The first Albanian pianist Lola Gjoka, one of the multidimensional figures in the history of our Albanian musical art, was commemorated yesterday with a concert.

The concert was also attended by the Minister of Culture, Elva Margariti, artists, art lovers, etc.

Through the voices and beautiful interpretation of soprano Mariana Leka, tenor Gerald Murrja and baritone Antonio Zefi, accompanied on piano by prof. Rudina Ciko and the direction of maestro Zhani Ciko were performed collected and processed songs included in two CDs, enabled by the art lover, av. Progress Skip.

“Today’s activity is part of the homage that the Ministry of Culture and our collaborators pay to a generation of ‘first’ artists who dared to dedicate themselves to art in unusual times,” said Minister Margariti in a post on social networks.

Margariti announced that “a few months ago we contributed to the publication of the book by actress Tinka Kurti, one of the first Albanian actresses; this year we took to the Venice Biennale the first Albanian woman with a solo exhibition, Lumturi Blloshmin; on June 2 we will commemorate the first Albanian director, Drita Agolli. “Each of them has laid a cornerstone in Albanian art.”

Pianist Lola Gjoka was born on May 22, 1910 in Sevastopol, Russia to a family of Albanian emigrants originally from Korça. The wealth and love for vocal music and especially for folk song, has always nurtured her creative spirit.

With the elegance and temperament that characterized her, she created and performed the Suite for piano and string orchestra for the May 1978 Concerts. But certainly the most precious treasure she has left is the book “50 elaborate songs”, published posthumously. He died on October 6, 1985 in Tirana.