Shkelzen Baftiari

Shkëlzen Baftiari is a distinguished pianist from North Macedonia, renowned for his talent and international achievements in classical music. His journey with the piano began at the age of 9 when he started lessons at the Secondary School of Music and Ballet "Todor Skalovski – Tetoec" in Tetovo, under the guidance of Professor Simona Bllazhevska. He continued his musical education at the "Ilija Nikollovski - Luj" High School of Music in Skopje, studying with Ludmilla Romanova. Baftiari graduated from the Faculty of Music Arts at the University of "Ss. Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje, completing his studies with the highest honors, "Cum Laude," under the tutelage of Professor Boris Romanov. He also earned his postgraduate degree with the title "Cum Laude" under the guidance of internationally renowned pianist, Professor Simon Trpceski. Throughout his career, Baftiari has participated in numerous concerts both in his home country and abroad, earning many awards. He is the laureate of the prestigious international competition Valentino Bucchi in Rome, Italy (First Prize), and has achieved high rankings in other international competitions, such as the "Vojislav Vučković" competition in Belgrade (Second Prize), the "Anton Rubinstein" competition in Paris (Second Prize), and the "SchumannBrahms" competition in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (First Prize). In North Macedonia, he has been awarded special accolades, including the First Special Prize at the Republic Competitions in 2007 and at the “Pearls of the Lake” competition in 2013 in Struga. Baftiari has performed as a soloist with some of the most renowned orchestras, including the Macedonian Philharmonic, the Kosovo Philharmonic, the London City Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Music in Skopje, as well as the Symphony Orchestra of the Albanian Opera and the RTSH Symphony Orchestra. His recitals have taken him to cities such as Tetovo, Skopje, Struga, Pristina, Tirana, Sofia, Belgrade, Plovdiv, Rome, and New York. He also appeared as a soloist at the Ohrid Summer Festival in 2009 and in 2024, performed works by composers Tomislav Zografski and Stojce Toshevski at the same festival. In addition to solo performances, Baftiari has a rich history of collaborations with the Macedonian Philharmonic and regularly contributes recordings for Macedonian Radio Television (RTM), Albanian Radio Television (RTSH), and Kosovo Radio Television (RTK). He has participated in masterclasses led by Boris Romanov at the Ohrid Summer Festival and in Belgrade. Since 2008, Baftiari has been a piano professor at the Secondary School of Music and Ballet "Todor Skalovski-Tetoec" in Tetovo and at the University of Tetovo, where he continues to mentor the next generation of musicians. He holds the title of docent at the University of Tetovo, where he has been a piano professor since 2009. From 2018 to 2024, he was an external collaborator at the University of "Ss. Cyril and Methodius" and has been a pianist with the Macedonian Philharmonic since 2021. In addition to his career as a teacher and performer, Baftiari has held significant leadership positions in the field of arts. From 2018 to the present, he has served as Director of the Board of the State Ensemble for Albanian Folk Songs and Dances in North Macedonia, and in 2023, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Tetova Music Ensemble. Baftiari has participated in prestigious festivals such as Skopje Summer, Esenski Muzicki Sfecenosti, Ars Kosova, DMM – where he opened the festival with a piano and orchestra concert dedicated to Shkëlzen Baftiari by composer Fatos Lumani – and other festivals like DAM, REMusica, Chopin Piano Fest, Privocal Fest, Intersezioni Festival in Italy, and Skopje Brass Festival. He is also the co-founder and director of the "Young Artist" piano competition. During his career, Baftiari has collaborated with esteemed conductors such as Borjan Canev, Sasho Tatarchevski, Sasho Nikolovski - Gjumar, Oleg Arapi, Gridi Kraja, Agron Llapaj, Thomas Herzog, and Toshio Yanagisawa. Among the instrumentalists he has performed with are Simon Trpceski, Gyorgy Gyivicsan, Bertrand Giroud, Derek Han, Marija Gjoshevska, Shkelzen Doli, Sihana Badivuku, and Pjeter Guralumi. Shkëlzen Baftiari's career reflects a deep commitment to the development and affirmation of classical music in North Macedonia and beyond, earning him numerous accolades, including the "Grand Prix" for his contributions to music. His work continues to inspire musicians and audiences worldwide.