Croatian pianist Kemal Gekic, living and teaching in Serbia, finds peace and stability in music.
By Carole Verona and Robert Rimm From his piano studio, Kemal Gekic looks out over the weathered rooftops of the city and reflects on the difficult lessons learned through the experience of living, teaching and performing in a region torn by war. Gekic (pronounced GAY-keech), 35, a native Croatian, directs the piano department at the Art Academy of Novi Sad in Serbia.
The son of two physicians, Gekic's musical career began at age one and a half, when he could already pick out accurate melodies on the piano. He received his early musical training from his aunt, Professor Lorenza Batturina, and in 1978 entered the class of Professor Jokuthon Mihailovic, a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, at the Art Academy of Novi Sad. In 1982, he earned the highest mark ever granted a diploma exam recital and was immediately appointed to the faculty of the piano department.
"Nothing lasts forever," he said in a telephone interview from Yugoslavia, using a phrase most of us would consider a cliché. To Gekic, though, the feelings are very real. The recent war's effect on the pianist and his students has been nothing less than profound. "They say when there is war, the muses are asleep. Not so in Novi Sad. A great influx of people wanted to come to the school. My students' attention turned to the music. There they could forget about their troubles."
Gekic tried to keep his feelings and fears away from the students. "In doing so, I aged 25 years!" But how have these feelings and fears affected how he approaches a performance? | |
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