Ivan Ilić, DA
Ivan Ilić, DA (born March 7th, 1972, Belgrade, Yugoslavia) completed his elementary and high school musical training majoring in trombone and music theory. In 1992 he received a professional diploma in Commercial Arranging with honors from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. (Graduated 4-year program in 2 years). Hе received his postgraduate Specialist degree in Conducting (2008) and Master of Arts in Jazz Trombone (2017) from University of Belgrade, Faculty of Music. He was awarded a Doctorate of Arts (DA) from University of Arts in Belgrade, in the field of interdisciplinary multimedia art studies and musical theatre (2020).
After moving from Canada to Belgrade in December of 1998 he continued his long lasting artistic collaboration with the Big Band of Radio Television of Serbia- RTS, (Serbian Broadcasting Corporation).
In the period from December 2001 – November 2018, Ivan has worked as a full-time conductor with the Big Band of RTS, often featured as a composer, arranger and trombone soloist, leading the band through numerous recordings, TV shows, live broadcasts, concerts and tours.
Since November 2018, Ivan Ilić is Assistant Professor of Jazz trombone at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Music, (Dpt. Of Jazz and popular music), also teaching classes in Jazz ensembles, Big Band, DAW and Music notation software (CUBASE, Sibelius).
Ivan has performed, recorded and/or conducted the Big Band RTS with many international and Serbian artists. Among others: Dianna Schuur, Jerome Richardson, Jon Fadis, Don Menza, Chuck Findley, Benny Golson, Boby Shew, Randy Bracker, Ack van Rooyen, Peter Herbolzhaimer, Larry Coryell, Brad Leali, Steve Turre, Ronnie Cuber, Gregory Hutchinson, Eddy Henderson, Vick Vogel, Bert Joris, Samuel Blaser, Peter King, Dusko Goykovich, Bora Roković, Steve Gut, Branislav Lala Kovachev, Marko Djordjević, Jovan Maljoković, Lazar Tosić, Vojin Draskoci, Vasil Hadzimanov.
An active performer, Ivan appeared on many international music festivals around the globe, including Montreal Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Montreaux Jazz Festival, Beogradski Jazz Festival, ‘Django Reinhardt’ Jazz Festival, Lucky Strike ”Summertime” Festival, Valjevo Jazz Festival, City Jazz&Blues Festival, Nishville, as well as festivals in Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro etc…, and appears on numerous recordings with various artists from all walks of musical life.
Ivan has also written music for theater, video productions. He worked as a Composer, Arranger and Conductor of all original music for three musical theater plays, “Golje” (2001), “Spusti Se Na Zemlju” (2006) and “Glavo Luda”, as well as orchestrated scores for four licensed Broadway musicals “A Chorus Line”, “The Producers”, “Victor/Victoria” and “Sweet Charity” for the same theater.
His theatrical music also includes an all original score for Biljana Srbljanovic’s “Amerika, drugi deo”, a play on repertoire in Belgrade’s “Atelje 212” theater in 2003, directed by Dejan Mijač.
In June of 2019, on Belgrade Summer Festival (BELEF) his original musical play “The Cave” (Pećina) premiered with Ivan being the complete author, Composer, Lyricist, Orchestrator and Conductor, as well as a producer. The show was part of his doctoral artistic project for his Doctorate in Arts requirement at the University of Arts in Belgrade.
Ivan is a recipient of grants and awards, and was a member of committees and juries on various competitions.
Ivan Ilić is the President of the Serbian Association of Jazz, Pop and Rock Musicians, Presiding of the Assembly of Serbian organization for Performers’ Rights – PI, and President of the Managing board of the artistic organization The Center for Belgrade Festivals – CEBEF, an organization that manages the ever vibrant artistic festival life in the Serbia’s capital city of Belgrade.