Teachers

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Alan Fraser

Teacher - Novi Sad, Serbia

Born in Montreal in 1955 Alan Fraser studied piano but also delved into composition, cello, classical singing and had several stints as a pop musician. Alan’s main pianistic influence was the pioneering research of Phil Cohen who studied alongside Ronald Turini, Andre Laplante and Janina Fialkowska with Yvonne Hubert, who had been Cortot‘s assistant in Paris. Alan spent several years with Cohen after an apprenticeship with two former Cohen students, Alan Belkin and Lauretta Milkman.

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Kemal Gekic

Guest teacher - Miami, FL

Flamboyant, daring, provocative, exciting, seductive and sensitive are some of the words used to describe one of today’s most formidable pianists, Kemal Gekic, whose playing has been acclaimed worldwide by public and critics alike. His daring approach to tone and form, marked him as a maverick in the musical world, a distinction he welcomes: the very strength of his artistry challenges, provokes, intrigues. “Gekic rides the charismatic edge of genious” R. Dyer, Boston Globe “He is something like a general who has learned all the rules in the book and is therefore free to ignore them in the time of war” James Roos, Miami Herald “His playing is transcendental as well as incandescent” John Ardoin, Dallas Morning News Performing worldwide from a vast repertoire, Kemal Gekic presents fascinating, uncompromising and ever-changing interpretations , always generating frenzied audience enthusiasm. As a recording artist, Kemal Gekic has won accolades in Europe, America and Japan for insightful, original views of the music. His outstanding Rossini-Liszt transcriptions (Naxos) won “The Rosette” of The Penguin Guide for Music, while his recording of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes (JVC) is generally considered to be the best recording of a set in history. Born is Split, Croatia, Kemal Gekic got his early training from Prof. Lorenza Baturina. He graduated the class of Prof.Jokuthon Mihailovic at the Art Academy of Novi Sad and was immediately given a faculty appointment by the piano department which he eventually directed until 1999. Since 1999 he has been Artist in Residence at the Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

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Jovan Haji-Djurich

Teacher - Utrecht, NL

Jovan is a pianist and the guy behind PianoTechnique.org. He has studied with both Alan Fraser and Kemal Gekic. Originally from Serbia, now lives in The Netherlands.

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Luis Urbina

Guest teacher - Miami, FL

Luis is a Miami based pianist and pedagogue who has recently graduated from Florida International University in the class of Kemal Gekic.

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Misha Dacic

Guest teacher - Mersin, Turkey

The Serbian pianist, Miroslav Misha Dacic, was born into a family with a musical tradition, and first became established in the public eye when at age 11 he performed Haydn’s D major concerto under noted Yugoslav conductor Mladen Jagusht. By this time he had already decided to dedicate his life to piano, and was enrolled in the class of J. Kerkovitch at the Nish elementary music school. He completed only his first two years of music secondary school under the tutelage of D. Atchimovitch before enrolling in 1994 in the class of Professor Kemal Gekich at the Art Academy of the University of Novi Sad, where he also worked extensively with Alan Fraser.