izv. prof. art. Dražen Košmerl

Title:	Associate professor
Function:	teacher - professor
E-mail:	E-mail
Department:	Odsjek studija Klasične harmonike

Teaching

undergraduate

• Accordion 1 (53941) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 2 (53962) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 4 (53996) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 5 (54012) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 6 (54021) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 7 (54028) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 8 (54034) - Lecturer in charge
• Chamber Music 1 (200883) - Lecturer in charge
• Chamber Music 2 (200886) - Lecturer in charge
• Chamber Music 3 (201981) - Lecturer in charge
• Chamber Music 4 (201984) - Lecturer in charge

graduate

• Accordion 1 (187315) - Lecturer in charge
• Accordion 2 (187319) - Lecturer in charge
• Chamber Music 2 (221106) - Lecturer in charge
• Concert for Accordion and Orchestra (200950) - Lecturer in charge

Biography

DRAŽEN KOŠMERL – (1966) graduated in classical accordion at the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music in Kiev (Ukraine), where he also completed postgraduate studies in classical accordion. His mentors throughout his education were Vera Višošević, Slavko Magdić, Ivan Jaškević and Pavel Fenjuk. In addition to regular studies, he studied with the most famous accordion pedagogues and artists. He has won numerous awards and recognitions at domestic and international competitions. He is a graduate of the 34th World Accordion Trophy in La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland) in 1984. He has received a number of awards and recognitions for his work.

He has won several awards from the City of Rijeka for exceptional work with students, an award for participation in the 63rd Coupe Mondiale in Varaždin, an award from the Croatian Education Agency for excellent work results, and an award for special contribution to the development of classical accordion studies at the Juraj Dobrila University in Pula.

He is a member of judging commissions at national and international competitions: regional and national competitions of HDGPP, International Meetings of Accordionists in Pula, Accordion World Cup, Republic Competition of Music Schools of Serbia, International Music Festival "Accordion Days" Bijeljina (BiH), International Music Festival AKORDEON ART Sarajevo (BIH), Australian International Accordion Championships, etc.

In his teaching career so far, he has won over 100 awards and recognitions at national and international competitions. He is working on the improvement of pedagogical literature for accordion, he is the author of a number of arrangements of works by various authors for solo accordion and chamber ensembles, he holds seminars for accordion.

He is one of the editors of the monograph "Time to Remember" Two decades of classical accordion studies in Croatia, published by the Juraj Dobrila University in Pula, and is the author of the professional article "Chamber Ensemble as a genre of Bayan-Accordion performing art" published by the "P. I. Tchaikovsky" Academy of Music in Kiev. He is a co-author of the first sheet music edition of works by Croatian authors for classical accordion called "Anthology of Works of Croatian Composers for Classical Accordion", published in 2019 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of accordion studies at the Academy of Music in Pula, published by the Juraj Dobrila University in Pula.

Under his mentorship, over 30 final and graduation concerts of classical accordion students at the Academy of Music in Pula have been successfully defended. He works on improving study programs at the Academy of Music in Pula, and is one of the authors of the study program for postgraduate specialist studies in classical accordion.

At the Academy of Music in Pula, he is employed as a full-time professor of the courses Classical Accordion, Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra, and Chamber Music. He has served as a member of the Teaching Committee and the Quality Committee, and as the Academy's representative in the University's Main Quality Committee, the Academy's web editorial office, and as the head of the Classical Accordion Department.

From 2017 to 2023, he served as the Dean of the Academy of Music in Pula. He is a member of professional associations, the Croatian Society of Accordion Pedagogues (HDHP), the Croatian Society of Music and Dance Pedagogues (HDGPP), and the Croatian Society of Music Artists (HDGU).

He has played with the orchestras of the Opera SNG Maribor, the Varaždin Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Opera HNK I.pl.Zajc Rijeka, the Camerata Austriaca Orchestra, the Zagreb Soloists, and collaborated with conductors: Simon Robinson, Igor Vlajnić, Zvonimir Hačko, Yuko Tanaka.

He cultivates chamber music in ensembles with voice, cello, clarinet, piano. In 2011, he founded the Duo AccoVoice (soprano, accordion), and in 2014. Trio Forza (soprano, clarinet, accordion).

His repertoire includes works by various authors and eras such as Bach, Scarlatti, Vivaldi, Händel, Mozart, Berinsky, Gubaidulina, Kusjakov, Londonov, Lorentzen, Podgaits, Runčak, Piazzolla, Brajković, Bobić, Josipović, and others.

He performs throughout Croatia, but also abroad, in Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, and the USA. He records performances at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, Music Academy "G. Tarttini" in Trieste, Music Academy "PI Tchaikovsky" in Kiev, Music Academy "Gnjesin" in Moscow. He played in halls such as: the Great Hall of the "Gnjesin" Academy in Moscow, the Philharmonic Hall in Odessa, the Concert Hall of the "P.I. Tchaikovsky" Academy in Kiev, the Hall of the Society of Composers in Kiev, the Small Hall "Lisinski" in Zagreb. He performed at festivals "Two days and two nights of new music" in Odessa, "Day of Ukrainian Accordion" in Kiev, "Day of bayan, accordion and harmonica 2017" in Moscow, Meetings of accordionists in Pula in 2018 and 2025, Lubenik music evenings in 2020, etc.

In Croatia, he is premiering some of the most important original works for the accordion by composers Vladimir Runčak, Anatolij Kusjakov and Efrem Podgaits. Of particular note is the Croatian premiere performance of Concerto No. 2 "Viva Voce" for accordion and chamber orchestra by Efrem Podgaits in 2025 in Pula and Zagreb accompanied by Zagreb soloists.

Professional memberships

accordion, solo recitals, chamber music

Croatian Society of Accordion Pedagogues (HDHP)

Croatian Association of Music and Dance Pedagogues (HDGPP)

Croatian Society of Music Artists (HDGU)

Past employments

1991 to 1995 - Secondary music and ballet school Maribor (Slovenia)

1995 to 2009 - Music School Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Rijeka

2000 to 2009 - external associate (assistant) at the Department of Music of Jurja Dobrila University in Pula

2009 to 2013 - senior assistant at the Music Academy of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula

2013 to 2019 - assistant professor at the Music Academy of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula

since 2019 - associate professor at the Music Academy of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula

from 2017 to 2023, he served as the dean of the Academy of Music in Pula

from 2026 - professor at the Music Academy of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula