Nihad began his music education at 9 at the music school in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. At 15, he attended the Music College at the University of Tuzla, Between 1988 and 1991, Nihad won five prizes as accordionist at the Concurs for Music Students of Bosnia and former Yugoslavia, among them three prizes as soloist. In 1995 he continued his music education in the Netherlands at the College for Arts in Arnhem at the Messiaen Academy – a master of music performance program where he received training from Miny Dekkers and Gerie Daanen. He followed this with several master classes, including in Groningen with Friedrich Lips, Margit Kern, James Crab and in Tilburg with Joseph Maccerollo. He took part in the 'European Project for New Accordion Music and Performance', an intensive program for accordion students in original music. Hrustanbegovic received a bachelor's degree in 2000, and in 2002 a Master of Music with Cum Laude.
Professional career
Nihad Hrustanbegovic has performed extensively in the Netherlands:
2005 at the "Knight Hal" in Den Haag during the fifth "Van Heuven Goedhart-Congres' and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
He has collaborated with artists including Al Di Meola, Grace Jones, The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, the acrobatic theatre dancing group The Corpus, Flairck and Mozes Rosenberg. Nihad Hrustanbegovic released his first solo albumThe Best of Concert Accordion in 2007. The CD debut was the National Dutch TV programDe Wereld Draait Door. The self-produced recording includes classical transcriptions, original contemporary works for solo accordion Gubaidulina, and world music compositions. In the same year he composed and played music for a TV commercial for Heineken Extra Cold. During his first accordion recital on 6th juni 2010 in Concertgebouw in Amsterdam he presented his second solo album Opus 7 The Cross-over and got the huge appreciation in Dutch News Paper Trouw by the journalist Stan Rijven: "What Pablo Casals did for emancipation of the cello, and Astor Piazzola of the bandoneon is Nihad Hrustanbegovic doing for accordion. He gives a 'poor man's piano' admirable place at the Concert stage".
Recently he's played with Grace Jones, Al Di Meola, and the jazz orchestra of the Concertgebouw. In June 2010 he gave a recital in the 'Kleine Zaal' of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and presented his second solo CD, 'Opus 7 The Cross-over'.
