At 12, he had his first solo concert. At 13, he was awarded first place at competitions in Croatia and the former Yugoslavia, coming far in front of rivals, generations above him. At 14 he enrolled in the Geneva Conservatory, in the class of Brazilian guitarist Maria Livia Sao Marcos, under whose guidance he took the first place at CIEM, the Geneva International Music Competition, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the competition, taking the Villa Lobos Prize and the Patek Philippe Prize for distinguished musical interpretation.