red. prof. art. Dražen Košmerl

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 1 (278377) - Lecturer in charge
• Chamber Music 2 (221106) - Lecturer in charge
• Concert for Accordion and Orchestra (200950) - Lecturer in charge

Biography

DRAŽEN KOŠMERL

Accordionist – Concert Artist | Full Professor of Arts

Dražen Košmerl (b. 1966) is a concert accordionist and a full professor of arts at the Academy of Music of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula. He earned his degree in classical accordion from the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music in Kyiv, where he also completed his postgraduate studies in the instrument. His mentors during his education included Vera Višošević, Slavko Magdić, Ivan Jaškević, and Pavel Fenyuk. He further honed his skills under distinguished accordion pedagogues and artists and has won numerous awards and accolades at both domestic and international competitions. In 1984, he was a finalist at the 34th World Accordion Trophy in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

As a concert artist, he performs in Croatia and abroad, engaging in solo, orchestral, and chamber music projects. He has performed in Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, and the USA, appearing on concert stages and at festivals dedicated to classical accordion and contemporary music.

A key aspect of his artistic work is the performance of original repertoire for classical accordion; notably, he has given Croatian premieres of significant works by Vladimir Runchak, Anatoly Kusyakov, and Efrem Podgaits.

Of particular note is the Croatian premiere of *Concerto No. 2 "Viva Voce"* for accordion and chamber orchestra by Efrem Podgaits, performed in 2025 in Pula and Zagreb with the Zagreb Soloists.

Orchestral and Solo Performances

He has performed as a soloist with:

• The Zagreb Soloists

• The SNG Maribor Opera Orchestra

• The Varaždin Chamber Orchestra

• The Croatian National Theatre (HNK) "Ivan pl. Zajc" Opera Orchestra in Rijeka

• The Camerata Austriaca Orchestra

He has collaborated with conductors Simon Robinson, Igor Vlajnić, Zvonimir Hačko, and Yuko Tanaka.

His concert repertoire encompasses works from various stylistic periods and composers, including J. S. Bach, D. Scarlatti, A. Vivaldi, G. F. Händel, W. A. ​​Mozart, V. Berinsky, S. Gubaidulina, A. Kusyakov, V. Londonov, T. Lorentzen, E. Podgaits, V. Runchak, A. Piazzolla, M. Brajković, A. Bobić, D. Josipović, and others.

International Concert Career

He has performed on numerous concert stages and at festivals in Croatia and abroad.

Notable performances include:

• The Great Hall of the Gnesin Academy in Moscow
• The Odessa Philharmonic
• The Concert Hall of the P. I. Tchaikovsky Academy in Kyiv
• The Hall of the Composers' Union in Kyiv
• The Vatroslav Lisinski Small Hall in Zagreb
• The Academy of Music in Ljubljana
• The G. Tartini Music Academy in Trieste
• The P. I. Tchaikovsky Music Academy in Kyiv
• The Gnesin Music Academy in Moscow

He has participated in festivals and artistic events such as "Two Days and Two Nights of New Music" in Odessa, "Day of Ukrainian Accordion" in Kyiv, "Day of Bayan, Accordion and Harmonica" in Moscow, the Accordionists' Gathering in Pula, the Lubenice Music Evenings, and the Rab Music Evenings.

Chamber Music

He has a particular dedication to chamber music and collaborates with artists across various instrumental and vocal disciplines. He performs in ensembles featuring soprano, cello, clarinet, and piano.

In 2011, he founded Duo AccoVoice (soprano and accordion), and in 2014, Trio Forza (soprano, clarinet, and accordion).

Artistic and Pedagogical Work

In addition to his concert activities, a significant part of his professional work is dedicated to developing the artistic and pedagogical aspects of classical accordion. He has created numerous arrangements for solo accordion and chamber ensembles and conducts seminars and masterclasses.

He has participated in the design and development of classical accordion study programs and is one of the authors of the postgraduate specialist study program in classical accordion.

He is employed as a Full Professor of Arts at the Music Academy in Pula, where he teaches Classical Accordion, Accordion Concerto and Orchestra, Chamber Music, Accordion Teaching Methodology, and Accordion Teaching Practicum. From 2017 to 2023, he served as the Dean of the Music Academy in Pula.

Selected Artistic and Professional Projects

He is one of the editors of the monograph „A Time to Remember – Two Decades of Classical Accordion Studies in Croatia“, published by Juraj Dobrila University of Pula.

He is a co-author of the first sheet music collection of works by Croatian composers for classical accordion, titled „Anthology of Works by Croatian Composers for Classical Accordion“, published in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of the accordion program at the Music Academy in Pula.

He authored the professional article "Chamber Ensemble as Genre of Bayan-Accordion Performing Art," published by the P. I. Tchaikovsky Music Academy in Kyiv.

Awards and Recognitions

He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his artistic and pedagogical work, notably including honors from the City of Rijeka and the Education and Teacher Training Agency of the Republic of Croatia, as well as recognition for his participation in the 63rd Coupe Mondiale in Varaždin and for his special contribution to the development of the classical accordion program at Juraj Dobrila University of Pula.

Throughout his long teaching career, he and his pupils and students have won over 100 awards and honors at national and international competitions.

Professional Memberships

• Croatian Association of Accordion Teachers (HDHP)
• Croatian Association of Music and Dance Teachers (HDGPP)
• Croatian Association of Music Artists (HDGU)

Professional Artistic Interests

Solo recitals · orchestral performances · chamber music · contemporary music · original repertoire for classical accordion

Professional memberships

Solo recitals · orchestral performances · chamber music · contemporary music · original repertoire for classical accordion

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 2018 - assistant professor at the Music Academy of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula

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

2018 to 2026 - associate professor at the Music Academy of Juraj Dobrila University in Pula

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