Macedonian wind instruments’ practice, until now, has not been the subject of theoretical research, still, there are papers devoted to different wind instrument performers, as well as reviews for concerts, but an integral text which that deals with these problems, cannot be found yet.
         Thus, our paper will be concerned with the presentation of the development of wind instruments’ practice in Macedonia, but only in the artistic music genres. Macedonian folk music uses different kinds of wind instruments, but they will not be the subject of interest of this text.
        Having in mind that this practice started its development after the second World War, we will cover the period of the last sixty years. Also, we have grouped the performers in accordance with two criteria: age, and place of education. We expect that the influence of the environment was crucial for their personal development.
 

          The beginnings

         The beginning of wind instrument’s practice in Macedonia is related directly to the first music schools in Macedonia. During the forties, three high music schools were established in Macedonia: in Skopje (1945), Bitola (1946) and Shtip (1947). As they needed wind instruments’ professors, the first professors at these schools were partly educated in Belgrade and Sofia, and for some instruments they were self-taught. Also,  they have gained some experience playing in the military bands, or the local folk brass or other instrument bands.
        For instance, in Skopje, the composer and clarinetist Gligor Smokvarski taught all woodwinds, while Ilija Nikolovski - Luj, who was also a principal of the school, taught all brass instruments. In Shtip, Metodi Dokuzov, who was a former military band musician, taught all wind instruments. Later on, Petar Spasov joined the School, teaching flute and other woodwinds, and Metodi Dokuzov continued teaching only brass instruments.

         In 1948 the first professional oboist, the Italian Pietro Gaburo, started working in the Music High School in Skopje.
 

         The first university graduates

         The students from these schools could not continue their higher education in Macedonia, so some of them continued towards gaining their degrees in the universities of former Yugoslavia, mainly in Belgrade and Ljubljana.

         The first three musicians who earned their diplomas at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade were:
- Kiro Bozhinovski ( born 1933), flute,
- Kiro Davidovski ( born 1932), oboe and
- Predrag Trajkovski (born 1934), bassoon.

         The next two important musicians in wind instrument practice in Macedonia earned their diplomas in Ljubljana:
- Nikola Atanasov (born 1939), flute and
- Mihajlo Dokuzov ( born 1938),  French horn.

        These group of musicians had crucial influence in the further development of wind instruments’ practice in Macedonia. They have contributed to the spreading of the awareness about occidental music culture among the Macedonian audiences, and on the other hand, they were the main promoters of Macedonian culture in former Yugoslavia and abroad. They played a special role in the stimulation of the Macedonian composers to write pieces for wind instruments, and to perform their music at home and abroad.  This was also the beginning of the professional wind instruments’ education in Macedonia, thus enabling the future generation to get complete education at home.

         The flutist Kiro Bozhinovski is the only one in this group of musicians who spent his professional career only as a performer

          He has given over 730 recitals or concerts with orchestras. He was also the principal flutist of the Macedonian Philharmonic orchestra and the member of  the “Skopje Wind Quintet”. His repertoire consists of all major works for flute, including pieces by Macedonian composers. One of the reviews, published in the news paper “Nova Makedonija”, describes his performance as: “ presentation of the lyric beauty of the instrument and its  magnificent technical capacity”.

          The oboist Kiro Davidovski in  addition attended the classes of Prof. Gabura (who later returned to Italy) in the Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome. In his CV we find solo performances in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, USA etc. His wide repertoire included the well-known pieces from composers all over the world, as well as Macedonian composers. He has special contribution in the development of oboe education in Macedonia, teaching at the UKIM Faculty of Music from 1970 to 1991. Numerous excellent oboists graduated in his classes, taking the positions of professors, principal oboists and soloists in Macedonia and abroad.

      The third member of the first group of graduates, the bassoonist Predrag Trajkovski, spent most of his career as a professor in the Music High School and UKIM FM. He is known by the methods of  bassoon teaching.

      The flutist Nikola Atanasov has also spent additional time taking classes in the Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome. He has been active as a soloist, a member of different chamber ensembles, principal flutist in the Opera of the Macedonian National Theater, and he has also taught at UKIM FM.

        Among the reviews about his rich performing career, we find the following quotation by Pietro Aquafreda in the newspaper “Paese Sera” from Napoli: “ The flutist Nikola Atanasov will remain permanently in our memory with his high professional relation to the music, the extremely pleasant and clear sound, and the rich spectrum of timbers in the performance of the piece “Tempera VIII” by the Macedonian composer Toma Prosev”.

        The French horn player Mihajlo Dokuzov has earned his Master’s degree in Ljubljana, working with professor Joze Falout. He was also one of the Macedonian musicians who attended classes at the Academy of St. Cecilia. He has played a special role in the development of the orchestral performance in Macedonia, as after taking the position of the principal French horn player in the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, there was substantial change of the quality of the performance and repertoire. He was also the first professor of French horn at UKIM FM. He was also very active as a soloist, and in the review in the newspaper “Nova Makedonija” regarding his performance of the Richard Strauss Concerto for French horn and orchestra, one can find:  “ Mihajlo Dokuzov has performed the soloist part of this concerto with impressive technical and artistic skills…”

         The first university graduates formed the first wind quintet in Macedonia named “Skopje Wind Quintet” (1970). This quintet worked in continuity more than 20 years, meanwhile with some changes in its participants. The first five members were:
- Kiro Bozhinovski (flute)
- Kiro Davidovski (oboe)
- Ivan Kocharov (clarinet)
- Sreten Teodosievski (bassoon)
- Mihajlo Dokuzov (French horn).

         This was an extremely active ensemble, performing music pieces from classical and contemporary composers, and particularly Macedonian composers. They were frequent guests at the festivals in former Yugoslavia and abroad.
 

         The graduates following

        The following group of musicians who have also graduated in the other music centers in former Yugoslavia consist of :
- Ivan Kocharov (1942) - clarinet;
- Boris Tanaskov (1944) - clarinet;
- Kiril Ribarski (1947) - trombone;
- Blagoja Angelovski (1948-2000) - trumpet.

        There were others who have also graduated during this period, but we have selected this group, as ones who were active as soloists and played a distinctive role at the Macedonian wind instruments’ performing scene.

        Three of them (Kocharov, Tanaskov and Angelovski) have earned their diplomas at the Belgrade Faculty of Music, while Ribarski has earned his diploma in Ljubljana.

        Clarinet practice in Macedonia was mainly influenced by the popular use of the instrument in the folk tradition. There were always excellent clarinetists playing in the folk ensembles, showing remarkable virtuosity of the instrument.  That’s why both clarinetists Ivan Kocharov and  Boris Tanaskov continued the achievements of this tradition in the classical music realm with great success. Ivan Kocharov was the principal clarinetist in the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, and later on started teaching at UKIM FM, while Boris Tanaskov spent the years after graduating, until now, as the principal clarinetist of the Macedonian Opera. They were both active as soloists, members of different chamber ensembles (Kocharov was the member of Skopje Wind Quintet, while Tanaskov formed a trio with the oboist Mitanov, and the bassoonist Mile Kochev), or soloists with different orchestras in Macedonia and abroad. Boris Tanaskov’s further professional development was accomplished with his stay in Paris, 1972, at the National Conservatory. Ivan Kocharov’s performance in Titograd (now Podgorica) was reviewed in the newspaper “Pobjeda” as : “extremely beautiful timbre, and sense for subtle cantilena”. Ivan Kocharov’s educational activity at UKIM FM resulted in the graduation of numerous clarinetists who continued the successes of the tradition (among them Stojan Dimov, whom we will discuss later).

         Blagoja Angelovski (1948-2000) is definitely the most distinguished trumpet player who contributed to the promotion of the instrument, giving recitals and playing as a soloist with orchestras in Macedonia and abroad. After his graduation in Belgrade, he continued his studies in Paris, working with professors Morice Andrée. In 1997 he defended his doctoral thesis on “Scientific and methodological aspects of trumpet performance” in Sofia, Bulgaria. After the graduation and until the 199Os, he spent most of his career in Belgrade (member of the Radio Belgrade Symphony Orchestra).

         His career as a trumpet player includes numerous recitals in former Yugoslavia, Italy, Germany, Austira, France, Russia and Bulgaria. He also has more than 200 recordings published in several records, cassettes and CDs. He was also a professor at UKIM FM, publishing several books for instructional purposes.

        Kiril Ribarski (trombone) is probably the most distinguished musician in this group by his exceedingly fruitful career in Macedonia and abroad. After his graduation in Ljubljana, he earned his master’s degree in Zagreb, working with professor Marcel Fux. He was a professor at the Music High School in Shtip (1977-1979), and from 1980 - 1984 at UKIM FM. After 1984, he devoted himself completely to performance art, performing all over the world, being recorded in more than 150 TV programs, publishing records, cassettes and CDS for  EMS records from Belgum, Discover - Germany, Jugoton - Zagreb and others. His virtuosity and development of the practice of the instrument inspired composers  from Macedonia, Italy, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Brasil etc., to write 53 pieces devoted to him.

          After his concert in Rio de Jeneiro in 1999, the Brasilian instrument company “Viril” presented him with an instrument especially made for him. The critic Giorgio Ciericci has written: “The trombone cries, the trombone laughs, the trombone sings. His dimension is big only externally, insight it is a deep mine of valuable treasure. To discover it you need the magic of the artists as Kiril Ribarski His performance is not only the simple production of the sound, but authentic creation of music. Ribarski discovers, transcribes, elaborates, creates…”
          He has also given Master courses at the conservatories in Vienna, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rotterdam etc. From 1993 he has been the manager of the music festival in Bitola “Interfest”.

          He was also the founder of the “Trombone Quartet” which included the following musicians:
- Kiril Ribarski
- Milan Kolevski
- Ramis Imerov
- Stefanovski Gjorgji.
          This unique and remarkable ensemble has given more than 50 concerts, touring in  different former Yugoslavia festivals and cities.
 

          First graduates from UKIM FM

          University “Ss. Kiril i Metodij” Faculty of Music enrolled its first students on Dec. 6th, 1966. We have already mentioned the names of some of the professors who started teaching at this school. Soon, the first graduates appeared at the concert stage in Macedonia and abroad. We will select only the graduates from the wind instruments department who managed to raise a significant international career.

           The clarinetist Stojan Dimov (1956) after the graduation in Skopje, continued his studies in Zagreb with professor Joze Nohta. He later earned his Masters degree at UKIM FM. At the moment, he is the principal clarinetist of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a professor of saxophone at UKIM FM. He is also a member of the “Macedonian wind quintet” , and he established the saxophone quartet “Dimov”. He is active both as a clarinetist and a saxophone player. In his repertoire we find concertos for clarinet such as : W.A. Mozart A major concerto, C. M. Weber f minor and E flat major concertos, as well as saxophone concertos, such as: A. Glazounov, P. Bonneau, H. Tomasi, P. Creston etc.

           In the news paper “Vest”, Skopje, 2001, the critic Roza Nolceva wrote“ …Stojan Dimov is continuously present at the Macedonian concert stage, proving that the process of creation never ends for him … he is an exceptional artist who does not allow the audience to forget his previous performances, at the same time bringing new pleasure to the listeners…”

           The oboist Vasil Atanasov (1957), has also earned his Bacheler’s and Masters degree at UKIM FM. He is the principal oboist at the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, and a professor at the Music High School in Skopje. From 1996-1999, he was manager of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also been active as a soloist, performing in Macedonia, Belgrade, Zagreb, Sweeden, Italy etc.

           His performance has been described in different newspapers as: “Sound perfection with a capacity for distinguished dynamic ranges (“Ekran” Macedonia), “Freshness, galantines and high internal intensity of the performance (“Vjesnik” Serbia).

           Among the several other oboists who graduated at UKIM FM and worked with Prof. Kiro Davidovski,  is the oboist Gordana Josifova - Nedelkovska (1965). She has attended  the Master’s classes at the Mozarteum Academy in Warsaw. She is also a member of the “Macedonian Wind Quintet”, which has participated in the promotion of Macedonian music at the festival “Days of Macedonian Music”. She has given recitals at numerous festivals in Macedonia and abroad such as: “Ohrid Summer Festival”, “Skopje Summer Festival”, ”Interfest-Bitola”, “Music Days in Novi Sad”, “Opatia festival”, ”Ljubljana Summer Festival” etc.

           Her performance was characterized by the composer  Goce Kolarovski as “ refined poetry of the instrument, charming the audience with the perfect technique, utmost control of the quality of the sound and the tuning…”
At the moment , she is assistant principal and professor at UKIM FM.