The accordion is the instrument of this century

The young accordionist Amela Frljučkić will present herself to the Podgorica audience for the first time with the project "Accordion Virtuosity" tonight in the hall of Dodest KIC "Budo Tomović" from 20 pm.

In addition to Podgorica, Amela received her education at the "Đuzepe Tartini" Music Academy in Trieste, at the Music Academy in Ljubljana, and in 2017 she received her master's degree at the Music Academy in Sarajevo. At tonight's concert, the audience will have the opportunity to hear the works of composers: Jukka Tiensuu, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Erik Satija, Lojza Lebič, Franko Angelis, and they will also premiere the works of Corrada Rojac and Slobodanka Bobana Dabović.

It's rare for women to choose an instrument like the accordion, how did you come to love it and decide to play the accordion?

I like to say that it was a set of fateful circumstances. When enrolling in a junior music school, I wanted to play another instrument, however, the committee decided that I should be admitted to the accordion department. Honestly, it was a big disappointment for me at the time because the accordion didn't look like a lady's and art music instrument. My parents somehow managed to convince me to start taking accordion lessons anyway, and when I saw that we were learning classical and not folk compositions, I quickly fell in love with them. Already at the age of 12, I decided that I would be a professional accordion player, or rather, that one day I would enroll in the academy and start this way. The good work of my teacher at the time, Omer Đurđević, whose classes I really liked going to, certainly contributed to that.

Given that this instrument is associated with some other genres, have you encountered prejudices when you say you play the accordion and how did you fight with them?

I did, countless times. When I was younger, it used to annoy me, but over time I realized that prejudices are the result of lack of information, and that I shouldn't take them personally. My vocation, in addition to playing, implies that I must also be a good ambassador of the accordion and that in those situations I should introduce the other party to the many possibilities of this wonderful instrument. It happened to me several times that the audience approached me after one of my performances or concerts saying that they got to know the accordion from a completely different angle and that they were fascinated by the possibilities of the instrument itself. It gives me a "wind at my back" so that I don't give up on the set path. I try to be progressive, and through my guest appearances in the media and concert activities, I try to introduce the audience to artistic music on the harmonica.

How difficult was it to put together the program for this concert, given that you will premiere two works tonight at the KIC?

Honestly, I thought about the program for a long time. Given that I have been dealing with prejudices about the accordion for years, I asked myself the question: "Which program would be best to introduce the audience to the many possibilities of the accordion and to completely change the perception of the instrument itself?". As an answer to that question, a project was created that I called "Accordion Virtuosity", that is, my solo concert with this combination of compositions.

"Accordion virtuosity" because the true virtuosity of the instrument is generally unknown. I don't think that this instrument should not be used for some other genres, moreover, the accordion has a very important place in traditional music throughout the Balkans, which is why it is a very popular instrument, but the audience must be familiar with other repertoire performed on the accordion, and which sounds fantastic. The repertoire that I will perform at the concert is very interesting and colorful, and a special place is occupied by the world premiere of the work "The Tree of Hope" by our composer Slobodanka Bobana Dabović. This is the first work that was written for me and that I will premiere, and it has a special place in my heart and in my repertoire. Namely, it is a great privilege for a performer to have a composer write for him/her. Dabović is the first female composer from Montenegro who wrote a piece for solo accordion, and in this way she greatly contributed to the development of accordion literature in our region. Accordingly, it deserves a special place. In addition, I will perform the Montenegrin premiere of the work "Unpredictable Spaces" by the Italian composer Corrado Rojc. It is a very interesting contemporary piece written in 2000. In addition to the aforementioned works, the repertoire includes six more diverse and very interesting compositions, and among other things, my two arrangements of two folk songs done in a more modern version. The program is very demanding, but really wonderful, and its preparation required a large number of hours invested in practicing and researching the work. But all this made me very happy.

Are there conditions to continue education and training here as well, do most musicians who choose this instrument, even as high school students, continue their education outside of Montenegro?

At the Academy of Music in Cetinje there is a department for accordion led by prof. Predrag Janković, however, a certain number of accordion players from Montenegro decide to continue their education abroad. I don't want to generalize the reasons for studying abroad with other colleagues, but mine was the desire to become independent, to get to know other environments, cultures and peoples. Also, I believe that it is important for everyone, regardless of what they do, to leave their country once for a certain period of time for some training, because these are very valuable life experiences.

You had the opportunity to upgrade your knowledge at the Music Academy of Giuseppe Tartini in Trieste and at the Music Academy in Ljubljana. Are there more young people, especially women, who play the accordion in those departments?

Yes, I was lucky enough to be a scholarship holder of the Eramsus+ and CMEPIUS programs and to spend a semester at the aforementioned academies. Both in Sarajevo, as well as in Ljubljana and Trieste, the number of accepted students per year is between one and three students, depending on the performance level of the applicants, as well as the number of professors who teach accordion. So, in general, the accordion departments at the academies where I was educated, at least in those semesters, were not large. The most numerous was the accordion department in Ljubljana, because three accordion professors work there. There are generally significantly fewer girls who play the accordion than boys, both here and abroad.

You are also focused on popularizing the harmonica, especially contemporary music written for this instrument. Are there any young people interested in playing the accordion?

For me, the accordion is an urban instrument, or as I like to say, an instrument of this century, and that's why I like to play pieces that were originally written for the accordion. Given that the accordion is a young instrument compared to, for example, the piano and the violin, the largest number of compositions have been written in the last fifty years. The interest certainly exists, with the fact that the number of students enrolled in primary and secondary schools varies from generation to generation.

You also cover traditional music, giving it a different look. Most often traditional music is combined with jazz in our country, do you limit yourself to only one genre and how do those compositions sound in your arrangements?

In particular, I don't make combinations with jazz, although I like to hear those variants, they generally sound great. It is difficult for me to define my style exactly, because I gave myself the freedom to explore, so some arrangements are quite contemporary, written with modern techniques, while some are more classical, and there are also those that are quite close to the traditional style with some more modern impulses. For the most part, it is important for me not to limit myself within one genre, and to be as free as possible in my research.

Is covering traditional music the only way to bring the instrument closer to the audience?

That's one good way, but certainly not the only one. In particular, I play everything from baroque to works written in 2019, in addition to that I also perform tango music, but I also like to be part of experimental projects. Specifically, in January I was part of a great Jam Session at the History Museum in Sarajevo where I played with electric guitars, drums and electro sound. Recently, I was a guest on the CD of Bosnian musician Dino Aganović (artistic Hybrid), who makes experimental combinations of various instruments and sounds. So, the accordion is an instrument that you can fit into a million different combinations and it sounds great everywhere. And this is the reason why I love my instrument so much, because it offers a "sea" of possibilities.

You had the opportunity to perform at various festivals, competitions, master classes, and you also presented yourself to the audience through concerts. How important is it for a young artist to go through all that?

It's all excellent preparation for life after graduating from the academy. At every competition, masterclass, performance, you will learn something new, and it will make you a better musician. I would recommend every young musician to take advantage of all opportunities for improvement during schooling, because every experience will be worth its weight in gold one day.

When most people come to concerts, they don't know how much work and effort an artist had to put in during his education, and how many hours of practice are needed to achieve the desired results. How much do you practice the accordion today and do you play every day?

It takes six to eight months of daily practice to prepare one concert. Preparation includes other things such as: making contacts, planning performances, contacts with organizers of performances, and generally taking care of everything, such as good promotion, photos, recordings, clothes, contacts with the media and many other things. Considering that I am studying, volunteering and at the same time I have my project "Instrumental story", my every day is filled with different obligations, and the number of hours I spend playing varies. But basically it's somewhere between three and six hours a day, depending on the scheduled concerts. The support of the environment is also very important because the calling of artists is very demanding everywhere, especially in some countries that are in transition such as the countries in the Balkans. I am fortunate to have a wonderful family that supports me endlessly and thanks to which I can pursue this vocation. Besides them, there are also my golden friends who constantly motivate me. Without them, all this would not be possible.

Art cannot be understood by everyone

In addition to the Music Academy, you also graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences and are currently studying for a master's degree. How necessary is it for an artist to be versatile and know how to do his own campaign without PR and a manager?

It has been known since ancient times that in order to build a healthy individual, it is necessary to be widely educated and versatile. I believe that you can do music in two ways, the first is to entertain, and the second is to be an artist. I decided on the second, and for that you need to be well-read and educated, because not everyone can understand art, and therefore not be able to practice it. As for management, I am self-taught, because these are things that, unfortunately, are not taught at the academy, but they should be. So, as far as that is concerned, I learn the most myself from the life situations I encounter. In any case, we live in an age when changes happen at a high speed, and it is necessary to learn daily.