In the framework of June 21, “World Music Day”, the Ministry of Culture in Albania has announced June as “Music Month”.

In the National Historical Museum is the corner dedicated to the prominent artist Tefta Tashko Koço, which arouses special interest and curiosity among local and foreign visitors.

Tefta Tashko Koco (1910-1947) was a prominent lyrical singer in the interpretation of the Albanian civic folk song. Tefta was the daughter of the prominent Albanian patriot from Frasheri i Permetit, Thanas Tashkos, who since 1910 had settled with his family in Egypt. With the death of Thanas Tashko in 1915, his family returned to Korca in 1921. In Korca, Tefta’s first activations as a singer took place and on June 26, 1926, it was held as her first public concert. In September 1927, Tefta and her family moved to Montpellier, France, where she began her musical studies, to continue them later at the Paris Conservatory with very promising results.

In 1930, Tefta made the first musical recordings at the record company “Pathe”-Paris, as a participant in the group of the prominent singer of Himari polyphony, Neco Mukon. With the completion of her studies, Tefta returned to her homeland where on November 26, 1935, her first concert as a professional singer in Albania was recorded, concerts which she gave in most Albanian cities. Exactly in these years, Tefta introduced in its programs along with the lyrical arias of world famous authors, such as Mozart, Guno, Shubert, Verdi, Donixeti, Pergolezi, Belini, Puccini, Rosini, etc., and Albanian folk songs, as an integral part of Albanian folk music culture. There are about 89 folk songs from all cities of Albania that Tefta had in the repertoire and about 36 of them she recorded on gramophone records in the years 1930, 1937 and 1942 in Paris, France and Milan, Italy. It is already known the facts that Tefta Tashko has collected a majority of songs directly from the mouth of prominent and popular musicians of our country. Tefta’s participation together with the other prominent singer, Marie Kraja in the folklore festival held in Florence proves such a thing.

In 1945, Tefta sang in the Belgrade Opera with great success the role of Mimia from Puccini’s opera “Bohemia” and Rozina from Rossini’s opera “Barber of Seville”.

In the last year of life she has been constantly ill. She died at the age of 37.