Trio Aperto in Concert
Saturday, September 13th from 7 pm: In 2018, the chamber trio APERTO was formed, consisting of Marina Trajkovska and Momchilo Kufojanakis on violins — both employed at the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra — and Professor Vesna Angelova Hristov, a piano professor at MBUC high school ‘Ilija Nikolovski-Luj’ who also performs as affiliated associate with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje.
Concert Trio APERTO
Marina Trajkovska (violin)
Momchilo Kufojanakis (violin)
Vesna Angelova Hristov (piano)
Gallery MC – New York City, September 13, 2025 | 7:00 PM
Program:
- Johann Pachelbel – Canon in D
- Antonín Dvořák – Humoresque
- Dmitri Shostakovich –
- Prelude
- Gavotte
- Elegy
- Waltz
- Polka
- Blagoj Canev –
- Dance
- Song
- Dance
- Bete Ilin – Toccata
- Aleksandar Pejovski – Waiting for the Bell
- Gabriel Fauré – Pavane
- Ante B. K. – Tarantella
- Alfred Schnittke – Polka, arr. V. Pecakovski
In 2018, the chamber trio APERTO was formed, consisting of Marina Trajkovska and Momchilo Kufojanakis on violins — both employed at the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra — and Professor Vesna Angelova Hristov, a piano professor at MBUC high school ‘Ilija Nikolovski-Luj’ who also performs as affiliated associate with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje. The trio has so far performed concerts in: Skopje, Bitola, Kumanovo, Negotino, Strumica, Tirana, and Istanbul. As part of their official duties, they have delivered regular performances throughout Macedonia and at events across Europe.”
Vesna Angelova Hristov Biography – Piano
Vesna Angelova Hristov completed her primary and secondary music education in Skopje and was admitted to the Faculty of Music (FMU), where she graduated with top honors. She later earned her master’s degree in piano interpretation at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, Serbia. Throughout her education, she received numerous national and international accolades, including special awards and multiple first prizes in piano and chamber music at state competitions. Her selection as Macedonia’s classical Eurovision representative led to a televised portrait on Macedonian National Television.
In 2008, she was awarded a cultural residency at Cité des Arts in Paris. She has participated in international masterclasses with distinguished professors such as Romanov, Kinka, Anton Dikov, J. Mihailović, and Jaromir Klepač, including a scholarship-supported program in Weikersheim, Germany. As both a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in concert halls across Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Turkey, the Czech Republic, and the United States. Her festival appearances include DMM, Golden Lyre, Ohrid Summer, Skopje Summer, DAM Festival, Chopin Fest (Pristina), Francophone Festival Soleil (Sozopol, Bulgaria), and Fête de la Musique (Paris).
She has frequently appeared as a soloist with the Macedonian Philharmonic and is deeply committed to chamber music, which inspired her to co-found Trio Aperto in 2018 alongside violinists Momchilo Kufojanakis and Marina Trajkovska. As a piano collaborator and educator, she regularly supports young violinists in competitions, seminars, and concert performances. Vesna serves on juries for national piano and chamber music competitions and currently teaches piano and chamber music at the Ilija Nikolovski-Luj Music School in Skopje. She also works as an external collaborator with both the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Faculty of Music Arts in Skopje.
Momchilo Kufojanakis Biography – Violin
Macedonian violinist Momchilo Kufojanakis completed his primary and secondary music education in Skopje and graduated cum laude from the Faculty of Music (FMU) in Skopje. He earned his postgraduate degree from the A.K. Glazunov State Conservatory in Petrozavodsk, Russia. He has participated in numerous international masterclasses with renowned professors including Mincho Minchev (Germany), Dora Schwarzberg (Austria), Igor Malinovski (Germany), Ino Mirković (Italy), and Alexander Bonduryanski (Russia). Over the past 15 years, he has actively represented Macedonia through performances in Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, China, the USA and Russia.
Kufojanakis has collaborated with pianists Vesna Angelova, Todor Svetiev, and Natalia Maricheva, and performed with distinguished artists such as Eduard Zonderer (Russia) and accordionist Aleksandar Kolovski (China). His solo appearances include concerts with the Macedonian Philharmonic, Arco String Orchestra, Skopje Mandolin Chamber Orchestra, FMU Symphony Orchestra, and Skopje Soloists. He has performed at major festivals including Skopje Summer, DAM Festival (Pristina), Autumn Music Festivities (Skopje), Novalja Music Summer, Opatija Cultural Summer, Solei Festival (Sozopol), and the 33rd Harbin Summer Music Festival in China. In 2016, he served on the international jury at the Harbin Accordion Art Week. Currently, he is a member of the French Orchestra FAME / Macedonian Music Industry Skopje and works as an orchestrator with the Macedonian Philharmonic.
Marina Trajkovska – Violin
Marina Trajkovska completed her primary and secondary music education in Bitola and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance at the Faculty of Music (FMU) in Skopje. Her concert career began during her early school years, and she received several national awards, including one first, one second, and two third prizes. She also participated in an international competition in Bucharest, Romania, and attended violin seminars with respected artists such as C. Bronzetti, C. Dauntham, L. Prunaru, and B. Dimchevski. In 2003, she performed as a soloist with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra as part of FMU’s student concert series.
Since 2004, Marina has been part of the first violin section of the Macedonian Philharmonic—initially as a freelance collaborator, and from 2007 onward as a full-time member. As a chamber musician, she has performed with ensembles including MMM, Bitola Chamber Orchestra, Skopje Soloists, the Macedonian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and Profundis Chamber Orchestra. She is also a regular member of the FAMES orchestra for film music recording, participating since its founding.
