KOTORART TALENTS

Dea Nicaj, violin, began her musical education at the Andre Navarra School for Musical Talents in Podgorica under Professor Dijana Mitić Stojanović and Professor Vujadin Krivokapić before continuing on to her secondary education at the Vasa Pavić Secondary Music School, first under Professor Ana Perazić and then Professor Vili Ferdinandi. She has won numerous awards at national and international competitions, including the Montenegrin Youth Music Festival, Tirana Talent and Pjetër Gaci in Albania, and Ars Kosova, as well as at the International Gathering of Violinists in Serbia. Dea Nicaj has continued to expand her musical capabilities through attending master classes held by renowned artists, such as Iason Keramidis, Stefan Milenkovich, Tanja Becker Bender, Marko Radonić, Marija Đuranović, and Linus Roth. She has participated in the Allegro Vivo Summer Academy in Austria. She has been a member of the Lower Saxony Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and the Western Balkans Youth Orchestra, with which she had the opportunity to perform as a soloist. Dea Nicaj represented Montenegro in Strasbourg, France during The Concert of Europe project – with a special 55-member orchestra, founded to promote a new spirit of hope, unity, and peace in Europe. Currently, she is a bachelor’s degree student in Violin under Professor Gertrud Schilde at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

Amir Xhakoviq, piano, is one of the most promising Albanian pianists of his generation. He completed his bachelor’s studies at the Music Academy in Cetinje, under Professor Vladimir Bochkarev, and obtained his master’s degree at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven (Belgium), under Professor Alan Weiss. During his studies, Amir Xhakoviq participated in several significant competitions where he achieved notable results: First Prize at the competition organized by EPTA - Tirana (2002, 2003), First Prize at the International Competition in Prishtina (2003), and First Prize at the Montenegrin Youth Music Festival (2004). He has attended master classes by renowned pianists, such as Nataliya Trull, Norma Fisher, and Frederic Rzewski. Amir Xhakoviq has been invited to various festivals, including the Chopin Festival in Albania, Ultra Padum in Italy, Budva City Theater, Flute Sounds in Kosovo, Pianodrom in Albania, Young Montenegrin Pianists in Montenegro, and the Joy of Music International Music Festival in Japan. As a soloist, he has performed with the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra and the Albanian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. Amir Xhakoviq obtained his doctoral degree at the University of Arts in Belgrade, under Professor Aleksandar Serdar. He is a full professor at the University of Arts in Tirana.