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Momcilo Nikolic Inducted - Reno 2007 |
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Momcilo Nikolic was born to Stevan and Vera Nikolic and raised in a family of traditional music background. His family played tambura for more than four generations in the ancient city of Novi Sad in Vojvodina, a multi-cultural province of the former Yugoslavia. The rich heritage of his upbringing instilled in him a love of all folk, Slavic, and classical music. |
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He was seven years old when he learned to play the tambura from his father, known as Crni Stevo, a famous tambura bass player and under the supervision of Janika Balaz. Momcilo played at the Cultural and Arts Centre in a junior orchestra as a teenager, and later studied music at the Isidor Bajic Music School in Novi Sad. |
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In 1970, he became a member of the Great Tamburitza Orchestra of Radio Television Novi Sad, as an instrumental soloist (cello), and is best known for performing with the legendary tamburitza orchestra "Eight Tamburitzans of Petrovaradin". |
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Momcilo has performed -- |
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With the Janika Balaz Orchestra in Washington D.C. (1973) at the International Folk Festival, organized by the Croatian Fraternal Union and the Smithsonian Institute; |
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| * | Since immigrating to Canada in 1988, continuing his musical career performing as a multi-instrumentalist, presenting tambura and tamburitza music in the highest and professional level, and as an instrumental and vocal soloist throughout Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, and Africa; | ||
| * | With his own tamburitza orchestra known as "Djelem, Djelem"; | ||
| * | As an international guest artist at Epcot Center in Disney World Florida (1996); | ||
| * | Concerts throughout the United States and Canada as guest artist with many tamburitza groups including Lira, Momci, and T-Rroma; | ||
| * | For audiences that included Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1972 on Brioni Island, Burt Lancaster in 1971 in Novi Sad, Kirk Douglas and Karl Malden, to name a few. | ||
He has also recorded many audio and LP records with many famous singers from Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Vojvodina, and has performed in videos, television shows, and movies. |
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Momcilo teaches tambura in many cultural institutions of art, and has truly been an inspiration to a new generation of tamburitza musicians of his style on the North American continent. |
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Mr. Nikolic is a founder and director of the Los Angeles Tamburitza Orchestra; author of the book Tamburitza Legends, written in memory of the great "Eight Tamburitzan's Orchestra" (2006); Tamburitza Ambassador of Vojvodina, appointed for presenting tambura and tamburitza music of Vojvodina in Diaspora (2007); a member of the Tamburitza Association of America; a member of American and Canadian Music Federation; a member of the Screen Actors Guild; a member of the Tamburitza Orchestra Association of Vojvodina; a composer and arranger. |
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Momcilo Nikolic, internationally recognized as one of the finest tamburitza musicians in the world, has dedicated his teaching and performing career to achieving his goal of preserving the tamburitza music of any nation in its purest artistic form. |
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Return to Hall of Fame Membership List |
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