James
Jelasic
Piano
virtuoso and Fulbright Scholar James Jelasic continues a rich musical heritage established
by his maternal grandfather, Jan Nemec, a composer and playright in Czechoslovakia in the
early 1900s. In the family tradition, Mr. Jelasic began his piano studies at the age
of six and, by the age of eighteen, had twice been featured as a concerto soloist with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Mr.
Jelasic,
a native of Dearborn, Michigan, received his early musical training at the Detroit
Institute of Musical Arts, his Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance on full
scholarship from Eastern Michigan University, and his Master of Music degree in
Accompanying and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He has
also done advanced studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and at Warwick University in Coventry,
England. Mr. Jelasic’s master teachers include such distinguished artists as Joseph
Gurt in Ypsilanti, Michigan; Gordon Green of the Royal Academy of Music in London; Eugene
Bossart in Ann Arbor, Michigan; Martin Katz in Boulder, Colorado and Akron, Ohio; and
Leonard Hokenson in Augsburg, Germany.
In 1983-84,
Mr. Jelasic resided in Munich under the gracious patronage of the Richard Strauss
Family. He performed extensively there as both soloist and accompanist, and
conducted advanced research into the interpretation of the German lied. In 1984 he
moved to Paris, having been awarded the prestigious Fulbright grant to research the
interpretation of the French m�lodie with the internationally acclaimed baritone, G�rard
Souzay. In 1985, in recognition of Mr. Jelasic’s remarkable abilities as a
performer and his demonstrated interest in the French culture, the Government of France
sponsored his residency during the international summer music festival at the Maurice
Ravel Academy in St. Jean-de-Luz, France. During his time in Paris, Mr. Jelasic was
also a guest lecturer at the American College in Paris/WICE and did extensive concert
touring throughout France and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jelasic
has received critical international acclaim for his appearances with numerous symphony
orchestras and as a collaborative performer in concert recitals. Several of his
performances have been broadcast live by the BBC, Radio France, WGMS in Washington, D.C.,
and PBS Television. Mr. Jelasic has performed for U. S. presidents, foreign heads of
state, ambassadors, and royalty.
While
classically grounded, Mr. Jelasic’s musical interests extend to traditional American
ballroom dance music, which he often performs with his highly regarded society dance
orchestra. Currently residing in metropolitan Washington, D. C., Mr. Jelasic
maintains a full performance schedule as the leader of his dance orchestra and as a
classical soloist, accompanist, and recording artist.
