BOBAN BJELIC was born in Cacak, Serbia. He holds a degree from the Stankovic School of Music in Belgrade. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the accordion from the Gnesinih Academy in Moscow, in the class of Prof. Friedrich Lips (1992). He also holds a degree in opera/symphonic conducting from the same Academy, having studied in the class of Prof. Pavel Lando (1995).

He was awarded a scholarship for young musicians by the Ivo Pogorelic Foundation. In 1987 he won the International Accordion Competition award (Grand Prix de L’Accordion) in France. As an accordion soloist he has performed in many cities in Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Italy and Latin America, as well as throughout the former Yugoslavia. He was guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru at the festival Temporada Internacional in 1997.

As a member of various bands and chamber ensembles – Tango Nova, BGV Trio, Palinxx (The Netherlands), Vlada Divljan’s Die Tonzentrale, Art Contact, Interzone – he has performed at various international festivals, including Ring Ring and Belef (Belgrade), the Sarajevo Winter Festival (Bosnia and Herzegovina), NOMUS (Novi Sad), Lent (Slovenia), the Budva Summer Festival (Montenegro), the Ohrid Summer Festival (Macedonia) and the Moscow Spring Festival (Rusija).

He also performed with Luciano Pavarotti at his concert in Belgrade in 2005. He is Professor of Accordion at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade (Serbia) and at the Music High School «Kornelije Stankovic».