Orchestra member since 2001

I take special pride in my successful concerts, prizes and international acknowledgements. Of course, I am also proud of the concert scheduled on 10 May this year, when I will appear as the soloist in front of my fellow musicians, a performance I am eagerly looking forward to.

I will carry my hometown Pančevo in my heart wherever I go, until the day I die. Between the concerts, I maintain my adrenalin level by free climbing. I am fond of cycling, either alone or accompanied by my teenage daughter, whereas walking my dog relaxes me. I also like going to pubs with my closest friends.

Biography:

Veljko Klenkovski was born in Pančevo (Serbia) in 1975. He completed Secondary Music School Kornelije Stanković in Belgrade and then pursued further music education at the Georges Bizet Conservatoire in Paris. He graduated with the highest honours at the Conservatoire National in Paris. Two years later, he completed the post-graduate course at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and, in 2008, he also earned a Master degree at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. Klenkovski is the laureate of several national and international competitions. The most significant ones include the first prizes at the Concours International Leopold Bellan in Paris, International Competition in Picardy, National Competition in Ljubljana, the first special prize in the International Competition in Paris and the third prize in the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Royal Orchestra of Brussels, Philharmonie der Nationen from Germany, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, RTS Symphony Orchestra, Niš Symphonic Orchestra, Belgrade string ensemble Dušan Skovran, St. George Strings, etc. He has also performed with many chamber ensembles at home and abroad, including notably guest appearances in Spain, Russia, China, Germany, France, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Slovakia, Czech Republic, the United States and India.

Until 2002, Veljko Klenkovski was the first clarinettist of the Philharmonie der Nationen, Germany, as well as the first clarinettist of the Madlenianum Chamber Opera and the RTS Symphony Orchestra in Belgrade. Since 2002, he has been the solo clarinettist of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and also a permanent member of the Balkan Chamber Academy. Veljko is a founder and member of the Belgrade Philharmonic Wind Quintet and the Belgrade Wind Trio. He has appeared with the Bruno Walter Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Cyprus National Orchestra. Over the years, he has cooperated with many eminent musicians, including Zubin Mehta, Christian Mandeal, Barry Douglas, Muhai Tang, Leopold Hager, Paul Angerer and others. Veljko Klenkovski has also been active as a professor. He has held Master classes in France, Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro. He is a jury member of international competitions Ohridski biseri in Macedonia and Davorin Jenko in Serbia. He is the laureate of the October Prize and the recipient of the award for pedagogical achievements. Since 2015 he has a PhD degree from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, where he also received the Bruno Brun Award as the student with the best GPA at the doctoral level of studies.

He holds the docent position at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade.