Cory Pesaturo and Jelena Milojević performed on August 20, 2024. at Temblor Brewing Company in Bakersfield. They were also featured performers at the August 2024 Cotati Festival. Both are recognized virtuosos, and the passion of their playing is evident in the video.

Jelena Milojević is a superb accordion performer. She studied both in Croatia and Serbia and ultimately received her Master’s Degree in Accordion Performance and Education, in one of the most recognized accordion centers in the world, Music Academy (FILUM) in Kragujevac, Serbia, where she is now completing her Doctoral Degree in accordion performance. Being a versatile musician with an extensive performing history, she has played numerous concerts in Europe, North America and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician and a soloist with various orchestras. She performed in some of the most prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Berlin Philharmonie. Jelena is the winner of important international accordion competitions, such as the CMA World Trophy, International Accordion Competition in Castelfidardo, Italy, International Accordion competition in Pula, Croatia, Roland V-Accordion Competition etc. Her performances have been acclaimed as “an explosion of cosmic sensuality” and she has been praised for her “brilliant virtuosity.”

Jelena Milojević has a successful collaboration with internationally recognized composers, such as Ana Sokolovic, Chris Jarrett, Douglas Schmidt, Farangis Nurulla-Khoja etc, and performs and records new music with Vancouver Symphony, Berlin Symphony, Aventa Ensemble, Turning Point Ensemble, Emily Carr String Quartet, UVic Chorus and Orchestra etc. She released three CD’s and is being frequently featured at the TV and radio stations in Europe and North America. She has worked with acclaimed conductors, such as Bramwell Tovey, Bill Linwood, Leslie Dala, Giorgio Magnanensi, Clyde Mitchel, Yu Xuefeng, Symeon Ioannidis, Owen Underhill, Adam Jonathan Con, Ajtony Csaba.

As an educator, Jelena has been contributing greatly to the accordion development in Canada by organizing an International Accordion Festival, hosting major accordion events; Coupe Mondiale de l’Accordeon (2013) and World Accordion Trophy (2018), inviting numerous international accordion artists to Victoria and by pioneering the acceptance of the accordion at the Vancouver Community College, Camosun College and University of Victoria. With more than 20 years of teaching experience, her students have won numerous prizes at various international competitions, have played with symphony orchestras and developed successful performing careers. She is the Artistic Director of the World Accordion and Tango Festival in Victoria and a frequent adjudicator at the biggest international accordion competitions.

Cory Pesaturo (“C Pez”) is revolutionizing the accordion. Cory won the trio of World Championships on Acoustic, Digital & Jazz Accordion, and is an accordion graduate of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In 2017, Pesaturo became a Guinness World Record Holder, as RedBull flew him to Austria to break the Marathon Accordion Record, in which Cory played for 32 Hours & 14 Minutes. His performances at all 3 of his World Championships were played on accordions which were not his, and were generally 90% improvised.

CPez has given 4 TED Talks, 2 Google Talks, an EG Talk, and spoken at various other conferences on the accordion & its history. Pesaturo’s extensive resumé includes appearances at the White House for President and Mrs. Clinton on 4 diff erent occasions, starting at age 12, and 8 other appearances for the Clintons. On one of those occasions, he became the youngest person to ever perform at a State Dinner. Some TV appearances include the Late Show with David Letterman, performing with Johnny Depp, Jimmy Fallon’s That’s My Jam on NBC, Wayne Brady’s Let’s Make A Deal on CBS, and Nationally televised programs in New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Tunisia, France, and Finland.

Pesaturo was also chosen as the featured accordionist in the Weird Al biopic “Weird” in 2022. He has judged accordion competitions in the US, Canada, and Europe, in addition to other music competitions, and currently gives masterclasses at various universities throughout the US and Europe on Accordion and Improvisation. For his classical side which is lesser known, a win in a concerto competition at 16 years old gave Pesaturo the rare opportunity to perform with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist. He has since performed multiple times with symphonies, including both the Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestra.