60-second version:
(Long and detailed biography is down below.)
Maja Bosnić (1985, Serbia) is a composer and performer from Belgrade. She is drawn to impossible missions, absurd solutions, limited material, playfulness, uncertain outcomes, audience participation, treating instruments as ready-made objects of expression, and treating real-life objects as musical instruments. She obtained a PhD degree in music composition at Goldsmiths, University of London (UK), supervised by prof. Roger Redgate, and is currently working as Assistant Lecturer in Composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. She writes pieces for solo, chamber, ensemble, and orchestra performances, as well as, projects for electronics, multi-media, and interactive settings with audience participation. Bosnić’s works have been performed in festivals, such as Musikprotokoll, Impuls (Austria), CTM Festival, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Festival Jünger Kunstler Bayreuth (Germany), IYAF in Kingston upon Thames, London Composers Forum (United Kingdom), Spazio Musica (Italy), Delian Academy of New Music (Greece), Sites + Subjects (Bulgaria), Timsonia Festival (Romania), Music Here and Now, KOMA, International Review of Composers, April Meetings, and S.U.T.R.A. Festival (Serbia). Her works have been performed around Europe with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade, Goethe-Institut, Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the Austrian Ministry of Culture and European Cultural Foundation. She was awarded third prize at the international composition competition New Music Generation in Kazahstan 2020, honorable mention at the Thailand New Music and Arts Symposium, scholarships, and annual grants by the Ministry of Youth of the Republic of Serbia, Donaueschinger Muziktage 2014, and Delian New Music Academy in 2019. Since 2010, she has been leading various projects and workshops in Zabuna – New Music Association in Belgrade.
Biography In More Details:
Maja Bosnić (1985, Belgrade) is Assistant Lecturer in Composition at the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade. She holds a PhD diploma in Music Composition and MA in Music Pedagogy, and is currently studying for PhD in Transdisciplinary Studies of Contemporary Arts and Media in Belgrade, researching theory behind conceptual music and possible ways of classifying it.
Studies
Her first composition lessons took place at the Irish Composition Summer School in Limerick and the Festival of Young Artists in Bayreuth in 2003. From 2004 to 2007 she studied composition with prof. dr. Svetlana Savić and prof. Milan Mihajlović at Academy of Arts in Novi Sad (Serbia) and continued with prof. Roger Redgate at the Goldsmiths University of London (UK). She completed master studies in Composition in 2008, and proceeded with postgraduate studies earning a PhD diploma in Music Composition in 2015 from the Goldsmiths University of London (UK). Bosnić’s research PhD thesis in Music Composition “Re-question, reset.” and portfolio of compositions (download link) were evaluated by composers Peter Wiegold (Brunel University, London) and James Saunders (Bath Spa University, Bath).
In parallel to composition studies, from 2003 to 2007 she studied Music Theory and Pedagogy at the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade (Serbia), and received Master’s diploma in Music Pedagogy with major thesis in Music Analysis, supervised by composer prof. Miloš Zatkalik. She shortly studied Harpsichord at the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade (2006-07), as well as Modern Greek Language at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade (2003-05).
Having been selected for numerous workshops and master classes, Bosnić had the opportunity to work with many great composers, such as: Michael Maierhof, Simon Steen-Andersen, Chaya Czernowin, Beat Furrer, Samir Odeh-Tamimi, James Clarke, Martin O’Leary, Kevin O’Connell, Nicola LeFanu, Ian Wilson.
Performances
She writes pieces for solo, chamber, ensemble, and orchestra performances, as well as, projects for electronics, multi-media, and interactive settings with audience participation. Bosnić’s works have been performed in festivals, such as musikprotokoll, Impuls (Austria), CTM Festival, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Festival junger Künstler Bayreuth (Germany), International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston upon Thames, Composers Forum in London (UK), Spazio Musica (Italy), Delian New Music Academy (Greece), Sites + Subjects in Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Timsonia new music festival in Timisoara (Romania), International Review of Composers, S.U.T.R.A. – In the Name of Algorithm, Aprilski susreti, KOMA, Music – Here & Now in Belgrade (Serbia). And her scores have been published by Babel Scores contemporary music online library and the Score Follower channel. Her works have been commissioned by various ensembles, such as The Black Page Orchestra, Duo Dubois, F.R.E.E. Ensemble, EMC – Extended Music Collective, Ensemble Metamorphosis, Muzikon Orchestra, Stef van Vynckt, Branko Džinović and many more, with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, Austrian Ministry of Culture, Goethe-Institut, and SOKOJ.
Prizes and Grants
In year 2020 she has received a 3rd Prize at the “New Music Generation 2020” – Second International Competition of Composers in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, and the Honorable Mention at Thailand New Music and Arts Symposium in Bangkok, Thailand. She was awarded a scholarship In memoriam Iannis Xenakis by Delian New Music Academy 2019 to have a work premiered by Klangforum Wien ensemble, Donaueschinger Muziktage 2014 scholarship for the Next Generation Student Festival programme, and was awarded annual grants by the Ministry of Youth of the Republic of Serbia five years in a row (2008/09 – 2012/13).
Activities
Since 2010, she manages and curates contemporary music projects, workshops, concerts and lectures at the Zabuna Association – organization she founded to support development of new music scene in Belgrade. Her works Zabuna on Stage were performed around Europe with the support of Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia , Secretariat for Culture, Goethe-Institut and European Cultural Foundation.
About her works
In her music, she re-questions and examines accustomed phenomena in the process of music making, exposes them to concepts of every day life (habits of the society, modern trends, pop culture, science, etc.) then resets them in compositions that often include audience action in the performance. She is interested in creative power of non-musicians and music amateurs and likes leading workshops that engage community into gathered sound making experience. She is drawn to impossible missions, absurd solutions, limited material, playfulness, uncertain outcomes, treating instruments as ready-made objects of expression and treating real life objects as music instruments.
Maja Bosnić / Composer 