The first major concert that young Genta Hoxha from Kosovo played at was the celebration concert the Philharmony of Kosovo conducted on February 17th 2008 when Kosovo declared independence.

“Music makes people better, it makes them relax and think positive. We need that after all we’ve been through.” Genta Hoxha, born and raised in Prishtina, is studying for a double degree in music and journalism at the University of Prishtina. She knows what she wants - she is the kind of person that gets things done. With curly hair and a big dose of positive charisma, she’s hard to miss in a crowd. What is it like to be a young woman from Kosovo with a heart beating for classical music? 11 years have gone by since the end of the Kosovo war and the return of classical music is here to stay.

In January 2008, at the age of 20, Genta joined the Philharmony of the Republic of Kosovo as a violist. Genta’s interest in music runs in the family - her father plays the viola and teaches music for a living. “My father has been playing all his life and like all kids I wanted to be like my father”. With the help of the Erasmus Mundus Exchange Programme scholarship “BASILEUS” Genta set out on an adventure only a few young people in Kosovo ever get the chance for. In fall 2009, she travelled to Sweden to study one year at the Music Academy in Malmö. “It was time for something new, time for me to expand my expertise in music in general - playing is not enough. I would improve professionally and besides, I had never left home for such a long time before”, she says.

Genta experienced a nice welcome although she noticed quite a few cultural differences.  “It’s obviously very different - people are so independent and don’t socialize as much as we do at home but I am alive as a person and I was very well accepted”, she says. People around her asked a lot about the Balkans, Kosovo’s history and lifestyle and still didn’t seem to know that Yugoslavia is something of the past. “People are still confused; they don’t know much about Kosovo Albanians. I was asked what nation we are and what language we speak, but no one thinks bad about us”, she says.

Being a musician in Kosovo hasn’t always been easy. “In general, being a musician is a tough job everywhere in the world, but in Kosova it’s a bit more difficult since we don’t have a long tradition of classical music” says Genta. Mr. Baki Jashari has been the director of the Philharmony of the Republic of Kosovo for years and also teaches music. “The historical development of artistic music in Kosovo dates back to World War II when the first professional composers and instrumentalists became known. The first music school in Kosovo opened in Prizren and marked the beginning of professional music education in Kosovo, which also lead to music schools opening in almost all other cities in the country”, he says. Milosevic regime put a stop to the development of music in Kosovo. The activity at music education institutions across Kosovo decreased immensely. “Before the war, musicians were well-respected; they were treated like true artists, worked with great conductors, travelled a lot and played in many places. My father was one of them. Milosevic regime changed everything.” Genta says. Musicians across Kosovo lost their privileged status, got discharged from their jobs and left without income, forced to work as freelance musicians. Many left Kosovo or played in bars and were teaching for free to not lose their talent and their will to make music. Baki Jashari remembers how the Milosevic regime forced musicians to work in the shadow. “Musical education and many other subjects were transferred from school building to basements and private houses all over Kosovo in which the quality of teaching decreased and therefore influenced the musical education of a whole young generation”, he says.

According to Mr Jashari, classical music and the arts has a specific importance to Kosovo and its young people. 11 years have gone by since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999 and the young generation represents most of the population. After the war, the Kosovo Albanians tried to build up what they had lost. “International organizations helped out to organize festivals and concerts” says Genta. Some musicians returned and the work to fill the street of the cities and make the hills alive with a sound of music again began. Baki Jashari says that an increasing number of young people have become interested in classical music as a result of the development of the Republic of Kosovo in peace and because of the several primary schools and music schools that have received financial aid since the war. “Each day, the young travel towards their intellectual and professional affirmation, towards genuine civilized values”, he says.

 

In order to build a strong culture of classical music and other art forms in Kosovo, long-term thinking is crucial. “With help of a long-term cultural strategy and strong support from the state as well as promoting and stimulating the artistic community in Kosovo, the potential and the artistic value, that undoubtedly exists in the country, can become more visible in the world”, Mr Jashari says.

 

Genta is not too worried about her future. She’s done some writing for the leading daily newspaper Koha Ditore and would like to write as a culture journalist in the future. But above all - she sees her future as a musician in Kosovo as a privilege. “Sweden is a great experience but my everything is in Kosovo. My mission in life is there. I want to keep on performing and play my viola as beautiful as I can”, she says.

On June 11th 2008 the Assembly of Kosovo elected the National Anthem of the Republic of Kosovo. The anthem contains no words and therefore didn’t make any references to any ethnic group of Kosovo. H C Anderson once said: “When words fail, music speaks”, and when it comes to Genta, with her wit and readiness to take initiatives, she might become a shining star in Kosovo’s struggle to re-write its music - and lyrics.

 

Anna Wiman is a freelance writer. You can read more about her at http://www.annawiman.com/ or contact her at annawiman[at]tele2.se.