Dragan Djordjevic Suzuki

Behind the Music

A Lifetime of Music. 

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According to press descriptions and critics' reviews, Dragan Đorđević is one of the most original artistic personalities of his generation. Better known as Suzuki, Đorđević earned his nickname thanks to the famous Suzuki method, which helped him take his first musical steps when he was only six years old. He began his music education with the violin at the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija, but two years later, he decided to pursue the cello. After his initial lessons with Professor Relja Ćetković, the cello became his permanent choice.

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Upon completing his studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade under the guidance of Sandra Belić, he went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied with Professor Stefan Popov. During his time in London, he had the opportunity to perform with one of the world's most prestigious orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, and he also served as the guest solo cellist for the Royal Northern Symphony.

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After meeting the renowned Jang-Chang Choom in 2002, he decided to specialize in his class at the High School of Music in Essen, Germany. After a few years in Germany, he received the prestigious Honorary Diploma and, simultaneously, as a very young musician, was appointed as a professor of cello at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade.

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One of his priorities has been perfecting his performance under the guidance of the world's best cellists and music educators, such as Misha Maisky, Boris Pergamenchikov, David Takeno, David Grigorian, Nada Kecman, and members of the Belinger, Takacs, Melos, and Alban Berg quartets. With this continuous work and unique style, he became an early laureate of the international competition Jeunesses Musicales in Belgrade and later received numerous special awards at international competitions, such as Antonio Janigro and Markneurkirchen.

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In 2011, honored by an invitation from Maestro Valery Gergiev, he became the guest solo cellist of the Symphony Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre. Two years later, he returned to St. Petersburg to hold another concert, but this time he captivated the audience at the Mariinsky Theatre with a recital alongside pianist Vladimir Milošević.

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He is a member of the DOUBLE SENS ensemble, with whom he regularly performs and records for Deutsche Grammophon.

As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in the United States, China, Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Monaco, South Korea, Austria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Finland, and many other countries.

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Suzuki has nurtured chamber music and has been a member of the Rubikon Quartet, with whom he performed at prestigious events like the City of London Festival.

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Notable foreign festivals where he performed include BBC Proms, Festival Auvers-sur-Oise, Sion Valais Shlomo Mintz Festival.

In the region, there isn't a major festival where Đorđević hasn't participated, from BEMUS, where in 2016, he performed Shostakovich's concerto, to Ohrid Summer, Katja Popova Laureates, NIMUS, Zagreb Summer Evenings, NOMUS, Kotor-Art, and Celo Fest in Belgrade, BELEF, ARLEM, and the Bolshoi Festival.

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He has performed with orchestras such as the Bergische Symphoniker, Belgrade Philharmonic, Kammer Philharmonie Amade, RTS Symphony Orchestra, Kamerta Serbika, Bamber Chamber Orchestra, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Vojvodina Symphony, Niš Symphony Orchestra, St. George Strings, Macedonian Philharmonic, Southeast European Symphony Orchestra, Plevenska Philharmonic, Dušan Skovran Chamber Orchestra, Kammerata Academika, and others throughout the region.

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He has collaborated with artists such as Itamar Golan, Julian Rachlin, Emil Tabakov, Tan Dun, Shlomo Mintz, Denis Shapovalov, Mikhail Sherbakov, Roman Simovic, Nemanja Radulović, Alena Baeva, Olga Sitkovecki, Bojan Sujdic, Mincho Minchev, Francesca Dego, John Adams, En Shao, Peter Skaltrup, Leslie Howard, and many others.

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He is an associate professor at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. Since 2015, Dragan Đorđević has been the artistic director of the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija, and since 2019, the artistic director of the Festival of Musical Excellence "Ravanelius."

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Suzuki plays the cello of James and Henry Banks from 1797.

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Their most significant solo performances include:

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1. Solo performance with the program "Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra" by Friedrich Gulda. Conductor: A. Sedlar. Serbia, Ćuprija, Festival of Musical Excellence "Ravanelius," July 2022.

2. Solo performance with the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra. Program: Saint-Saëns, Concerto for Cello and Symphony Orchestra No. 1. Conductor: Martijn Dendievel. Romania, Bucharest, International Festival "CHELEAST," May 2022.

3. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević as part of the "Meeting Children" project. Program: Pieces for Cello and Piano. Serbia, Belgrade, Music School "Dr. Vojislav Vučković," December 2021.

4. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević as part of the "Meeting Children" project. Program: Pieces for Cello and Piano. Serbia, Belgrade, Mokranjac Music School, December 2021.

5. Solo performance with the Niš Symphony Orchestra. Program: Joseph Haydn, Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 84. Conductor: Svilen Simeonov. Serbia, Niš, September 2021.

6. Recital with Romanian pianist Mihail Horia. Program: Schnittke, Beethoven, Bruch, Chopin. Bulgaria, Sofia, International Festival "Chelisimo," September 2021.

7. Solo performance with the Symphony Orchestra of the Serbian National Theater. Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme. Conductor: Dian Chobanov. Serbia, Novi Sad, February 2021.

8. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević. Program: Schnittke, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Popper. Serbia, Belgrade, New Year's Concert of the University of Arts in Belgrade, December 2019.

9. Solo performance with the Niš Symphony Orchestra. Program: Dmitry Kabalevsky, Cello Concerto No. 1. Conductor: Svilen Simeonov. Serbia, Niš, November 2019.

10. Solo performance with the Orchestra of the School for Musical Talents from Ćuprija. Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Arranged by Aleksandar Sedlar). Serbia, Ćuprija, Festival of Musical Excellence "Ravanelius," July 2019.

11. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Program: Beethoven, Villa-Lobos, Prokofiev. Serbia, Vranje, May Month of Music Festival, May 2019.

12. Solo performance with the Orchestra of the School for Musical Talents from Ćuprija. Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Arranged by Aleksandar Sedlar). Serbia, Belgrade, Kolarac Concert Hall, May 2019.

13. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Program: Shostakovich, Villa-Lobos, Prokofiev, Popper. Serbia, Niš, December 2018.

14. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Program: Shostakovich, Villa-Lobos, Prokofiev, Popper. Serbia, Vranje, December 2018.

15. Solo performance with the Chamber Orchestra "Cameralia Academica." Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Arranged by A. Sedlar). Serbia, Novi Sad, New Year's Concert, December 2018.

16. Solo performance with the Orchestra of the School for Musical Talents from Ćuprija. Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Arranged by Aleksandar Sedlar), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48. Serbia, Mokra Gora, Bolshoi Festival, July 2018.

17. Solo performance with the Orchestra of the School for Musical Talents from Ćuprija. Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Arranged by Aleksandar Sedlar), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48. Serbia, Arilje, Arlem Festival, July 2018.

18. Concert Editor, Guest Artist Program: Sergei Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19. Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, Guest at Vladimir Milošević's Recital, May 2018.

19. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Program: Alfred Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style, Op. 80, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19, David Popper, Concert Polonaise, Op. 14. Montenegro, Kotor, Church of St. Spirit, March 2018.

20. Recital with pianist Çağan Gürmen Program: Alfred Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style, Op. 80, Sergei Prokofiev, Cello Sonata in C Major, Ludwig van Beethoven, Seven Variations, Frédéric Chopin, Polonaise Brilliante, Op. 3. Turkey, Istanbul, Opera House, November 2017.

21. Solo performance with a wind orchestra and rock band. Program: Friedrich Gulda, Cello Concerto. Serbia, Arilje, Arlem Festival, July 2017.

22. Solo performance with a wind orchestra and rock band. Program: Friedrich Gulda, Cello Concerto. Serbia, Belgrade, Belfeg Festival, June 2017.

23. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Program: Claude Debussy, Cello Sonata, Alfred Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata. Serbia, Kragujevac, December 2016.

24. Solo performance with the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra Program: Dmitry Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1 Conductor: Emil Tabakov Serbia, Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, BEMUS Festival, October 2016.

25. Solo performance with the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra Program: Dmitry Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1 Conductor: Emil Tabakov Serbia, Novi Sad, Synagogue, October 2016.

26. Solo performance with the Niš Symphony Orchestra Program: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Rococo Variations Conductor: Dejan Dacic (Vienna, Austria) Serbia, Niš, Opening of the NIMUS Festival, November 2015.

27. Solo performance with the Amoros Chamber Orchestra Program: Georg Friedrich Fauré, Elegy and Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Cellos Serbia, Leskovac, STRINGS Festival, August 2015.

28. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Program: Milorad Milojević, Legend of Jefimija Op. 25, Ludwig van Beethoven, Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 69, Alfred Schnittke, Suite in the Old Style, David Popper, Concert Polonaise Op. 14. Serbia, Leskovac, Ledamus Festival, June 2015.

29. Recital with bassist Zoran Marković Program: Rossini and Piazzolla Serbia, Niš, Opening of the International String Competition, April 2015.

30. Solo performance with the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Television Serbia Program: Antonín Dvořák, Cello Concerto, Op. 104 Conductor: Ronald Zollman Serbia, Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, February 2015.

31. Solo performance with the Symphony Orchestra of RTS (Radio Television of Serbia) Program: Pablo de Sarasate, Gypsy Melodies Conductor: Bojan Suđić Serbia, Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, January 2015.

32. Solo performance with the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Television Slovenia Program: Antonín Dvořák, Cello Concerto, Op. 104 Conductor: En Shao Slovenia, Ljubljana, Cankarjev Dom, September 2014.

33. Solo performance with the Symphony Orchestra of Radio Television Slovenia Program: Leos Janáček, Concerto for String Quartet, Op. 131 Conductor: Živa Ploj Peršuh Slovenia, Ljubljana, Marjan Kozina Hall of the Slovenian Philharmonic, May 2014.

34. Concert as part of the Cello Fest (BGO Dušan Skovran and D. Šapovalov – Offenbach: Jacqueline's Tears, Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos) Ethnographic Museum, Belgrade, July 2013.

35. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević New Mariinsky Concert Hall, St. Petersburg, April 2013.

36. Recital with pianist Vladimir Milošević Belgrade, City Assembly, Cello Fest, July 2012.

37. Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto in C major Belgrade, SKC (Students' Cultural Center), April 2011.

38. Sergei Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, December 2011.

39. Camille Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, July 2010.

40. Tchaikovsky – Rococo Variations Belgium, Brussels, May 2009.

41. Double Concerto for Violin and Cello by Johannes Brahms Violin: Roman Simovic Belgrade, Kolarac Hall, March 2008.

42. Double Concerto for Violin and Cello by Johannes Brahms Macedonia, Skopje, November 2007.

43. Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto Bulgaria, Pleven, September 2007.

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