Ivan Brkljačić (Serbia) holds a BA (2001) and MA (2005) degree in the composition classes of Srđan Hofman and Zoran Erić at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. In 2012, he successfully defended his doctoral art project, Istar: A Cycle of Nascent Musical Cartoons for Performance in a Theatrical Stage Set, under the supervision of Prof. Srđan Hofman. Works by Brkljačić have been performed many times in Belgrade and other cities in Serbia. Also, his works have been performed in Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Germany, Croatia, Macedonia, France, Romania, Hungary, England, Australia, and Hong Kong.
Brkljačić has written music for numerous theatre plays, as well as the feature film Ustanička ulica (a. k. n. as Redemption Street).
Since 2005, Brkljačić has taught at the Music Theory Department of the Faculty of Music in Belgrade (currently as an associate professor). He also serves as the Faculty’s vice-dean for teaching.
From 2007 to 2015, he served as the programming selector of the International Review of Composers.

A Piece, a Cookie, a Collage for piano four hands (20 fingers)
In lieu of a commentary – a dedication to the LP Duo:
The piano duo LP have been active on Serbia’s as well as international music scene for a full 12 years now, with much success. During this time, I have had the pleasure of collaborating with these two wonderful artists, Sonja Lončar and Andrija Pavlović, on multiple occasions, primarily in the organisation of their performances at the International Review of Composers. On this occasion, we are taking our collaboration further, and so, I dedicate A Piece, a Cookie, a Collage to them as a symbolic and sweet gift, with lots of chocolate and cream, complete with a cherry on top, on the eve of their duo’s entry into its teenage years, the years of mischief. May they bring them lots of success and happiness, and many happy returns!

Ivan Brkljačić, Belgrade, 2016.

P.S.: Among other things, this piece contains elements of theatre, which are manifested through its visual activation of all 20 fingers, which take part in the performing process, as well as by engaging the two performers of the piano duo in a sort of struggle for physical space.

Ivan Brkljačić, Belgrade, 2019.