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Farewell to Nonda Kajno, the artist who gave life to the Korça serenade

2025-10-08 14:57:00, Kulturë CNA

The renowned singer and composer from Korça, Nonda Kajno, one of the most beloved names in urban music and the Korça serenade, has passed away at the age of 80. Born in Korça on August 18, 1945, Kajno studied at the “Tefta Tashko Koço” Artistic High School and from a young age was involved in the cultural life of the city, becoming part of local artistic activities as a performer of urban songs. Over the years, his talent transformed into original creativity, which brought some of the most beloved songs of the Korça repertoire, such as “Për ty o Korça ime”, “Ah sa të kam harun” and “Pra zgjohu vjetja ime”, which still remain part of the Albanian musical memory today.

In Korça and beyond, Nonda Kajno is known as an artist who dedicated his entire life to music. He was not only a singer and composer, but a man who gave light and inspiration to many new names on the scene, helping in their artistic formation and encouraging them to preserve the pure spirit of civic song. For the Korça singer Olsa Pema, who had the opportunity to collaborate with him on several projects, Kajno was a man with positive energy, full of life and creativity. She remembers him as an artist who gave freedom to his collaborators, filled them with enthusiasm and experienced every note with sincere passion. For her, his music was “organic”, with a purity that came from the heart and soul of the city of Korça.

" It is a great pain, but also a kind of appreciation that you chose to interview me. The loss of Nonda Kajno, an artist, always leaves a void, not only because of the fact of the departure of an individual, because the departure of an artist is the departure of a unique person who cannot be replaced. His void will be felt, but his memory is alive through a multitude of beautiful serenades and songs of light civic music, sung on stage over the years. I was among the last to have the fortune to collaborate with him, but he has collaborated with many singers, to whom he has given light, a name on stage, and his songs remain beloved by the Korçë and wider, Albanian public ," said Pema.

Olsa's acquaintance with Nonda had deep roots, as their family ties date back to childhood. She had first met him through the stories of her father, Enriko Pema, who was a friend and contemporary of the artist. This closeness made their collaboration even more special, turning it into an artistic and human relationship built on respect and love for music.

" My acquaintance with Nonda Kajno was not accidental. He grew up in the heart of Korça, this is his childhood home and he was a childhood friend of my father, who was an art lover and music lover. I knew Nonda through my father's memories, through his debuts on stage, and even through the creativity that he performed in a recital concert that I will never forget. I have beautiful memories," said the singer.

The success of the duets they performed together, which were received with great love by the audience, was proof of their artistic harmony. Kajno was always supportive and encouraging, giving his collaborators confidence and inspiration to give their best on stage. In his creativity, a special sensitivity and a strong connection with the city of Korça, with the serenade and with human love as a universal theme stand out. He collaborated over the years with many well-known names in Albanian music such as Rovena Dilo, Ermira Babaliu, Ermira Kola, as well as with the group Ritfolk, leaving a precious legacy in the Albanian music scene.

" With Nonda, we initially made some duets that were successful, they were uploaded to YouTube where we received many clicks and congratulations. He felt very euphoric and happy, just as he was by nature, very lively, creative, kind and extremely human. He gave the artist the necessary freedom to give his best. What inspired me from his creativity was his musicality. It was a "bio", pure music, which if given more space, would have a greater echo and spread. Nonda's music, charm and soul will live in the hearts of every Korça resident, everywhere in the world. He has collaborated with Ritfolk, Rovena Dilo, Ermira Babaliu, Ermira Kola and many well-known singers and songwriters", said the singer.

Friends and colleagues remember him as a calm, smiling man full of artistic spirit, who gave each creation a special feeling. His music remains a living asset of the city of Korça and a bridge that connects generations through the sounds of love, longing and memory. Nonda Kajno is gone physically, but his serenades and songs will continue to live in every Korça home, in every corner where civic music is heard, as a beautiful memory of an artist who loved life and art with all his heart./CNA