The 8th Edition of Rosi Fest
January 27 – February 6, 2025, Belgrade
Music as the Language of Dialogue and Unity
Music, as one of the oldest forms of dialogue that transcends cultures and generations, reminds us that despite our differences, it provides a shared space for communication at the most subtle level.
This is also the core idea of this year's edition of the international Rosi Fest, which will take place under the theme "Dialogue and Unity" from January 27 to February 6 in Belgrade.
The festival begins on Monday, January 27, at 8 PM, in the ceremonial hall of the Jewish Community of Belgrade, with the traditional concert of young composers titled "Portraits and Memories." This event also commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year’s program will feature works by composers Kristofer Magnuson (USA), Martin Lordian (France), and Mark Wolf (Australia), with the concert moderated by Bojana Radovanović, a musicologist from the Institute of SANU.
On Monday, February 3, the festival will present a concert titled "Dialogue of Flavors" at the "Little Bay" restaurant in Belgrade. Through this unconventional concept at a unique venue, Rosi Fest aims to emphasize and recall the social role of music as a cornerstone of dialogue and unity since ancient times. The idea is to inspire the audience to engage in meaningful communication, exchange opinions, and share interpretations in the pauses between musical pieces. A carefully curated menu will symbolically accompany a recital of Bach's music performed by renowned French harpsichordist of Serbian origin, Željko Drion-Manić. Through the diverse characters of Bach's Harpsichord Fantasies, Željko will bring to life the timeless aesthetic of Bach’s music.
The final concert of this year's edition will be marked by the fiery and spirited klezmer style. It will take place on Thursday, February 6, at 8 PM at Dorćol Platz. By blending classical sounds with an unconventional club atmosphere, the audience will experience an authentic synesthetic journey that will undoubtedly push the boundaries of classical music.
The concerts will feature members of the Jewish Chamber Orchestra, the Baruch Brothers Choir, and distinguished domestic vocal and instrumental soloists. The performances will be directed by Ana Grigorović and conducted by Stefan Zekić.
Every performance, composition, and rendition at the festival symbolizes dialogue – between composers and audiences, performers and listeners, tradition and modernity. Each tone is an invitation to converse between the past and the future. This approach fosters an emotional connection with the audience and highlights the essence of Rosi Fest – music as a means of understanding and unity.
We invite you to join us in experiencing the dialogue of tones and flavors and feel the unity that only music can offer. Let us together celebrate the power of art that connects us!
Summer Opera Academy
September 20-27, 2024 Beograd
The fourth edition of the academy will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's passing with a performance of his opera Suor Angelica. Additionally, the 145th anniversary of the Baruch Brothers Choir will be celebrated with a special concert, held as part of the European Days of Jewish Culture. Both events are scheduled to take place at the Madlenianum Theatre in Belgrade on September 27, 2024.
The seventh edition of Rossi Fest
January 27 - February 1, 2023. Belgrade
From January 27 to February 1, 2024, Belgrade hosted the seventh edition of the international Rossi Fest. The festival included a variety of programs with top artists, held in the Jewish Cultural Center, Dorćol Platz, and the Ceremonial Hall of the Jewish Municipality of Belgrade.
The opening of the festival on January 27 was marked by the "Portraits and Remembrance" with premiere of David Cesky's composition "Three Psalms for String Orchestra". Ballet soloists Tamara Pjević and Jakša Filipovac also performed under the direction of Ana Grigorović.
In the Ceremonial Hall of the Jewish Municipality of Belgrade, on January 28, the "Baroque Feast" concert was held in cooperation with the Belgrade Baroque Academy, with the performance of baroque works on historical instruments.
On January 29, at the Jewish Cultural Center, dr. Ivan Ćurković held a lecture on "War and Peace in the Oratorios of Georg Friedrich Handel". On the same day, in the same place, the opera "Rinaldo" by Georg Friedrich Handel, directed by Sreten Manojlović, was performed.
The festival ended on February 1 with the concert "Erev Shel Shoshanim" in the Atrium of the National Museum, on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the Baruch Brothers Choir. In addition to the choir, the Jewish Chamber Orchestra, baritone Stefan Hadžić, and tenor Marko Živković performed under the direction of Stefan Zekić.
Rossi Fest - winner of the "Classical Music" award in the festival of the year category!
21. 03. 2023. Belgrade
On Tuesday, March 21, at the Museum of the National Theater in Belgrade, the annual awards of the "Classical Music" revue were held for the eleventh time. Rossi Fest was declared the best festival in 2022.
The "Classical Music" award was established in 2010 when the first "Classical Music" magazine issue was published. It was designed to recognize domestic artists, festivals, publishers, critics, music institutions, and media, who have left the most significant mark on the domestic music scene within the calendar year.
ROSSI FEST
Rossi Fest is an international music festival, named by the famous Jewish-Italian composer Salomone Rossi (ca.1570-1630). Rossi was a transitional figure between the late Italian Renaissance and early Baroque. His musical style was compound between a classical Renaissance and Jewish traditional texts, written in Hebrew. This combination makes him unique among Baroque composers. One of the most well-known is a famous collection of Jewish liturgical music, Hashirim asher leShlomo (The Songs of Solomon), published in 1623.
Having in mind the nature of Rossi’s work and his contribution to music history, the main objective of the festival is to focus on an intercultural dialog by promoting the respect for diversity and embraces a unique heritage of Jewish, European and Serbian repertoire of the highest musical, artistic and poetic quality. Allowing musicians to evolve through joint musical performances, workshops, advisory sessions and the choice of venues. In these terms, Rossi fest is committed to music education for all ages, young to adult.
One of many advantages of this concept is the possibility for all singers to perform in excellent choral ensembles appropriate to their interest and abilities. Meanwhile, music professionals can benefit from resources that help them increase their musical and leadership skills toward their own pursuit of excellence. Rossi Fest, conceived as an innovative and dynamic multicultural musical event, has inspiring passion for learning in its core, and provides a necessary foundation for achievement and success.
Intended to be among future leaders of Belgrade’s cultural events and committed to musical education and implementation of quality in performance, this Festival will also be involved in the life of a wider community, both local and international. Festival will raise awareness through partnerships with various ensembles, music organizations and individuals. This in order for all people to have same, equally designed opportunities in musical learning and education.
This project among other things, offers to prepare artists and other participants for new opportunities and contemporary challenges. Hopefully, sharing together our experience and enthusiasm, Rossi Fest has a chance to become a significant contributor for all groups and individuals to meet the artistic challenges of the future.
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Stefan Zekić
CONDUCTOR
Founder and director of Rossi Fest. Graduated from the University of Arts, Faculty of Music in Belgrade, in two departments: conducting and solo singing. Additional education includes trainings and workshops with the most prominent european conductors, such as: Uros Lajovic (AU), Michael Sheck (BE), Andrew Parrott (UK), and Max Frey (GE). Currently, he's pursuing Phd at the University of Arts in Belgrade in the field of opera conducting. He began conducting at the age of 17 and since 2006 he’s the chief conductor of the Baruch Brothers Choir. He’s a founder and artistic director of the ensemble for early music Canticum Novum, and is the conductor of the Jewish chamber orchestra. Since the season 2009/10 he’s engaged at the National Theatre of Belgrade where his first performance was Le nozze di Figaro (W. A. Mozart). In 2014. he became the chief conductor of the Opera studio of the National Theatre and successfully performed two premieres - Die Zauberflote and Bastien und Bastienne. He also performed a notable concerts in cooperation with many different ensembles such as Madrigal Choir and Symphony Orchestra of University of Arts in Belgrade, Vocal Ensemble Oktoih, Musica (Slovenia), Vocal Ensemble Marienhain (Germany), St. George Royal Strings, Jewish Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Stanislav Binički, Montenegro Symphony orchestra, etc. Stefan Zekic won numerous national and international rewards at the prestige festivals and competition, as well as special reward of the state of Israel for a remarkable contribution to strengthening Israel-Serbia relations. Among the prominent artists he has collaborated with are Oscar-winner Jiří Menzel, John Ramster, Martin Evans, Olga Makarina, István Székely, Eraldo Salmieri, Claudia Eder and others.
ARTISTIC COMMITTE
Zoran Erić
COMPOSER, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
Full-time professor of Composition at the University of Arts, Faculty of Music in Belgrade, rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade. He earned his BA and MA degrees in Composing (professor Stanojlo Rajičić) at the Faculty of Music, Belgrade, and specialized at the Orf University in Salzburg, as well as on V. Lutoslavski`s masterclass in Grožnjan. His opus includes works of different genres, ensembles and soloists, such as: balets Banović Strahinja and Jelisaveta, Slovo Siluana for baritone, women’s choir and tape, then Off, Cartoon, Talea Konzertstück, The Great Red Spot of Jupiter, Abnormalni udarci Dogona (Abnormal punches of Dogon), Helium u maloj kutiji (Helium in a small box), Nisam govorio (I didn’t speak), Oberon, Six scenes-comments, Ko je ubio galeba (Who killed seagull), Sedam pogleda u nebo (Seven looks into the sky) and more. Special place in his opus takes theater and film music that he created in collaboration with notable theater and film makers. He’s the winner of numerous rewards and recognitions. Additionally he was the artistic director and selektor of various music festivals (BEMUS and others), and currently is the president of the Executive Board of Serbian music copyright agency SOKOJ.
Ana Stefanović
MUSICOLOGIST, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
Full-time professor at the University of Arts, Faculty of Music in Belgrade and associate Researcher at IreMus, Paris. She earned her MA degree at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and her PhD in musicology at the Paris-Sorbonne University (Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV). Main areas of her research are: baroque opera, solo song, relation between music and text, as well as questions of musical style and stylistic analysis.
She is also the author of six volumes of The Anthology of Serbian Art Song (Belgrade, UKS, 2008-2014), books La musique comme métaphore, La relation de la musique et du texte dans l’opéra baroque français: de Lully à Rameau, (Paris, L’Harmattan, 2006), Temporality and Narrativity in Music Drama (Belgrade, FMU, 2017), along with a large number of studies and articles published in reviews for musicology and music theory. Prof. Stefanović organized various international conferences in the field of music theory and is the author of various collections of papers in the field of music theory.
Branka Cvejić-Mezei
DIRECTOR OF THE BARUH BROTHERS CHOIR, DIRECTOR OF BELGRADE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA IN RETIREMENT
Most of her career her held the leading positions in cultural institutions in Serbia. She graduated Flute and Piano at the Faculty of Music, Belgrade, where she also earned her MA degree. Her specialization she did in Paris at the École Normale de Musique, where she receives a diploma Licence de concertes. Since 1971 she was a full-time member of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, firstly as a soloist (first flute), and in 1988 she’s becoming the direct where she’ll stay for 12 years. Later she’ll become a deputy director at the National Theater in Belgrade (2000-2001), and then filled the role of coordinator and counselor on cultural and humanitarian matters within Karic Foundation (2001-2006).
Ladislav Mezei
VIOLONCELLIST, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
Full-time professor at the Chamber Music Department of the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, where he earned his BA and MA degrees. Specialization he did at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. His extensive artistic biography includes two seasons playing as a solo cellist of Sarajevo Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra, full-time membership in Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and lead cellist position (1975–2004), then solo performances with Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, RTS Symphony Orchestra, Military Orchestra of Yugoslavia and more. He was a soloist and member of baroque ensemble Muzika Florida and academic chamber ensemble Ensemble Jeunesse Musicale. Among his performances stands out the Millenium Gala Concert in NY Lincoln Center in 1999. He is a permanent associate at the orchestra Camerata Serbica, as well as the member of Pancevo string quartet (today: Arco String Quartet). He’s the founder of Jewish Chamber Orchestra, with which he has made a large number of performances. The string quartet TAJJ, whose member mr. Mezei is, became in 2005 the first quartet that earned an MA degree at the Faculty of Music, Belgrade.
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