In the country of the trumpet and good fun, for a long time there hasn’t been a single woman to challenge the men and start playing this wind instrument. And then came Danijela!
Even before the trumpet great Boban Marković gave her his own trumpet and called her the Little Trumpet Princess, this charming girl from Arilje knew that music is the thing she wanted to devote her life to. And so, at only nine years of age, she became the first female to lead a wind orchestra and soon after that the first female contestant in Guča. The first thing we wanted to find out from the girl who broke many records and laid to rest many stereotypes is how did her “first enchanting encounter with the trumpet” look like?
“I had my first “encounter” with a trumpet when I was 8 years old when my father brought this instrument home so that he could play it. However, my brothers and I started playing with it and hitting the right notes with ease. It became our favourite toy. The trumpet ignited my love for music and as soon as I enroled music school I realised music is the thing I want to do for the rest of my life”.
The „Danijela“ orchestra was formed in 2003 and it’s special not only because its oldest member was 9 years old, but because the lead trumpet and the concertmaster of the orchestra was a girl. Danijela revealed to us who was the main “culprit” for the forming of this young music band.
“It all happened by chance. My brothers and I acquired an interest in instruments. I took the trumpet, Slobo the tenor saxophone, and Boban took the drums. Then we invited our cousins and asked them whether they wanted to play with us. Since I was the only girl amongst my brothers, the orchestra was named after me.” Danijela explains. “We spent a lot of time together back then, so we formed an orchestra through child’s play. The public performances and trips followed soon after, but since we were only kids aged 6-10 our parents accompanied us wherever we went. Mom, dad, our aunt and uncle were are greatest support from the very beginning.”
However, even Danijela’s parents didn’t realise in the beginning that their children were very serious about becoming a proper orchestra.
“Our parents granted us our wish, without even thinking that we would take the matter quite seriously. It only got more and more interesting to us and here we are – an orchestra that’s been around for 13 years. During those 13 years we’ve been through a lot, we went to new places, meet a lot of new people, got acquainted with the music of other countries, won a lot of awards, and we were always well received and with a lot of media attention. The orchestra currently numbers 10 members, including my brothers Slobodan, Bojan and Bogdan, my cousin Milan as well as my colleagues Ivan, Nikola, Stefan, Rajan and Damir. Most of us are students at music academies.”
The youngest member of the orchestra was Bojan Veselinović (6) who, at the beginning of his career, weighed only 12 kilograms or, to be precise, only two kilograms more than the drums he played. With his talent, he managed to impress Sveta Pasuljković, the drummer from the Fejat Sejdić orchestra.
When asked to describe the feeling of being the “young trumper princess of Serbia”, Danijela says that the biggest honour she ever had was being listened to by the famous Boban Marković on Zlatibor in 2003.
“In 2003, when I performed in Guča for the first time, the famous Boban Marković came on stage and gave me his trumpet as a present and said “You are a little trumpet princess”. From that moment on everybody’s been calling me by that name. I would, however, like for there to be many more trumpet princesses, girls who play the trumpet.”
This charming girl, who literally altered traditions by becoming the first female contestant in Guča, even reveals to us what makes her “heart pump faster” and when her biggest wish came true.
“Every time I go on stage, every performance or concert, be it with the orchestra or solo, gives me enormous satisfaction and happiness. Guča is special for me, it’s my first stage and the place where I was given a trumpet by Boban Marković. That inspired me to keep on going. I remember that very moment of pure excitement and happiness even to this day.”
Today Danijela is a student in Novi Sad and a member of a riflery club. She enjoys jazz, pop, rock, classical and traditional folk music. She spends her free time with friends, either going out, hanging out or getting to know new things and places.
In the 13 years of the orchestra’s existence, there have been a lot of interesting and great times as well as moments that are dear to their hearts. The band’s leader and first trumpet would set these moments apart as their favourites.
“Somehow it’s most interesting when we go somewhere abroad. It’s a different story every time. I would like to mention a couple that were special for us, like the first time we all went by plane, the first time we played on a state border, the concert in Switzerland, the international competition in Poland, representing Serbia at the “Joy of Europe” Festival, and the making of films about us. I remember one time we we’re going to perform at a gig we had when the bass player remembered he’d forgotten his instrument. Fortunately, Arilje wasn’t very far so we performed with all our instruments. Shooting the commercial for Telenor was also an amazing experience.”
She considers support a very important factor for success, and the thing she would like to say to all those who are about to “become a part of something huge”…
“Set a goal and strive toward it, don’t give up when you hit the first obstacle but believe in yourself. Never give up on your dreams. The “My best day” Telenor competition under the umbrella of the #mladiheroji project will be opening soon and it invites people to share with others the thing that makes them special, an accomplishment of theirs, something which makes them young heroes.”
A long and glorious career awaits the young trumpeter. She has already managed to accomplish some of her goals and dreams, and she plans to work hard on accomplishing the rest in the future.
“At the moment, we’re all students, most of us are studying at the Music Academy and our goal is to perfect ourselves music-wise. With a lot of effort, hard work and, most importantly, with a lot of love for music, we will accomplish this. And as a result of that bigger and better performances, trips, awards and collaborations with other musicians will come.”
Danijela has a clear message for all foreigners and other people who know little about a wind orchestra and about the trumpet, an instrument typical for Serbia:
“If you wish to hear the Serbian trumpet and enjoy a unique experience, come to Guča!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujgxf93QTgg
