From war to the concert stage
How music, resilience, and scholarship transformed a life shaped by struggle
College of Visual and Performing Arts
In the spring of 1999, as the final and most brutal months of the Kosovo War unfolded, a new life began amidst chaos and uncertainty. Shkurte Gashi, a graduate student at James Madison University’s School of Music, was born while her mother walked in a long refugee column, seeking safety across the border into Macedonia.
Surrounded by fear, uncertainty, and the horror of genocide that targeted Albanian families, Shkurte’s arrival offered a glimmer of hope in a world turned upside down. Her mother named her “Shkurte,” meaning “short” in Albanian – a wish for a short war, and a reminder of the fear families carried about bringing daughters into a world where survival was never guaranteed.
Music found Shkurte when she was six years old. Despite her family’s home having been burned during the war and their rebuilt house lacking basic comforts, she told her parents she wanted to study music. With unwavering love and support, her parents nurtured her dream, believing that even a child from post-war Kosovo could hope for something greater.
She began her formal music education at the Prenk Jakova Music School in Prishtina, Kosovo’s capital, before earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Arts in Kosovo. Eventually, Shkurte returned to her music school, this time as a piano teacher. The experience was bittersweet: twenty-five years after the war, Prishtina still lacked a dedicated music education facility, and lessons were held in borrowed classrooms at a medical high school. Seeing the ongoing challenges facing classical music education in Kosovo inspired Shkurte to dream even bigger.
Surrounded by fear, uncertainty, and the horror of genocide that targeted Albanian families, Shkurte’s arrival offered a glimmer of hope in a world turned upside down. Her mother named her “Shkurte,” meaning “short” in Albanian – a wish for a short war, and a reminder of the fear families carried about bringing daughters into a world where survival was never guaranteed.
Music found Shkurte when she was six years old. Despite her family’s home having been burned during the war and their rebuilt house lacking basic comforts, she told her parents she wanted to study music. With unwavering love and support, her parents nurtured her dream, believing that even a child from post-war Kosovo could hope for something greater.
She began her formal music education at the Prenk Jakova Music School in Prishtina, Kosovo’s capital, before earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Arts in Kosovo. Eventually, Shkurte returned to her music school, this time as a piano teacher. The experience was bittersweet: twenty-five years after the war, Prishtina still lacked a dedicated music education facility, and lessons were held in borrowed classrooms at a medical high school. Seeing the ongoing challenges facing classical music education in Kosovo inspired Shkurte to dream even bigger.
Determined to make a difference, Shkurte set her sights on the world. In 2024, she arrived at JMU with her husband and their one-year-old daughter. “Every day at JMU feels like stepping into a dream. Here, I finally experience what I always imagined: concert halls built for music, extraordinary pianos, a supportive and inspiring faculty, and a community that lifts me higher every day,” said Gashi.
Crucial to her journey was the scholarship she received from the Office of Creative Propulsion at The College of Visual and Performing Arts. “I am deeply and sincerely grateful to Director Kathryn Logan, whose generosity, guidance, and belief in my potential opened the door for me to study here. Her support has allowed me to dedicate myself fully to my education and to take advantage of every opportunity this faculty offers. It is because of this scholarship that I can focus entirely on becoming the musician and educator I want to be.”
For Shkurte, this support was more than financial. It was an investment in her future, in her country, and in the young musicians of Kosovo who also deserve hope and opportunity. “When I return home, I want to be prepared to make a real change—to open doors, to give students courage, and to show them that everything is achievable, no matter their circumstances,” added Gashi.
Shkurte shares her story not to dwell on hardship, but to demonstrate that even when life begins in war, with courage, love, and determination, anyone can rise far beyond their beginnings. “Being at JMU reminds me every day where I come from and why I am here: to learn, to grow, and to bring knowledge back to Kosovo. Everything that was once only a dream for me has become reality. I am living proof that where you start does not define where you can go,” shared Gashi.
