Born in
Nancy,
France, Djokic was the son of a
Serbian father and
French mother. His father had been a prisoner in a
concentration camp during
World War II and after the war he was put in charge of organizing displaced Serbian soldiers and immigrants by the United States Army. The Djokic clan's roots are from
Požega, Serbia. In 1952, the Djokics settled in
Trenton, New Jersey. Here, all seven children would study classical music; learning to play a variety of instruments such as the piano, cello and violin. Philippe attended the acclaimed
Juilliard School in
New York City where he was a pupil of
Christine Dethier and
Ivan Galamian. He and his wife's musical talents were passed down to their children Marc Djokic, a violinist, and
Denise Djokic, a
cellist. His son Marc Djokic was awarded the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer in 2017. ==References==