|
| |
 Domagoj Guscic
Domagoj Guscic, 22, lives in Zagreb, Croatia and attends
Muzicka akademija Sveucilista in Zagreb. He won 1st Prize at a
competition in Moncalieri, Italy, 1998 and special commendation in a
the EPTA (European Piano Teachers Ass’n) Competition in Osijek, Croatia
in 1999. At 2044 GCPI he studied Beethoven’s Sonata in E major, op.
109, Franck’s Prelude, Choral, and Fugue, Rachmaninov’s Etudes-Tableaux
op. 33 no. 5 and op. 39 no. 5, and the Variations on a Theme by
Corelli, op. 42.
An interview with Domagoj
He answered our questions in groups to give his answers a narrative style.
How old are you? How old were you when you started playing the
piano? Do you play other musical instruments? Who is your favorite
composer? For playing? For listening?
I'm 21. (I was born on 6th December 1982) I'm currently studying at the
Zagreb Music Academy, senior year, with Prof. Đuro Tikvica (who spent most of
his musical training in Moscow with Prof. Boris Romanov and Prof. Tatiana
Nikolaeva, both renowned Russian pianists). I'm scheduled to graduate in early
June, so if all goes well, I'll have my BA by the time I get to the U.S. Wish
me luck! :) I started playing when I was 8, we already had a piano at home
since my brother used to play it, so my parents thought to give it a try.
Unfortunately I can't play any other instruments - I played the harpsichord on
a couple of occasions, but I'm not sure that qualifies as "another
instrument". Also, mainly thanks to Prof. Tikvica, I'm fascinated by Russian
piano and orchestral music - for example, one of my greatest discoveries was
S. Rachmaninov (I guess one could say that's my favorite composer), but it's
really hard to single him out because there are so many fantastic composers
and pieces, it would take too much time and space just to write everything
down... I really can't take sides here. I like music in all its forms,
classical, jazz, ethnic, you name it.
Your English seems good. Does your family speak English? Did you
study it in school? Why did you learn to speak English? Do many of your
friends speak it?
Oh, about my English, don't be fooled by what you read - it's not as nearly
as good as I'd like it to be. :) I have an uncle and aunt in New York, and
when I was 4 they came to Croatia and lived here for about 2 years, so that's
where my first English lessons came from. Unfortunately, since they left I
hardly had any chance to practise it, so I just let it deteriorate over time
(which is something I'll never forgive myself for, because when I was like 7 I
could pass for a native speaker with no trouble at all). I did study it in
school (as most Croatian kids do) but it hardly helped. Although English is
widely spoken in Croatia (and in Europe for that matter) but since language
education standards in Croatia are way below average you can usually establish
some very basic communication, however, I must say that things have improved
during the last couple of years. Also, since Croatian is a Slavic language, it
sounds completely different and has nothing in common with English, and it's
much harder for English speaking people to learn Croatian than it is for us to
learn English. And I guess the bright side is, we can understand Russian (and
other Slavic languages) with very little effort.
Do you have sisters and/or brothers? What ages? Are they musical? If so, what do they play? If not, what do they like to do?
I have an older brother, Mislav, he's 35. He finished med school, but he's
currently working for a computer company, which proved to be more profitable
in the long run. :) He too used to play the piano but didn't like it very
much, he did finish elementary music school though." (to clarify this, in
Croatia music schools used to be separated from general education schools)
Do you like to read? Who is you favorite author? What type of
literature is it? Poetry, fiction, essay? If he or she is of your
country, tell us something about them.
The last book I read was "Resurrection" by L. Tolstoy and now I'm reading
"Catch 22" by Joseph Heller. I read a lot in English - over the last 2 years I
gathered an impressive Hemingway collection. :) Again, I can't pick a favorite
author or genre, I just read whatever I get my hands on.
What are your interests other than music? Sports? Which ones? Do you play? Science? What fields? Other?
Let's see... I'm not really an athletic type, but I am into martial arts -
I used to practise judo when I was a kid, and more recently aikido and tai chi
on and off for the last 3 years (currently both off because my school schedule
doesn't allow it, however I plan to resume both as soon as I graduate). I'm
not a scientific type too, although I used to be pretty good in physics in
high school, but not good enough to choose it as a career. Also, I used to
draw a lot (I mean, a LOT) when I was a kid, and I've been experimenting with
computer graphics and animation for a couple of years now as a hobby, but
again, I'm not sure that I'd take it to a professional level, at least not
yet. I like to have all my options open.
Our local journal has a section on food. What’s your favorite
dinner? Breakfast is a problem for many Americans. What do you eat for
breakfast? Do you cook? If so, what do you like to cook?
Sorry, you got the wrong guy. :) I totally suck at
cooking! I can't even fry eggs without scorching them! :) I guess there
are some things I was never meant to do. I'm not sure I understand what
you mean by breakfast being a problem for Americans? I guess I'm not
very picky about my meals, when traveling I like to experiment.
Contact Gold Country Piano Institute
Address: P.O. Box 1321, Nevada City, CA 95959-1321
Telephone: (530) 265-8648 or (530) 432-3451, Fax: (530) 478-9485
URL: ./domagoj_guscic.htm
Last modified: February 03, 2006
|
