Za Klavir: an interview with pianist and composer Nina Platiša
When Nina Platiša was young, she and her family left Belgrade, formerly Yugoslavia, and created a new home for themselves in Canada. But despite spending much of her life in North America, Platiša never lost her Balkan roots. In her debut album, Za Klavir: for the Piano, Balkan folk songs shine through classical forms, creating a unique sound world that is a true melting pot, blending the old world and the new.
Nina Platiša’s career is also a melting pot. As an interdisciplinary artist, she works closely with filmmakers, dancers, and playwrights. She maintains a full studio of piano students. And through these things she finds and celebrates a sense of belonging—something she finds in the fertile, creative ground that straddles two cultures and several career paths. It is an honor to feature her on No Dead Guys.
As a lifelong pianist who began composing music at the age of 17, what prompted you to write your own music?
When I was a piano student, no teacher ever suggested I try to compose something of my own, and so I never saw myself in that space, never imagined I could make music. It wasn’t until after playing piano for someone that they asked if I make my own music. I noticed how quick I was to answer “no”. Within the hours following that brief interaction I wrote my first song. I realized it was within my capacity to do so, I had just never given myself the chance.
An aspect of your career has been your interest in interdisciplinary projects. What drew you to this sort of work and what have been some of your favorite collaborations?
From a young age I’ve been interested in plays, film and dance. Upon reflection, I think it was the multidimensionality of these projects that drew me in – all of these different disciplines simultaneously feeding each other and stemming from one another. I love the way music and film come together to inform and deepen a story. Some of my favourite collaborative works include You Were Never Really Here (director Lynn Ramsay + composer Jonny Greenwood), Underground (director Emir Kusturica + composer Goran Bregović), and Angels’ Atlas (choreographer Crystal Pite + composer Owen Belton).
I understand that your music will soon appear in several Canadian feature films. When did you begin writing film music and how did you break into the industry?
I began composing for short films while I was still at Toronto Metropolitan University. At the time, I was completing my BA in Theatre: Performance Production and made a request to work with students enrolled in the university’s film program. Working as a composer naturally evolved as I began to meet some of the directors and shared the music I had previously written.
Can you tell me a little bit about Balkan folk music and how you wove it into your compositions?
The weaving of Balkan folk music into my compositions was something that happened intuitively. Traditional Balkan folk music, especially that which has been passed down orally, was some of the first music I learned to sing and understand. There is a beautiful tradition of a capella singing in the Balkans, something you can hear in the album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, performed by the Bulgarian State Television Vocal Choir, and in Pesme iz Jasenovca with Smilja Kotur. The simplicity of the harmonies is so effective in its emotional clarity. These harmonies found their way into my pieces unplanned.
I understand that several independent filmmakers created 6 original short films to support music on this album. What can you tell me about these films and where might we be able to view them?
As part of the Za Klavir project, I commissioned six artists to create videos inspired by a piece of their choosing. The directors were invited to respond to the theme of merging traditional and contemporary elements in whichever way they wished. I wanted them to have to the freedom to create something in immediate response to the piece of their choice. I’m thrilled with the unexpected ways in which all of the films connect to one another. The films can be seen on my YouTube channel or by visiting my website.
I was most impressed by how effectively you created complete sound worlds in each of these short, spare pieces. Can you tell me more about the stories behind them?
There were two Notation Editors on this project: Edwin Huizinga and Christopher Bagan. Christopher’s immediate feedback regarding the collection was that he felt it was full of 1.5 part inventions that had quasi-polyphonic texture with counterpoint shared between two hands. In composing so many solo piano pieces, I found it an exciting challenge to find ways in which I could vary mood, tone, tempo, articulations, and so on from piece to piece. It was very important for me to see the making of this collection through the course of a year or longer, to let the compositions simmer and to ensure that there was a piece for every mood and occasion. While composing, I would find myself imagining what it would be like to play certain compositions for others. When I began composing No. 7, I saw an image of it being played at the funeral of my grandfather or great uncle. I pictured my family and friends dancing to No. 20 at my family’s slava (saint’s day), and I saw myself playing No. 25 for a newborn baby. Imagining what my music could do for others at significant markers in their lives gave me all the more inspiration to compose.
Thank you for putting the sheet music for all the pieces on this album into the accompanying book. What inspired you to do this?
Because music can be so elusive, I wanted the satisfaction of not only recording my work in a studio to be listened to, but also in notated form so it can be played by others. I love listening to music, but I equally enjoy being able to play and interpret others’ compositions. Doing this helps me connect and engage with the music and composer in a deeper way, therefore, I knew wanted to offer that to my listeners.
How much did your career as a piano instructor influence the creation of these pieces?
An incredible amount. As I began teaching elementary piano, I enjoyed the privilege of observing children and adults at the first stage of their musical journeys. I saw how songs could grow from happy accidents at the piano. Moving intuitively across the piano is something most children inherently have regardless of their skill level. It’s their ability to not overthink or be too critical of themselves as they play I find most inspiring.
What current or future projects are you most excited about?
I currently have two other solo piano projects I’m working on, one of which explores elements of prepared piano. Both will have collaborative components much like my project Za Klavir: For the Piano. I’m also working on LEVELSEVEN which will be an album of intimate soul/pop music. So far I have released two singles that are an extension of this project: I Wove A Garment For You and Your Lust. I hope to have the chance to create more work in support of disciplines like film, theatre and dance.
What advice can you offer young composers seeking to create a career in music?
Although I find it tricky giving advice since I’m still navigating the music industry myself, I can wholeheartedly say that mentorship has played an important role throughout my career. I’ve participated in several mentorship programs like the Guelph Emerging Artist Mentorship Program where I was a mentee under musician Jeff Bird, and those offered by the non-profit organization Women in Music. There is so much you can learn from individuals who have been able to attain longevity in such a challenging industry, so I place great value on learning from others.
Nina Platiša was born in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia. In 1994, she came to Canada with her family to escape the Yugoslav Wars.
Nina is a lifelong pianist who began composing music at the age of seventeen. Her sound is born of her Balkan heritage, 90s childhood, and classical piano training. In 2021, Nina took part in the Guelph Emerging Artist Mentorship Program, in which she was the mentee of composer and musician Jeff Bird, and in 2022 she participated in Undecimals, an artist exchange project created and organized by artists. Nina has composed for several short films and her music will appear in the upcoming Canadian feature films Broken Waters and Campaign On: A Lifetime of Athletic Pursuit. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University (Performance: Production BFA) and recent student of Berklee College of Music, Nina is also a proud educator, teaching piano, musical theory, and composition to students aged 6 – 76.
Nina's debut album Za Klavir: For the Piano is a collection of pieces that merge traditional and contemporary elements. The album was recorded at Jonas Bonnetta’s Port William Sound studio on a 1963 Baldwin Model M baby grand piano. The six winter days spent recording the album crystallized for Nina the guiding force of its maturation: to weave together a sense of belonging from the disparate sources of inspiration and influence from which she draws. It is in music she comes closest to finding a sense of belonging – especially when seated at her piano bench.