This month we meet violinist Bojan Čičić. One of the rising stars of the world of period performance, Bojan is the leader of the orchestra for the Oxford Bach Soloists and also the Blenheim Singers, both of which are directed by Tom Hammond Davies.
We started by asking Bojan to tell us a bit about his musical background, his training and experience to date:
I come from a rather musical family. Growing up, music was an essential part of my day, whether it was listening to my older brother’s LPs of Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull, or singing loudly on my way to and from school. During my studies at the Zagreb Academy of Music I took a baroque music masterclass given by Catherine Mackintosh, and fell in love with her approach to music and teaching. Soon afterwards I decided to specialise in early music, first at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieure de Paris for two years, and then at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Bojan tells us about the rather special 17th century violin which he plays:
I play a beautiful violin from the 1680s, made in Cremona by Francesco Ruggieri. It is on long-term loan to me from a foundation that helps young musicians specialising in early music by providing authentic instruments for them to use. I have played this instrument for about six years now, and it has changed my career.
We asked Bojan to tell us something about some of the other music ensembles and orchestras he is involved with:
Outside the Oxford milieu I can often be seen leading the ensemble Florilegium, and also am an occasional director/leader of the Academy of Ancient Music, with whom I have worked for a number of years. I have also ventured into classical and romantic repertoire as the leader of orchestras such as Le Cercle de l’Harmonie and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. I am also a director of my own group, the Illyria Consort, which specialises in bringing little-known repertoire to a wider audience. Our first CD will be released on 24 March 2017.
We were interested to hear the value Bojan sees in organisations such as the Oxford Bach Soloists and Blenheim Singers:
I love what Tom is doing for the music scene in Oxford with his Bach Cantatas project. I know how many years he has been working on it, and I take off my hat to him for making it happen. This summer I went on tour with his group and saw how successful his concerts have been abroad, and it made me realise that both the Blenheim Singers and Oxford Bach Soloists have a well-established fanbase outside the UK. The team that supports this group are excellent, and I have high hopes for the future of the group.
We asked Bojan to pick some of the highlights of his career to date:
Last year I directed the Academy of Ancient Music in a programme entitled Angels and Saints, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Among other things, I had chosen H.I.F. Biber’s Passacaglia for solo violin, called the “Guardian Angel”. A few days before this concert my wife had a miscarriage, and I suddenly realised, when I was on stage with the microphones on, that I hadn’t really had time to mourn this loss with her. That performance of the passacaglia was probably among my most emotionally charged experiences. Of course, nobody knew about this, but a friend of mine who listened to the broadcast said that she just sat down and cried when she heard the piece. Today we have a very healthy nine-week-old daughter, so it has all turned out beautifully in the end, but I am struck by the universal reach of music; it can take a loss in life such as this and transform it into something more than a performance of a piece of music. This is the reason why this art form will never stop bringing people closer to each other.
Finally, we asked Bojan about his future musical ambitions:
I’m very much enjoying my work as a Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music in London. I find it to be the most rewarding aspect of my work as a musician: seeing development in my students on a weekly basis and trying to help them achieve their goals, whether in a specific performance or in deciding on how to plan their career. I will also focus on making more recordings with my group, and creating new programmes that will go beyond standard baroque repertoire, such as a Mendelssohn Violin Concerto that I plan to perform next year.
Bojan Čičić’s quartet
Bojan is giving a free concert in support of his debut album: All Roads Lead to Bach at 7pm on 7 December at St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Oxford.
He is also leading the Oxford Bach Soloists at their next concert Christmas Oratorio at 5pm on 24 December at New College chapel, Oxford.
