Çesk Zadeja was born on June 8, 1927 in Shkodër. He received his first lessons in the place of his birth, in the Franciscan School, where, in addition to general education, he also received his first knowledge of music. He was a member of the choir of the Franciscan Church led by the famous composer Father Martin Gjoka and later by Filip Mazreku and Prenk Jakova. Since childhood, in his hometown, he was involved in amateur groups. He showed his talent early and as a 14-year-old student studied at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy, with the composer Umberto Semproni.

After the WWII, during 1946-1947 he worked at Radio Shkodër as the head of the music department, and after two years he served in the then army until 1951. In the years 1949-1951 he performed military service as a conductor in the Army Artistic Ensemble. Çesk is sent to Moscow for musical studies, in the composition department at the Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. After completing his studies, as a distinguished student he returned to Albania and in the years 1957-1962 he was appointed and worked as an artistic leader in the State Ensemble of Folk Songs and Dances of Tirana, which had just been formed, and where Çesk Zadeja developed an intensive activity as a composer and organizer of life even without music. He is one of the founders of many musical institutions, and their director, such as: the Conservatory (today the Academy of Arts) where he worked as a lecturer for three years – 1962-1965, and then was appointed as the artistic director of the Opera and Ballet House until 1966.

In the years 1966-1972 he was the head of the music department at the Higher Institute of Arts (Academy of Arts) and in 1972 he was a freelance composer.

Again, artistic director at the Opera and Ballet House in the years 1973-1979, and in 1979 he became a freelancer again, creating as such until 1990, to return in the years 1993-1994 as a lecturer at the Academy of Arts , where he teaches composition and musicology.

Professor Zadeja is a composer who represents in the Albanian national universe the greatest creative figure, a real national emblem, who passes into myth, because his creative potential makes this outstanding personality and the doyen of contemporary Albanian music, which belongs to the first generation of our educated composers, laying the foundations for classical music, which takes on vast dimensions both in terms of the treatment of musical matter and form, as well as in terms of melody, rhythm and style. As a teacher, he has made an extraordinary and very valuable contribution for years.

Many composers who are the bearers of musical activities in Albania today, have graduated under the guide of the composer Zadeja. Today they carry out numerous activities and many programs of Albanian music schools are created, edited and supervised by him. If we look at the list of graduates, we will notice that today the head of musical creativity consists of composers who graduated from Professor Zadeja, and some of them are no longer alive. But their contribution has been great, such as Tonin Harapi, Kujtim Laro; whereas today they create Thoma Gaqi, Agim Krajka, Limoz Dizdari, Shpëtim Kushta, Kozma Lara, Aleksandër Peçi, Sokol Shupo, Ali Spahiu, Arian Avrazi, Ferikal Daja, Vangjo Nova, Fatos Qerimaj, Ihsan Shehu and dozens of others, creators who play a important role in musical life today in Albania. Çesk Zadeja passed away on August 15, 1997.

/a.p./