One of the foremost guitarists of his generation, 26-year-old Goran Ivanovic's intense and introspective melodic interpretations can be credited to his controversial ethnic background and his steadfast pursuit of a diverse and progressive repertoire. A child prodigy in his native town of Osijek, near the Hungarian border in Croatia, Ivanovic was born and raised by a Bosnian Croat mother and Serbian father. His father was also a locally acclaimed rock musician who built jazz guitars. He left home for the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria in 1989, just before the outbreak of the bloody civil war. While he was studying with masters such as Elliot Fisk and Joaquin Clerch, his parents were perilously expelled from Croatia. They joined him in Salzburg as refugees, until the family was granted Political Asylum in the United States.
Permanently exiled from his native country, Goran has retained the spirit of the region through his unique and fiery renditions of Balkan folk pieces. He has also added Spanish and Latin American music to his repertoire, and these along with his recent explorations of jazz and blues rhythms have combined for an inimitable sound.
He has released: a debut CD, Solo Guitar (Willow Records), a guitar duo records “Macedonian Blues” and “Third Side” with Fareed Haque. He is also featured on a recently released CD of readings from Pablo Neruda's poetry, entitled The Poet.
Goran has been awarded first prize at many guitar festivals and competitions including the International Guitar Festival in Greece, Jeunesses Musicales, Society of American Musicians, and ECU. He has appeared in concert and has given masterclasses at European and American music festivals including the WFMT Live broadcasts in Chicago, the Chicago World Music Festival, Salzburg Guitar Festival and International Guitar Festival in Greece. He has performed for the guitar society's in Chicago, Dayton, Cinncinati and Springfield.
Web: http://www.goranivanovic.net