The violin - A brief story of my father Augustin

I'd like to share the inspiring story of my father, Augustin Simoni. He's always had a deep connection with music, which has been his way of communicating with the world. Despite growing up during difficult times, including WWII, where he witnessed RAF fighters taking down German columns, it was when the communists began imprisoning people, including his own father, that he retreated into his music. For the 45 years of dictatorship that followed, he expressed himself through sound.

Augustin began playing the violin at just nine years old and, at 84, he still practices for two to three hours every day. He was the first violinist of the Radio Television Orchestra of Albania for 30 years and taught for another 20. In 2023, he and his wife Alida will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.