Božidar "Boki" Milošević (31 December 1931 – 15 April 2018), a renowned Serbian and Yugoslav clarinetist.

Biography

He was born in Prokuplje to father Krsta, a farmer (1892–1968), and mother Vidosava, a housewife (1896–1971). After completing primary school in 1947, self-taught, he began playing the clarinet. In 1950 he came to Belgrade, where he started studying the English language at the Faculty of Philology. At the same time, he worked at the National Orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade, which was then led by the famous Vlastimir Pavlović Carevac. Since that year, he has launched into a successful music career. The same 1950 he passed I preparatory class at the School of Music Josip Slavenski in Belgrade, under professor Franjo Partlić, and automatically entered the second grade. He became a member of the sextet Duško Radetić in Radio Belgrade from its founding in 1951.

In 1951 music editor of Radio Belgrade, Djordje Karaklajić, formed the Great National Orchestra RTB and was its principal conductor. He arranged the Yugoslav folk melodies in a serious way. The Orchestra was also conducted by Dušan Skovran, a rector of the Music Academy in Belgrade, and Djura Jakšić, a headmaster of the Music School Slavenski in Belgrade. Božidar Milošević regularly performed in this Orchestra.

From 1952 to 1956 he continued musical education in the High Music School Slavenski under the mentorship of professor Franjo Partlić. During the period of 1955–1958, he used to play in the String Orchestra RTB under the direction of Ilija Genić – Baćka.

After the death of Carevac in 1956, the violinist Rade Jašarević Rade Jašarević was appointed as the new head of the National Orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade. Božidar Boki Milošević was still playing in the Orchestra as a soloist on the clarinet.

From 1956 to 1960 he studied at the Music Academy in Belgrade with the first generation of clarinetists (Ernest Ačkun, Mihailo Živanović, Milenko Stefanovic and Božidar Milošević) in the class of the renowned professor Bruno Brun. Then, under the mentorship of professor Bruno Brun, entered postgraduate studies (1960–1963). From 1960 to 1966 he was engaged in teaching, working as a professor of clarinet at the Music School Slavenski which  was a part of the Music Academy in Belgrade. In 1966 he moved to Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and became its member and soloist.

After the death of the violinist Rade Jašareviđ in a car accident, Bozidar Milošević had become 1976 the head of the famous National Orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade and worked there until his retirement in 1980. He had been an instrumental soloist of the orchestra for 30 years.

Milošević died on 15 April 2018 in Belgrade at the age of 86.

Tours and concerts
As a soloist performer, he had tours  and concerts all over the world. In the 1950s in Israel, London, Vienna, Berlin, across the United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Canada, Mexico and ... Touring the Soviet Union in 1971, he visited more than half of the Soviet Union. There he  composed his first composition Vlaska storm.

Recordings, phonograph records, CDs and reviews

With  the sextet Duško Radetić, the Orchestra of Radio Television Belgrade, the Grand National Orchestra RTB and others, he made many lasting and valuable recordings of the Yugoslav national heritage.

As an instrumental soloist, he made countless shows in radio and television programs in many European countries as well as in the New York NBC television. Here, in the country, in addition to regular appearances, his two special TV shows in which he presented himself as a complete musician performing at a high level classical, jazz, evergreen, and folk music are still remembered.
He has made a lot of records and CDs, mostly for record label PGP RTB.

Both domestic and foreign music critics gave very high ratings and opinions about Milosevic's music-making.

Significance and contribution

By all means, with his genuine skilful work, great talent, originality of ideas and distinctive-original style of playing the clarinet, Božidar Milošević is a longtime active participant in the development of folk music and setting  of its standards, criteria, and evaluation. He is a part of the Serbian and Yugoslav folk music and folklore, whose musical tradition he spread to all five continents making sure to preserve its originality and authenticity.

He is a role model and measure of value for many young  generations of clarinetist. He has introduced a severe-educated way of playing the clarinet in folk music, not deviating from any element of academic level of playing the clarinet and his approach.

This brilliant, excellent and complete performer with the great work  has made many valuable recordings of all genres (from Mozart's Divertimento and the A major concert for the clarinet and orchestra, to jazz concert of Artie Shaw, through melodies eternally living, to melodious Vranje and his featuring compositions of southern Serbia...) for Radio Belgrade, Radio Novi Sad, Radio Titograd, Radio Sarajevo, Radio Skopje, Radio Zagreb and Radio Ljubljana.

Prizes and awards

 Third prize in the Youth Competition of Clarinetists in Ljubljana, 1956
 Special prize at the Competition of Young Artists of Yugoslavia (classical music) in Zagreb, 1959
 He received the Order of Labour with silver wreath for outstanding contributions to the spread of music culture from President Tito in 1971
 Oscar of popularity in 1999, Radio Television Review in 2001, 2005, 2006 and 2008
 Viktor Award ("Yesenin") for the best instrumentalist in 2002 and 2003, RTV Novi Sad.
 Melko (17 consecutive years, starting from 1981), the best instrumental performer in the folk music, the Association of folk and  pop music, Belgrade.
 Status of an exceptional artist, the Union of folk and pop music, Belgrade
 The award for fostering musical heritage of the Serbs, Yugoslav Club the Serbian people around the world to Boki New York – Chicago, June 1994.
 Meastro International Award in 2008, the International Music Center of Belgrade.
 Association for fostering tradition and heritage preservation of Nis Old Nis – Nis Europe Concert awarded Master's letter for Lifetime Achievement to Božidar Milošević, for the remarkable and entire contribution to the preservation of Serbian tradition and culture and fostering original folk songs and music of the Serbian people, 5 December 2008
 Golden Chain Award for constant contribution to the culture of Belgrade, 26 January 2000, Belgrade Cultural and Educational AssociationFestivals, composition and awards

Božidar Milošević is a multiple winner at numerous festivals in the country and abroad. There is almost no such music event, where the audience and the jury did not award him first prize:

 At the Belgrade Sabor in 1972, his composition Cuno’s Round Dance won the first prize.
 At the International Music Festival of Clarinetists in Tunisia in June 1973, in the category of clarinetists from around the world (25 nations took part), his composition Kostana’s Mekam Dance won the first prize. The award was handed  out to him by the president of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba.
 At the Ilidza Festival 1973 in Sarajevo, with the composition Koštanin mekam čoček, he won the first prize.
 At the Ilidza Festival 1974, with the composition Pastoral Ballad, he became a triple winner and was awarded the first prize for composition, arrangement and performance.
 At the Belgrade Sabor in 1974, with the composition Oriental Elegy he won the first prize.
 At the Folk Music Festival in Paris in 1975, with the composition Call from the Mountain, he won the first prize of the jury.
 At the Belgrade Sabor in 1975, with Radivoj Lazić’s composition Pupil’s Round Dance, he won the first prize.

Related pages
 Bruno Brun
 Vlastimir Peričić, Students of Bruno Brun, 1978.

References

More reading
 Lexicon of Yugoslav music, Zagreb, 1984, vol. II, 15
 40 years of Faculty of Music (Music Academy) 1937–1977, University of Arts, Belgrade, 1977, p 98
 50 years of Faculty of Music (Academy of Music), University of Arts, Belgrade, 1988, 153 pages.

Other websites
 All about the clarinet and clarinetists

Yugoslavian people
Clarinetists
Songwriters
Serbian musicians
People from Belgrade
1931 births
2018 deaths