Rossi fest Belgrade

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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 training 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 a Ph.D. 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 been 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 Theater and successfully performed two premieres - Die Zauberflote and Bastien und Bastienne. He also performed 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 competitions, as well as the 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. 

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Ladislav Mezei, violoncellist

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 a member of the Pancevo string quartet (today: Arco String Quartet). He’s the founder of the Jewish Chamber Orchestra, with which he has made a large number of performances. 

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Aleksandra Jovanović, soprano

In the 2018/19 season, she made her international debut in the role of the Queen of the Night (Mozart, The Magic Flute) in Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she was engaged during the following seasons. This was followed by her engagements in some of the most prestigious European companies, such as the Vienna State Opera, the Paris National Opera, the Munich Gaertnerplatz Theater, the Spanish Teatro Principal de Palma, theaters in Basel and Wiesbaden, the Dortmund Philharmonic, and others.

In her native Serbia, she has performed on the stages of the National Theater in Belgrade, the Opera and Theater Madlenianum, and the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad for several seasons, and has had fruitful cooperation with the Symphony Orchestra and RTS Choir, participating in two New Year's concerts, Orff's Carmina Burana ( and at the Night of Music event at Tashmajdan Stadium), Requiems by Faure and Mozart, Haydn's Creation, BEMUS festival with Thomas Hampson and the premiere performance and recording of Jezera, for soprano and symphony orchestra, by Božo Banović.

She has won numerous awards at national and international competitions, such as International Music Competition in Seoul, SWR Junge Opernstars, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Ada Sari Vocal Artistry Competition. She completed her BA and MA studies in musicology and voice at the Faculty of Music (Prof. Aneta Ilić) and is currently pursuing her Ph.D.

Ana Grigorović, stage director 

Ana Grigorović made her professional debut in 2012 with the show „Five boys“ in „Duško Radović“ Theatre in Belgrade which was awarded the Special Award for New Theatre Tendencies at TIBA Festival. Success followed with the show „Fifty blows“ in Atelje 212 Theatre, which brought her regional acknowledgment and the Special award on International Small Scene Festival in Rijeka. Ana employed techniques of verbatim and documentary theatre with the idea that dramatic performances must be a dialog with the problems and social reality. She continued working on provocative plays in numerous theatres: „Petar“ and Plato’s „Symposium“ in Bitef Theatre in Belgrade, Wolfgang Bauer’s „Magic Afternoon“ in Atelje 212 Theatre, Lorca’s „House of Bernarda Alba“ in National Theatre in Belgrade, Beckett’s „Play“ in „Bora Stanković“ Theatre in Vranje, Pekić’s „The Conception of an Interrogation Transcript“ and Doug Haverty’s and Adryan Russ’s musical „Inside Out“ in Terazije theatre.

In 2013, Ana started working as an opera director in National Theatre in Belgrade. She directed awarded productions of Puccini’s „Gianni Schicchi“, Binički’s „At dawn“ (first Serbian opera), and Mozart’s „Bastien und Bastienne“ for younger audiences. These productions brought Ana Grigorović annual commendations for stage direction, while the productiSchicchinni Schichi“ won the Annual Award for best performance in season 2016/17.