On January 4, 1930, the renowned Albanian composer, Kozma Lara, was born in the city of Durrës. Following his initial piano lessons in his hometown, Kozma Lara enrolled at the “Jordan Misja” School of Arts in Tirana. In 1954, he graduated from the piano department under the guidance of Professor Tonin Guraziu.

In 1958, Kozma Lara pursued studies in the composition department at the “Tchaikovsky” Conservatory in Moscow. Upon completion of his studies, he contributed to various musical entities including the People’s Army Ensemble, the Opera and Ballet Theater in Tirana as a concertmaster, and the “Mujo Ulqinaku” High School of Music in Durrës.

Between 1964 and 1972, Kozma Lara served as a teacher of Analysis and Composition, concurrently holding the position of Head of the Composition-Conducting Department at the State Conservatory of Tirana.

From 1972 to 1978, Kozma Lara served as an inspector and specialist for Music at the Ministry of Education and Culture in Tirana. In 1979, he became a teacher of Harmony, Analysis, and Orchestration at the “Jan Kukuzeli” High School of Music in Durrës. Subsequently, he held the position of Head of the Theory-Composition Department at the Faculty of Music, where he taught Analysis and Composition.

Even after his retirement, Kozma Lara continued to contribute as an external lecturer in the subject of Analysis and Composition at the University of Arts in Tirana.

He passed away on January 18, 2019.

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