Home » Member Page

Goran Alachki

About Me

BIOGRAPHY OF GORAN ALACHKI

Goran Alachki was born in Pozarevac 31.01.1965. His parents were very big musical talents though they never worked professionally. Gorans mother was a teacher, and his father in military service. His father played a lot of musical instruments such as; accordian, trumpet, kaval, mandolin, Macedonian tambura, and his mother a highly talented vocalist. His grandfather was a great singer and village musician, playing the accordian. Gorans father was born in Vladimirovo, a very famous village in eastern Macedonia near to the town of Berovo. His mother was born in the town of Radovish, also in eastern Macedonia.

Goran started to play at the age of 8. His first professor was Nikola Vlahov. After two years he started to work with Gjorgji Dimcevski, one of the greatest experts in the field of Macedonian folk music. His made his first recording of folk music at the age of 12, as part of the “Octet Macedonia” project conducted by Mr. Dimcevski. He was a member of the children's ensemble “KARPOSH” where he led the orchestra. At this time, he was also learning from Kocho Petrovski, one of the biggest names in folk music as an accordionist after world war 2, making a new style of ornaments in folk music. All of his teachers were optimistic that Goran would one day become a big name in Macedonian folk music.

He began to perform concerts at a very young age. The first of his official concerts outside of Macedonia was in England in the city of Bradford (East Yorkshire) at the age of only 12. Playing accordion with the ensamble “Karposh” he traveled all around Europe; Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Italy...

He was invited to become a member of “Gotce Delchev”, one of the largest ensambles in Skopje, with whom he toured Scotland, Austria and Italy, and the ensamble “Kocho Racin”, touring Belgium, Holland and Canada.

In 1980, he started to play with his first professional band “DINASTIJA”, along with Vangel Shurbevski (drums and vocals), Blagoj Morotov (bass and vocals) and Risto Krapovski (clarinet and saxophone).

Goran began to develop a new style of playing the accordion, very clear, powerful and understandable for audiences and musicians alike.

After completing high school, he began to learn at the Music Academy in Skopje in 1986, in the class of the famous professor Mile Nikolovski, a great Macedonian composer and expert in the field of harmony. Goran studied the theory of music, as at that time there were no options to study the accordion at the Academy in Macedonia.

In the same year (1986) he won the National competition for senior category accordionist, and took first prize as the best accordion player in Macedonia.

He worked as a member of the National folk orchestra of the Macedonian National Radio and Television for two years. During this time he made his first solo recordings (GORANOVO ORO and ANCHINO ORO) accompanied by the big state folk orchestra.

Mr. Dragi Mitev (clarinet player, composer and head of the Valandovo festival orchestra) also played an important role in Gorans musical experience. He invited Goran to play in his orchestra at the first Macedonian new composition folk festival in Valandovo. He was a member of this orchestra during the period 1986-1991, the golden age of the new composition songs in Macedonia. As a member of the Dragi Mitev orchestra, he performed a great number of concerts, touring and playing for Macedonian communities throughout the whole of Europe, and worldwide (Australia, Canada, USA).

At this time, he started to compose songs for all Macedonian folk singers. He is the youngest winner as composer (a three times winner) at the Valandovo “FOLK FEST”. The first award, voted by the audience in 1989 was for his composition “Dojdi Leno na perniche belo”, performed by the legendary Dragan Mijalkovski.

In 1989, Goran moved to Australia to work as a teacher at the “PANOV MUSIC ACADEMY” in Southerland (Sydney NSW). That year, in co-operation with Mr. Vince Panov and Nick Ristevski, he made the first Macedonian song festival to be held outside the borders of Macedonia. The winner of that festival was to represent the Australian Macedonian community, performing at the Valandavo folk festival. In 1991 the first prize was awarded by the jury of the festival (the president of the jury that year being the world famous conductor Vancho Chavdarski - director of the Sydney opera house) to the composition “Deneska svadba se pravi”, performed by the famous duet ADRIJANA and IRENA.

In 2000, the first award from audience voting went to “Spomen Valandovski” performed by the famous singer Efto Pupinovski.

In the period 1992-1997, Goran was the owner of a large professional recording studio called “Maestro” together with Zoran Markovski, singer and accordion player. He made recordings for almost all Macedonian festivals held in Macedonia during that period. Also at this time, he began to co-operate with Vlatko Stefanovski the famous Macedonian guitarist, member of the most popular Macedonian rock band “Leb i Sol”. Goran and Vlatko performed many concerts as a duet, and also with a big band called “KINO KULTURA BAND”.

Since 1999, Goran is the director of his own school of music called “GORAN ALACHKI”. He has started to travel world-wide to teach Macedonian traditional folk music to students from all around the world.

Goran is the composer of more than 300 songs, dances and arrangements.

He holds seminars and workshops in Macedonia and around the world.

He is founder and director of the “MACEDONIAN PEARL FOLK SEMINAR” (www.macedonianfolk.com).

From 2003, he is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia.

Goran now lives in Skopje, working in his school of Music. He gives his knowledge to students from Macedonia, and holds classes ON-LINE with students from all around the world, as with visiting musicians from other countries.