KRAGUJEVAC ACADEMIC ORCHESTRA OF ACCORDIONISTS was founded in February 2018 to offer domestic and foreign audiences the authentic sound of an accordion orchestra at a high professional level. In a short time and thanks to the enormous commitment and enthusiasm of the members, and with the support of the city of Kragujevac and the Music Center, the orchestra achieved great success. In April 2018, at the 43rd International Accordion Competition in Pula, it won an absolute victory in all categories and brought the city of Kragujevac one of the most important cups – the transitional cup of the City of Pula. This confirms the quality of the Orchestra itself, as well as the importance of investing in this kind of musical expression, which is already known as one of the centers where the academic sound of the accordion has been developed and presented in the best light for decades.
Predrag Kostovic (1972) received his primary and secondary education in Kragujevac at the “Dr. Miloje Milojević” school, after which in 1991 he enrolled in accordion studies at the prestigious P.I. Conservatory. Tchaikovsky in the class of Prof. V. Besfamiljnova (Kiev, Ukraine) and finished them in 1995. Along with his accordion studies, he shows great interest in conducting. After completing his studies, Predrag returned to his hometown of Kragujevac, where he established a working relationship as an accordion teacher and orchestra conductor at the “Dr. Miloje Milojević” secondary music school. In parallel, he continues his professional career at the accordion department of FILUM in Kragujevac and has been successfully engaged in both academic and artistic work for a decade and a half. He was the first master’s student at FILUM Kragujevac in 2011 in the class of Prof. Radomir Tomic, and since 2016 he has been working as an associate professor. As a conductor with the accordion orchestra of the high school and as a soloist, he had a significant number of performances in Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Italy, and Germany. Kostovic participated in the work of the jury at numerous domestic and international competitions. The way he works and the dedication he shows in working with students is reflected in their successes and the awards they have won. Cultivating the classical repertoire and developing his professional career, he still actively gives concerts and participates in the work of the juries.
