Denise Djokic

Denise Djokic. Cellist, b Halifax, NS, 13 Nov 1980; Undergraduate Diploma (New England Conservatory) 2002. Denise Djokic studied both violin and piano before beginning cello lessons with her uncle, Pierre Djokic, at age 8. Subsequent childhood teachers included Olive Shaw and Shimon Walt.

Djokic, Denise

At 15, Djokic was accepted into the Young Artist Program at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Richard Aaron. She continued her training at the New England Conservatory with Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz. Shortly after concluding her studies in Boston, Djokic received funding from the Canada Council, which allowed her to study with Philippe Muller in Paris. Djokic's musical development has been significantly influenced by her parents Lynn Stodola and Philippe Djokic, both of whom are Juilliard-educated music professors at Dalhousie University.

As Soloist

An active national and international recitalist, Djokic is considered one of the world's best young cellists. She has performed with nearly every major orchestra in Canada, including the Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. She has also performed internationally with the Orquesta Filharmónica de la UNAM in Mexico City, Brazil's Amazonas Philharmonic, and Germany's Aachen Symphony Orchestra; as well as with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Syracuse, Portland, and Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestras. She has appeared in recital at the San Miguel de Allende International Music Festival in Mexico, the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Caramoor Festival in New York, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, and the Kohl Mansion Chamber Series in San Francisco.

Collaborations

Djokic formed the SuperNova Quartet with violinists Mark Fewer and Scott St. John (later replaced by Jonathan Crow) and violist Douglas McNabney in 2001. She has also been a member of the piano trio Triple Forte with long-time colleague David Jalbert and violinist Jasper Wood, and has played with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players and the Omega Ensemble. With her family (her mother is a pianist, and her father and her brother, Marc, are violinists), Djokic has performed in the St. Cecilia Society series in Halifax and at the Indian River Festival in Kensington, PEI. Djokic appeared with Wood at the 2001 East Coast Music Awards Gala, and opened for the rock band Train at the 2002 Grammy Awards. In 2008 Djokic premiered Christos Hatzis' In the Fire of Conflict at the Toronto Summer Music Festival with percussionist Ryan Scott and dancer Peggy Baker.

Djokic has frequently performed, toured, and recorded with David Jalbert. The two have appeared together at the Phillips Collection and the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC; the Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago; and New York's Bargemusic. In 2002 Djokic and Jalbert were the subject of Seven Days, Seven Nights (Paul Kimball, director), a documentary film that followed them through a week-long tour of northern British Columbia.

Recordings

Djokic signed with Sony Classical in 2001, and released her self-titled debut album the following year. The album increased Djokic's exposure, and garnered her a 2002 East Coast Music Award for classical recording of the year. In 2002 Djokic ended her contract with Sony, and shortly thereafter signed with Allegro/Endeavour Classics. Djokic's and Jalbert's 2005 album, Folklore, was released to critical acclaim, with music critic Tom Manoff (NPR's All Things Considered, 10 May 2006) commending Djokic for her "warm, lyrical sound," and her "elegant and honest playing." In 2006 Folklore received a Juno Award nomination for classical album of the year, and was named classical recording of the year at the East Coast Music Awards. Djokic entered into a recording contract with ATMA Classique in 2008 and released her third album, Benjamin Britten: Three Suites for Cello, later that year.

Awards and Recognition

Djokic's earliest achievements included prizes at the Johansen International String Competition and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition in 1997. In 1998 Djokic received first prize in the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and was an award recipient in the Donna Reed Foundation National Scholarship Competition. She has twice been awarded the use of cellos from the Canada Council's Musical Instrument Bank: the 1824 McConnell Nicolaus Gagliano cello in 1999 and the 1696 Bonjour Stradivari cello in 2000. In 2002 Denise Djokic was named one of the "25 young Canadians who are changing our world" by Maclean's magazine. In 2009 Djokic, along with Jalbert, her brother Marc, and clarinetist Jean-François Normand, received an Opus Award from the Conseil québécois de la musique for concert of the year (regional).