international competitions (more than 200), performing at a number of well-publicized performances and concerts (over 540) and participating in media events in a dozen European countries (Russia, USA, Italy , Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia).
Particular emphasis should be given to the performances of his students at the world famous halls at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Rachmaninov Concert Hall of the Moscow State Conservatoire, the Vienna Music Store, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Auditorium Parco della Musica, the Teatro Studio in Rome, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Casa di Riposo G. Verdi in Milan, the church of St. Sofia in Ohrid, a church. St. Donata in Zadar, KD Vatroslav Lisinski in Zagreb and others.
He is a longtime chief of the piano department of the Academy of Music Zlatko Baloković. He is a mentor to numerous young pianist pedagogues until they are prepared for the professional state exam.
He has held a series of professional seminars, masterclasses and lectures in Croatia, Europe and Russia. He was invited as a member of the jury for many international piano concerts.
He publishes professional works in the field of piano pedagogy and piano methodology. He is a member of EPTA Croatia and the HDGPP Association. He has been a guest lecturer to the students of the 4th and 5th year of the Music Academy in Zagreb, within the framework of Pedagogical Practice Crouse, since the school year of 2009/10.
Based on the results achieved, the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports and AZOO nominate him and promoted him into a mentor-professor in 2011 and in 2016 as professor advisor.
His artistic pedagogical work was rewarded with numerous awards.
Nenad Kačar
Hrvatski pijanist i pedagog Nenad Kačar rođen je 1965. godine u Zagrebu.
Glazbom se bavi od najranijeg djetinjstva, već kao petogodišnjak imao je prvi javni nastup. U vrijeme školovanja kroz brojne koncerte senzibilizira javnost, i biva zapažen što mu tijekom studija omogućava dobivanje prestižne državne stipendije.
Studirao je i diplomirao na Muzičkoj akademiji u Zagrebu u klasi uglednog hrvatskog pijanista i profesora, akademika Jurice Muraja. Usavršavao se kod brojnih pijanista, E. Timakin, M. Lorković A. Preger,R.Kerer, M. Farre i I. Žukov.
Nastupao je gotovo u svim važnijim glazbenim središtima Republike Hrvatske kao i u brojnim europskim državama (Slovenija, Italija, Njemačka, Češka, Nizozemska; Belgija, Švedska, Bugarska, Makedonija i Rusija itd.). Snimao je za različite domaće i strane radio i TV postaje. Na području komorne glazbe surađivao je s nizom istaknutih glazbenika, dirigenata, ansambala i orkestara.
Od 2017. godine surađuje u klavirskom duu sa pijanisticom Natašom Mitrović.
U Hrvatkom glazbenom zavodu u Zagrebu u ožujku 2019. nastupa sa Hrvatskim komornim orkestrom i dirigentom Dianom Tchobanovom te sa velikim uspjehom izvodi solističku dionicu Mozartovog koncerta K.V.466 koja će biti objavljena na CD-u.
Od 1987. godine bavi se pedagoškom djelatnošću te ostvarivanjem vrhunskih rezultata prezentira domete hrvatske klavirske pedagogije. Njegovi učenici redovito su pobjednici brojnih natjecanja te osvajaju prve nagrade na domaćim i međunarodnim natjecanjima ( više od 250 ) te ostvaruju čitav niz zapaženih javnih nastupa, koncerata (više od 540 ) i sudjeluju na medijskim događanjima u desetak europskih država ( Rusija, SAD, Italija, Njemačka, Austrija, Francuska, Nizozemska Makedonija, Bosna i Hercegovina, Srbija, Slovenija i Hrvatska ).
Posebno treba naglasiti nastupe njegovih učenika u čuvenim svjetskim dvoranama u Carnegie Hallu u New Yorku, Rahmanjinov dvorani Moskovskoga konzervatorija, u Bečkom Musicverein, dvorani Berlinske Filharmonije, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Teatro Studio u Rimu, Concertgebouw u Amsterdamu, Casa di riposo G. Verdi u Milanu, crkva sv. Sofije u Ohridu, crkva. Sv. Donata u Zadru, KD Vatroslav Lisinski u Zagrebu i dr.
Dugogodišnji je šef odjela za klavir GŠ Zlatka Balokovića. Mentor je brojnim mladim klavirskim pedagozima do polaganja državnog stručnog ispita.
Održao je niz stručnih seminara, masterclassa i predavanja u RH, Europi i Rusiji. Pozivan je kao član ocjenjivačkih povjerenstava na mnoga međunarodna klavirska natjecanja.
Objavljuje stručne radove iz područja klavirske pedagogije i metodike klavira. Član je EPTA-e Hrvatske i Udruženja HDGPP-a.. Od šk. god. 2009/10 kao gost predavač predaje studentima 4. i 5. godine Muzičke akademije u Zagrebu u okviru kolegija Pedagoška praksa.
Temeljem postignutih rezultata Ministarstvo znanosti, obrazovanja i športa i AZOO imenuju ga i promoviraju u zvanje-profesor mentor 2011.godine, 2016. godine u zvanje – profesor savjetnik, a 2021. u trajno zvanje profesor – savjetnik.
Za svoj umjetničko pedagoški rad nagrađivan je brojnim nagradama.
Milena Apić
Isidor Bajic Music School (Novi Sad)
Milena Apic finished her primary and high music education at the Isidor Bajic Music School, class of Professor Lidija Nikolic. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies under Professor Rita Kinka at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. She won many first prizes at national competitions. She performed as a soloist and had accompanied the oboist Borislav Cicovacki and the flutist Visnja Kosanovic. She recorded for the Radio and Television stations of Novi Sad and Serbia. She attended numerous master classes held by eminent teachers such as Arbo Valdma, Rita Kinka, Konstantin Bogino and Kemal Gekic. Her pupils won numerous awards on national and international competitions. She taught as a Piano Assistant at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in the class of Rita Kinka and Dusan Trbojevic. She teaches piano and works as a Head of the Piano Division at the Isidor Bajic Music School. Milena Apic took part many times as a member of juries in the categories of soloists and piano duos. She is a member of EPTA Serbia, and one of the founders of both the Voivodina Piano Teachers Association and the Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial. She is Co-Head of the Isidor Bajic Piano Competition.
