Interview with BTU Alumna Xhuliana "June" Zeqiri (Urban Planning)

Xhuliana Zeqiri is better known at BTU under her stage name June. As a composer, singer and bandleader, she has had many music projects in Cottbus and regularly played at the Rehearsal Room Festival. She also organized a program day with classical instruments to complement the rock program at the festival. She originally comes from Italy, where she studied at an art academy. She began studying architecture in Cottbus and then switched to Urban Planning. A few days ago, she successfully completed her study programme. We used her last days on site to shoot music videos for the rehearsal room and BTU YouTube channel and to conduct an interview. In keeping with the Christmas season, she also recorded a relaxed piano composition.

Hello June, how did you come to study in Cottbus?
When I was 19 years old and had just finished my A-levels, I met a talented musician from Germany. His friends were studying Architecture at BTU and raved about the studios and the good supervision by the professors. This is quite a luxury for students, because at larger universities you are just a student ID number and at BTU you know the professors personally and they know you by name. Since studying in Germany is free, unlike in Italy, I applied to BTU.

You did a lot of music and art projects alongside your studies, please tell us about them and to what extent BTU was a suitable place for your creativity?
BTU was a great place for my creativity! Music played a big role in my childhood. I can't imagine life without music and art. My parents were always very supportive. We had a room full of instruments, paints, papers, microscopes, telescopes, books, animals and much more. I could try things out there. I was never bored.

At BTU, I regularly used the rehearsal rooms at the Studentenwerk and met the student and violinist Michael Loztmanov in 2014. He helped me to learn the violin and we formed a band together. We still have a great friendship to this day, which I value with all my heart. I also helped organize the rehearsal room festival and designed the festival logo. I also wrote the soundtrack for the documentation "Global Impact" by Heiko Schleinitz, Mia Zittlau and Martin Drziga. It's an exciting film about new, ecological and innovative forms of community, living and housing. Working on the film was very productive and intensive. I recorded the soundtrack together with Dieter Gericke on the violin and Wie Hsin Tsau and myself four-handed on the piano. Finally, I composed a piece called Snow Whirlwind, which I was able to perform and record in Cottbus with Deniz Oezdemir on double bass, Lidjie Yin on cello, Miguel Jesús Rodríguez Salazar on flute, Michael Loztmanov and myself on violin. I also took part in a children's book competition in Warsaw during my studies, where I was able to make a lot of contacts. I'm still hoping to find a publisher for the book. I also painted a lot during the pandemic. Together with Deniz Oezdemir and Paola Erazo, I would like to put on an exhibition at Galerie Brandenburg. Unfortunately, we weren't able to finalize it before I moved, but I'm looking forward to completing the project.

You already have a new job in southern Germany, where are you moving to and what will you be doing there?
I'm moving to Lake Constance. I'll be working there as an urban planner, although my architectural skills will also be welcome in the office. I have already been given an urban planning design as my first project, which I will continue to plan sustainably for the residents. I am looking forward to the region. Lake Constance is very beautiful and it's not that far to Italy from there.

This is your last week in Cottbus, what do you think you will miss most from your time here?
I will miss the Kirschblüte restaurant in Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, the walks along the Spree, the street music I played regularly, the Oblomow tea store, the rehearsal rooms with their pianos, my international friends and all the talented musicians I was able to play with. Cottbus has so much to offer and so much potential with all the students at BTU. I think the creative minds should connect even better and give the city a little more color and make it even more vibrant. I would advise all students to have more courage and be more self-confident. Each of us is unique and can contribute to the beauty of the world.

June can be found on Instagram, her music on Soundcloud and her art on Facebook and Instagram.