Celebrated for his brilliant qualities and as one of the most original artistic personalities of his generation, Dragan Đorđević carries out a career as a soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue. Recognized as a Serbian cello school ambasador, Dragan is the founder and artist director of RAVANELIUS festival, CELLISTICA ensemble, co founder of RUBIKON quartett and artist director of Belgrade CELLO FEST.
Born in Serbia at the age of six he entered the music world by starting with Suzuki method playing violin at the School for Musically Gifted Children in his hometown Ćuprija, but two years later chose Cello and receive first lessons from professor Relja Ćetković. After studies in Belgrade at faculty of Music Arts in class of professor Sandra Belić, he continued education at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under professor Stefan Popov. Post-London, Dragan met Korean cellist Young Chang Cho and studied in his class at the Hochschule fur Musik in Essen in Germany where he received Concert Diploma with distinction and special honor.
As a very young musician he was appointed the youngest professor of cello at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade. At the time beside teaching, one of main priorities was to keep on study with cellists and musicians such as Misha Maisky, Boris Pergamenschikow, David Grigorian, Alexander Fedorchenko, Thobias Kuhne, David Takeno, Stanislav Apolin and also chamber music with Welinger, Takacs, Melos and Alban Berg Quartets.
He has been Laureate and special prize winner of International competitions such as Antonio Janigro, Markneukirchen, the Orpheus Laureates, Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade.
Starting with 2011 Dragan receive invitation from maestro Valery Gergiev to play on several tours as guest principal cellist of Symphony Orchestra of Mariinsky Theatre, won Zagreb Concert Management Award, had a recital in the new Concert Hall of Mariinsky Theatre in St. Peterburg, and debut with RUBIKON Quartet at the City of London Festival.
As a soloist and chamber musician Dragan has performed in Great Britain, Germany, South Korea Holland, Sweden, USA, Russia, Belgium, China, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Bulgaria, France, Norway at distinguished international music festivals such as BBC PROMS, FESTIVAL AUVERS -SUR-OISE, City of London Festival, George Enescu Festival, Sion-Valais Shlomo Mintz Festival, Ohrid Summer, ARLEM, Kustendorf Classic, Cellissimo Festival, Belgrade Music Festival (BEMUS), CellEAST , Zagreb Summer Evenings, Music Festival Novi Sad (NOMUS), Kotor-Art (Montenegro), CELLO FEST in Belgrade. He has been invited to performed as a soloist with Bergishe Symphoniker, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Kammer Philarmonie Amade, National Radio Orchestra of Romania, Belgrade Radio Symphony Orchestra, Brasov Philharmonic Orchestra, Bamberg Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of RTV Slovenia, Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, Macedonian Philharmonic, Szolnok Symphony Orchestra, VSO Symphony Orchestra, St. George Strings, Symphony Orchestra of South-Eastern Europe, Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra and many other orchestras in Balkan.
Dragan collaborated with artists such as Julian Rachlin, Itamar Golan, Manuel Hernandez Silva, Maxim Rysanov, Emil Tabakov, Mikhail Shcherbakov, Clemens Schuldt, En Shao, Mincho Minchev, Alena Baeva, Nemanja Radulović, Roman Simović, Francesca Dego, John Adams, Peter Sculthorpe, Leslie Howard and many others.
Dedicated to teaching and beside being full time professor of cello at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade, he has given masterclasses in China, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and in many other Balkan Countries.
Dragan Đorđević plays a cello made by James and Henry Banks at 1797.