Last modified: Friday, February 13, 2009
A string of first-place wins for IU student guitarist
Jacobs School of Music master's student has won four competitions in one year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 13, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Classical guitarist Nemanja Ostojic, a master's student at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, won first place in the prestigious Southwest Guitar Festival in San Antonio Sunday (Feb. 8). The win marks Ostojic's fourth first-place international competition finish since he began studying at the Jacobs School last year.
A master's student of Ernesto Bitetti, chair of the Jacobs School's Department of Guitar, Ostojic also took first place at the Eleventh Annual Competition in the Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America; the 2008 Schadt String Competition in Allentown, Pa.; and the Seventh Texas Guitar Competition at the University of Texas at Dallas.
"Nemanja Ostojic is a very gifted guitarist who balances a deep musicality with a wonderful quality of sound and a virtuoso technique," said Bitetti, who has served as director of the Department of Guitar since its inception in 1989. "I am very pleased that he chose the Jacobs School of Music to pursue his master's degree and artist diploma."
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Ostojic graduated from Music High School Kosta Manojlovic, where he studied with Bosko Radojkovic, and from the Belgrade Academy of Music, where he studied with Srdjan Tosic and received his bachelor's degree in music. In addition to studying with Bitetti at the Jacobs School, Ostojic is an associate instructor for the guitar department and teaches in the school's Pre-College Guitar Program.
Ostojic has attended master classes with renowned classical guitarists including Carlo Marchione, Leo Brouwer, Costas Cotsiolis, Pavel Steidl, Eduardo Isaak and Nigel North.
Previously, he has won international first prizes at the Guitar Art Competition in Belgrade (2001, 2003); both Serbian and Yugoslavian State competitions for young musicians (2000, 2003); Festival of Classical Guitar Sinaya, Romania; Volos Guitar Festival, Greece; the competition for young guitarists "Anna Amalia" in Weimar, Germany; and the guitar festival "Niccolo Paganini" in Parma, Italy.
He has also won prizes at Il de Re Competition, France; Iserlohn Symposium, Germany; and the Guitar Art Festival (GAF) in Herceg Novi, Montenegro; and was a finalist at the 2005 Jeunesse Musicales, Belgrade, Serbia.
Since 2000, when his international career began, Ostojic has performed in acclaimed recitals in Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, France, Russia, Turkey and the United States. He performed as soloist with Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey, Athens Chamber Orchestra, Belgrade Philharmonic, Saint George Strings and Allentown Symphony. He has collaborated with conductors such as Petar Ivanovic, Daragana Jovanovic, Bujor Hoinic and Leo Brouwer, performing Concierto de Aranjuez at the fifth GAF in Belgrade.
Ostojic was twice invited to be a member of the jury at the Vissani International Guitar and Mandoline Festival and Competition in Vissani, Greece. He is often seen performing and lecturing at guitar festivals, such as the International Guitar Festival in Ille De Re, France, and Music College in Nizgny Novgord, Russian Federation.
In January 2008, classical guitar magazines La Guitarra, and Ateneo de la Chitara from Milan, Italy, issued his live DVD from his recital in the Palazzino Liberty in Milan.
For more information about Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, see www.music.indiana.edu/.
