Jana Andreevska
Jana Andreevska was born in 1967 in Skopje, Macedonia. She finished both claassical gimnasium and secondary music school (major in piano) in Skopje. She holds a BA and a MA from the University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Faculty of Music in Skopje. Her education as a composer also includes numerous workshops in the Netherlands, Poland, USA and Macedonia, with renowned composers such as Louis Andriessesn, Ton de Leeuw, Michael Nyman, Francois Bernard-Mache, Eric Gaudibert, John Woolrich, Nigel Osborne, Glenn Hackbarth among others.
She first started working as a producer for classical music in the Macedonian Radio Television. Since 1995 she has been teaching at the Theory and Composition Department of the Faculty of Music in Skopje (musical analysis, counterpoint, composition etc). From 2005 to 2008 she was Head of the Theory and Composition Department, and from 2009 to 2013 Vice-dean for concerts and international cooperation.
In 2001 she received a research fellowship scholarship for a study stay at the Arizona State University in Tempe, USA. In January 2014 she taught as a visiting professor at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Slovenia as part of the programme of the European Commission - Basileus IV. In between, she has also given lectures at the Royal Academy of Music in London (2011); series of lectures in the frames of the European project “Piano Reflections of European Culture” in Skopje (2010); series of lectures “Analytical Approaches to XX Century Music” at the Faculty of Music - Skopje (2002); lecturer at the Multimedia Composers Workshop in Ohrid (2001).
In September 2012 she was member of a jury for the CD edition on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Austrian Composers Society (other members:
Ulrich Gasser - CH, DieterTorkewitz -A, Lothar Voigtlaender - DE).
Her pieces have been performed and recorded by herself and soloists and ensembles such as the Macedonian Philharmonic, the Chamber orchestra of the Macedonian Radio Television, Ensemble ALEA, Contempora Ensemble, Ensemble Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, Saxophone Quartets “Dimov”, “Axone” and Saxofonquadrat, choir Collegium Musicum and Darinka Matic-Marovic, New London Chamber Choir, Proars choir, the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Alliage Quintet, 4 Saxess, Calliope Women’s Choir and pianists such as Marcel Worms, Ana Gaceva, Marija Vrshkova, Natalija Mladenovic, Natasha Mitrovic, Roderick Chadwick, Artwork Ensemble, Dejan Sinadinovic, Madalina-Claudia Danila, Jean-Luc Fafchamps and Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, and others in Macedonia, Serbia, former USSR, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, Denmark, France, Russia, Romania and the USA.
Her compositions are available on CDs published by SOKOM (Macedonian Composers Association), Dresdner Tage der zeitgenössischen Musik, Peer Music, Zefir Records.
Her piece Scattered Blues is published in the 2nd Volume of the collection “Blues Beyond Borders” (2007), Peer Music Classical GmbH New York - Hamburg.
She is a member of the following professional associations:
- 2013 - present: president of the Artistic Committee of the ECCO (European Contemporary Composers Orchestra)
- 2011 - present: Member of the Executive Board of the Macedonian Philharmonic
- 2008 - present: SOKOM’s delegate in the European Composers Forum and European Composer and Songwriter Alliance
- 2008 - present: Artistic Director of the festival “Days of Macedonian Music”
- 2000 - present: member of the Presidency of SOKOM (Macedonian Composers Association)
- 1998: member of the Assembly of ZAMP
- 1997 - 99: member of the Culture Board of the Open Society Institute, SOROS foundation
- 1990 - present: member of SOKOM (Macedonian Composers Association)
Mrs. Andreevska speaks Macedonian (native), English (fluent), French (fluent), German (passive), Serbocroatian (near-native), Bulgarian (passive).
Her other interests include painting and translating fiction and articles on music from English and French into Macedonian. Translations include Michael Cunningham’s novel “The Hours” (published by “Tri”, 2006); Robert Coover’s “the Babysitter” (published by “Templum”, 2008) and Marcel Schwob’s “Vies Imaginaires” (“Templum”, unpublished).
@Jasmina Dukovska
“Am I a Falcon, a Storm, or an Unending Song?” by the Macedonian composer Jana Andreevska (b.1967) is a piece originally written in 2006 as a saxophone quartet comissioned by the Macedonian Composers’ Association. It was adapted for the String Quartet of the Sverdlovsk State Philharmonic Society in 2015.
Inspired by the lyrics of the famous poet R.M.Rilke from his Book of Hours, the entire piece circles around the delicately incorporated fragments of the 1st movement of J.S. Bach’s Solo Violin Sonata Nr.3 in C major BWV1005.
(I live my life in growing circles,
which move out over the things around me.
Perhaps I'll never complete the last,
but that's what I mean to try.
I'm circling around God,
around the ancient tower,
and I've been circling thousands years;
and I still don't know:
am I a falcon, a storm or an unending song?).
The piece has been performed by several ensembles on numerous concerts throughout Europe: the Dimov (MK), Saxofonquadrat (DE), Axone (FR), Alliage (DE), 4saxess (SLO).
“…As the question mark the composer had left points towards openness, so the music of Andreevska hints untrodden ground. It is magnificent with how powerful sound fantasy this composer born in 1967 lets herself be carried away by the images of the world of Rilke, and with a feeling for the sound possibilities of these four instruments transfers them into a new mistery.”
RAFAEL RENNICKE | 18.02.2011, Sudwest Presse
“Ein richtiges Stück Neue Musik ist hingegen »am I a falcon, a storm or an unending song« der Mazedonierin Jana Andreevska. Kraftvoll und kantig wirkt ihr Werk nach einem Rilke-Gedicht, nervöses Geschiebe auf engstem Raum. Herb, aber sehr eindrucksvoll…”
REUTLINGER GENERAL-ENZEIGER / 18.02.2011