Slobodan Trkulja (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Тркуља; born 29 May 1977) is a Serbian multi-instrumentalist, composer, and singer known for blending traditional Balkan and Byzantine music with modern styles. He is the founder and frontman of the ensemble Balkanopolis and is recognized as a pioneer of the "Modern Balkan Tradition" music genre.
Early Life and Education
Trkulja was born in Odžaci, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia. He taught himself to play the clarinet at age 10 and later mastered numerous other instruments. At age 14, he began performing with the professional folk ensemble "Kolo" in Belgrade and was named best instrumentalist at the Festival of Music Societies of Vojvodina. He attended high school in Sremski Karlovci. In 1998, he moved to Amsterdam to study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he earned a Master of Music degree with honors (cum laude) in Jazz, Saxophone, and Composition.
Career
In 1997, Trkulja founded Balkanopolis, an ensemble dedicated to reimagining Balkan traditional music with modern arrangements. The group's sound incorporates traditional Serbian instruments (gajde/bagpipes, kaval, frula, tambura), Byzantine chants, throat singing, symphonic orchestrations, jazz improvisation, and pop-rock elements.
Trkulja has collaborated with the Grammy Award-winning Metropole Orchestra from the Netherlands, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Jazz Orchestra of Concertgebouw, and others. Guest artists who have performed with him include fado singer Mariza (Portugal), pianist Lang Lang (China), Oleta Adams (USA), Baaba Maal (Senegal), and Yorgos Dalaras (Greece).
He performed at the 2008 Eurovision interval act in Belgrade with Balkanopolis and the Metropole Orchestra. In 2007, he competed at Beovizija with the song "Nebo," finishing in second place. He represented Serbia at the Intervision 2025 contest with the song "Tri ružice."
In January 2023, Trkulja appeared on the CCTV Spring Festival Gala in China, performing the Serbian folk song "Tamo daleko" alongside pianist Lang Lang. According to China Media Group, the broadcast reached an estimated 16 billion views.
He is the founder and artistic director of the Silk Road Art Festival / China Light Festival, held in multiple cities in Serbia since 2019.
Instruments
Trkulja plays over 20 instruments, including clarinet, bagpipes (gajde), diple, double flute, kaval, flute, acoustic guitar, tenor saxophone, Armenian duduk, ocarina, alto and soprano saxophone, Serbian tambura, frula, piano, mandolin, Cretan lyre, and traditional percussion.
Recognition
The Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad described him as "one of the most beautiful male voices of the Balkans." He won the Erasmus Jazz Prize in the Netherlands in 2005 and was named "Best New Talent" at the Dutch Jazz Competition in 2002.
Discography
- Let iznad Balkana (independent release)
- Prizivanje kiše (Invocation of Rain, PGP-RTS, 2006)
- Kingdom of Balkanopolis (2010), recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in the UK
Personal Life
Trkulja has cited his Orthodox Christian faith as a significant influence on his music, particularly Byzantine chants he encountered at the Kovilj Monastery in Serbia. In 2023, he signed a letter of support for the parliamentary group "Serbia Must Not Stop."
