Rossi fest Belgrade

Lecture by dr Ana Stefanović Museum of the National Theater in Belgrade January 28th, 18h (also broadcasted online; GMT +1) The Story of Esther in Genre Interpretations of Musical Baroque Since its first edition, Rossi Fest has included lectures (dedicated to the topics on intercultural and interdisciplinary context of Salomone Rossi`s work, his time, contemporaries and successors) in its program. This year a lecture will be held by an eminent Serbian musicologist and professor of the Faculty of Music of the University of Arts in Belgrade, dr. Ana Stefanović. Lecture abstract: The story of Esther, from the Old Testament Book of Esther, throughout the Baroque was an inspiration to composers and poets in some of the most significant musical works of this era. The content and messages of this story ‒ which are celebrated in the Jewish tradition during the Feast of Purim ‒ including their two aspects: serious and carnival, high and low regarding the genre, were suitable and challenging for musical transposition. Traditionally, as a biblical story, situated in the oratorio genre field, the story of Esther has been nevertheless differently understood in the long history of its musical settings in terms of stage, style, and genre. The basis of Esther’s baroque musical interpretations is the well-known play of the same name by Jean Racine from 1689, which was a direct impetus for several important musical and stage achievements. First, for musical intermedi composed for the first performance of Racine’s play by Jean-Baptiste Moreau, then for the sacred story (histoire sacrée) by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Historia Esther from 1677, for Antonio Lotti’s oratorio L'umiltà coronata in Esther (1714), then, for Händel’s first oratorio, Esther (1718/1732), and finally, for the oratorio by Cristiano Giuseppe Lidarti, Esther (1774) ‒ found just over two decades ago ‒ which, after a century and a half, represented the first musical work after Rossi’s Ha-shirim asher li-Shlomo (1620‒1623) written in Hebrew, but in the genre framework of the Western tradition. In this lecture, we will pay particular attention to genre and stylistic interpretations of the story of Esther in the works of Moreau, Händel, and Lidarti. Prof. dr Ana Stefanović Musicologist, Professor at the University of Arts, Faculty of Music (Department of Musicology), in Belgrade, and Associate Researcher at IreMus, Paris. She received her MA degree at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and her Ph.D. in musicology at the University Paris IV Sorbonne. The main areas of her research are baroque opera, solo song, the relation between music and text, as well as questions of musical style and stylistic analysis. She is engaged in several international and national projects in musicology and is the author of a large number of studies and articles published in reviews for musicology and music theory, and collected papers. She edited several issues of collected papers and organized several international conferences. She published the 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, Beograd, FMU, 2017. She is also the author of the Anthology of Serbian Art Song I–VI, Belgrade, UKS, 2008–2014.

POČETNA O FESTIVALU ARHIVA PRES KONTAKT ​ Prva edicija festivala Od 25. do 28. januara 2018. godine održana je dugo planirana i očekivana prva edicija muzičkog festivala Rossi fest , koji je ispirisan stvaralaštvom eminentnog kompozitora, Salamona Rosija (1570-1650), italijanskog Jevrejina čiji je opus jedinstven po sintezi Istoka i Zapada, odnosno kasne renesansne/ranobarokne muzike zapadne Evrope i jevrejskih tradicionalnih i sinagogalnih tekstova. Rosijevo stvaralašvo poručuje da, ma koliko elementi jedne umetničke celine delovali raznorodno ili čak kontradiktorno, oni mogu tvoriti savršeno harmoničnu celinu ukoliko se tom putu prilazi sa puno ljubavi, razumevanja i tolerancije. Naš festival nosi upravo njegovo ime, simbolično predstavljajući uzvišene ciljeve koji se tiču razvijanja duha tolerancije, međusobnog uvažavanja i poverenja. Direktor festivala, Stefan Zekić Nakon dugog perioda pažljivog osmišljavanja, organizacije i skupljanja resursa, održan je prvi Rosi fest, čiji je četvorodnevni program obuhvatao šest raznovrsnih koncerata, majstorske kurseve eminentnih stručnjaka i afirmisanih umetnika, konkurs za mlade kompozitore, kao i predavanje o Salamonu Rosiju uvaženog muzikologa i profesora Fakulteta muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu, dr Ane Stefanović. Koncertom Pesme Salomonove u izvođenju nagrađivanog ansambla Profeti della Quinta koji je prvu put nastupio u ovom regionu, u svečanom ambijentu Skupštine grada Beograda, otvorena je prva edicija Rosi festa, a na programu se se našle kompozicije Salomona Rosija, ali i Elama Rotema, umetničkog rukovodioca ovog vokalnog ansambla, koje su prvi put izvedene na našim prostorima. Profeti della Quinta spadaju u sam vrh klasične scene kada je reč o ranoj muzici. Do njih je zaista teško doći i može se smatrati ambicioznim poduhvatom da baš oni gostuju na prvom Rosi festu, ali sam smatrao da ne postoji ansambl koji bi na bolji način otvorio prvi Rosi fest od onog koji je specijalizovan upravo za muziku Salamona Rosija, sa izdatim kompakt diskom njegovih dela i učešćem u sjajnom dokumentarnom filmu o Rosiju, Jozefa Rošlica. Pored beogradske publike, prvog dana festivala i novosadska publika je imala priliku da uživa u koncertu sa programa Rosi festa - Jevrejska muzika širom sveta , Omladinskog hora Adi iz Jerusalima, održanom u Novosadskoj sinagogi. Ovaj hor, kao dragi gost festivala, nastupio je i na koncertu sa nazivom Kol ha'olam kulo , simbolčnog programa, zajedno sa horom Hašira iz Novog Sada i beogradskim horom Braća Baruh , a dirigent hora Adi , profesor Akademije za muziku i ples u Jeusalimu, Oded Šomroni, održao je mladim dirigentima dvodnevni majstorski kurs horskog dirigovanja, u okviru kojeg su učesnici imali individualne sesije sa maestrom, ali i jedinstvenu priliku da diriguju horom Adi . U programu festivala posebno je istaknut majstorski kurs operskog pevanja čuvenog soprana Metropolitan opere, Olge Makarine. Jedanaest mladih operskih pevača imalo je priliku da tri dana radi na usavršavanju svog pevanja sa ovim vrhunskim sopranom na individualnim sesijama koje su bile propraćene i zapaženim brojem pasivnih učesnika, u sjajnom prostoru Muzeja Narodnog pozorišta u Beogradu, uz profesionalnu saradnju operskog korepetitora Narodnog pozorišta, Srđana Jarakovića. Četvrtog dana majstorskog kursa na sceni Raša Plaović Narodnog pozorišta u Beogradu održan završni koncert polaznika majstorskog kursa, na kojem su učesnici predstavili rezultate svog rada sa gospođom Makarinom, nakon čega su im dodeljeni sertifikati o učešću. I sam kao pevač i dirigent u Narodnom pozorištu imao sam priliku da radim sa mnogim mladim operskim umetnicima i steknem uvid u značaj usavršavanja na vrhunskom nivou, naročito na početku operske karijere. Upravo iz tog razloga, želeo sam da mladim operskim pevačima pružimo priliku da rade i slušaju časove ovog vrhunskog soprana i pedagoga, sa kojom inače rade studenti najprestižnijih muzičkih institucija, a veoma mi je drago što je kurs bio dobro propraćen i što su se u publici kursa našli i drugi učenici i studenti pevanja, ali i nastavnici i profesori fakulteta, pa i prvaci našeg pozorišta. Pevači su bili prezadovoljni radom sa Olgom, a naročito mi je drago što i će im sam rad sa njom biti naročito značajna referenca u profesionalnim biografijama. Možda i najznačajniji deo programa Rosi festa, koji planiramo da zadržimo na svakoj ediciji festivala, jeste Konkurs za mlade kompozitore sa nazivom Portreti i sećanja , čija se tema odnosi na sećanja o stradanjima za vreme Drugog svetskog rata, a održava se svakog 27. januara, na Svetski dan sećanja na žrtve Holokausta, te mladi kompozitori imaju priliku da daju svoj doprinos svetskoj kulturnoj baštini u oblasti očuvanja sećanja na žrtve Holokausta, ali i odavanja počasti onima koji su mu se suprotstavili. Cilj ovog koncepta je da se putem angažovanja mladih, talentovanih umetnika najrazličitijih profila i nacionalnosti podigne svest o neophodnosti promovisanja edukacije, istraživanja, sećanja i govora o Holokaustu na najvišem umetničkom nivou, te u ovom segmentu Rosi fest naročito produbljuje jedan od svojih osnovnih ciljeva, a to je razvijanje duha tolerancije, međusobnog uvažavanja i poverenja. ​ Takođe, nastoji se da se tematikom kojom se konkurs, kao i sam festival, bavi, podstaknu mladi umetnici, ali i publika festivala, u daljem nastojanju da se bave istraživanjem događaja, literarnih i drugih dela vezanih za tematiku Holokausta, dok će njihova umetnička dela nastala ovom prilikom postati sastavni deo svetske umetničke baštine, ali i repertoara učesnika festivala iz svih zemalja, te će preko proširene programske osnove, umetnici i dalje aktivno nastaviti da čuvaju sećanje na ovaj strašan deo ljudske istorije i nakon završetka festivala. Rossi fest ovakvim načinom delovanja preuzima značajnu ulogu u baštinjenju kulturne svesti o Holokaustu i stvara novu kulturnu sferu u umetničkoj praksi budućih pokoljenja. ​ ​ ​ ​ 25. januar 2018. 20:00 Svečana sala Skupštine grada SVEČANO OTVARANJE FESTIVALA I KONCERT ANSAMBLA PROFETI DELLA QUINTA (Bazel, Švajcarska) Umetnički rukovodilac: Elam Rotem ​ 20:00 Novosadska Sinagoga KONCERT HORA ADI (Izrael) Umetnički rukovodilac: Oded Šomroni (Izrael) 26. januar 2018. 10:00 - 16:00 Muzej Narodnog pozorišta MAJSTORSKI KURS OPERSKOG PEVANJA SA DIVOM OLGOM MAKARINOM Srđan Jaraković, pijanista 10:00-14:00 Jevrejska opština Beograd MAJSTORSKI KURS HORSKOG DIRIGOVANJA SA DIRIGENTOM ODEDOM ŠOMRONIJEM (Akademija za ples i muziku, Jerusalim, Izrael) 18:00 Galerija Jevrejske opštine Beograd PREDAVANJE Prof. Ane Stefanović Sinteza zapadnoevropske i jevrejske muzičke / literarne / religijske tradicije: transepohalni dijalozi ova dva kulturna obrasca kroz njihove diskurse, tekstove i dela 20:00 Svečana sale Jevrejske opštine Beograd KONCERT HORSKE MUZIKE KOL HAOLAM KULO Izvođači: Ansambl Adi (Izrael) Hor Braća Baruh (Beograd) Hor Hašira (Novi Sad)​ 27. januar 2018. 10:00 - 16:00 Muzej Narodnog pozorišta MAJSTORSKI KURS OPERSKOG PEVANJA SA DIVOM OLGOM MAKARINOM 10:00-14:00 Jevrejska opština Beograd MAJSTORSKI KURS HORSKOG DIRIGOVANJA SA DIRIGENTOM ODEDOM ŠOMRONIJEM ​ 20:30 Svečana sala Jevrejske opštine Beograd KONCERT PORTRETI I SEĆANJA Dela mladih kompozitora sa istoimenog konkursa. Učesnici: Jevrejski kamerni orkestar Hor Braća Baruh Vokalni i instrumentalni solisti (Ladislav Mezei, Rona Israel, Yael Sayag...) ​ 28. januar 2018. 12:00 Velika scena Narodnog pozorišta SVEČANO ZATVARANJE FESTIVALA I GALA KONCERT ​ Izvođači: Profeti della Quinta (Švajcarska) Ansambl Adi (Izrael) Hor Braća Baruh (Beograd) Hor Hašira (Novi Sad) Jevrejski kamerni orkestar (Beograd) ​ Vokalni solisti: Yael Sayag, sopran (IL) Rona Israel, sopran (IL) Shai Terry, mezzo sopran (IL) Dror Jacob Schafer, tenor (IL) Christian Wagner, bariton (GER) Aleksandra Jovanović, sopran (SRB) Iva Profaca, mecosporan (SRB) Roberto Jakini, tenor (ITA) Vuk Zekić, bariton (SRB) ​ 17:00 Scena Raša Plaović , Narodno pozorište KONCERT POLAZNIKA MAJSTORSKOG KURSA OPERSKOG PEVANJA ​ Na prvom konkursu Umetnički savet festivala odabrao je dela petoro mladih i izrazito talentovanih kompozitora, pisana za različite sastave: Psalm za solo sopran Damjana Jovičina, Nivana za mešoviti hor Juga Markovića, Porcelan za ženski hor i gudački kvintet Tamar Šalit, Slike sećanja iz Dunavske ulice za sopran, violinu i klavir, Vladice Mikićević i Pugna interior za gudački orkestar Stefana Naerca, koja su izvedena zajedno sa delima evropskih kompozitora XIX i XX kao što su Sergej Prokofjev i Luis Levandovski, ali i srpskih kompozitora - Aleksandra Vujića, Aleksandra Simića i Rafaila Blama, na koncertu sa nazivom Portreti i sećanja , održanom specifičnoj atmosferi pod svećama u sali Jevrejske opštine Beograd. ​ Naročito mi je drago što smo prvim festivalom započeli tradiciju ovakvog tematskog konkursa za kompozitore, a u narednim edicijama faestivala nameravamo da platformu konkursa još više proširimo. Samo nekoliko meseci nakon festivala dobijamo vesti da ovi mladi ljudi dobijaju nagrade, a njihova dela su primljena i na druge internacionalne festivale i veoma sam srećan što će se Rosi fest naći u njihovim biografijama, ali i njihova imena u istoriji Rosi festa. ​ Nakon četiri dana intenzivnog i raznovrsnog programa, na Velikoj sceni pune sale Narodnog pozorištu u Beogradu održano je svečano zatvaranje festivala - Gala koncert , kao i dodela povelja Kneset , na kojem je publika imala priliku da čuje najlepše operske arije, ansamble i horske numere u izvođenju solista iz Iraela, Srbije i Amerike, horova Braća Baruh i Adi i Jevrejskog kamernog orkestra iz Beograda, a koncertom su dirigovali Oded Šomroni (Izrael), Mark Voloh (Izrael) i Stefan Zekić (Srbija). ​ Želeli smo da obogatimo kulturnu ponudu Beograda i Srbije muzičkim festivalom jedinstvenim po temi u ovom delu Evrope, a namera nam je da se nađemo među budućim liderima kulturnih manifestacija u zemlji i regionu. Prva edicija festivala organizovana je zahvaljujući podršci organizacija i institucija koje su prepoznale vrednost jednog ovakvog festivala, a nadamo se da će sada, kada su postavljeni temelji prvom, druga edicija naići na još širu podršku. Pripreme za sledeći festival su uveliko u toku, a naredna edicija doneće nove zanimljive goste, širi spektar predavanja i majstorskih kurseva, kao i specijalne nagrade kao podsticaj za mlade operske pevače i kompozitore. OPENING CEREMONY AND CONCERT OF THE ENSEMBLE PROFETI DELLA QUINTA The first edition of Rossi fest was opened with the concert, named The Songs of Solomon, of the amazing ensemble Profeti della Quinta, famous for their interpretation of Rossi`s music. The concert was held in the beautiful hall of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade, where the audience could hear premiere performances of Rossi`s, as well as Elam Rotem`s pieces. More info ADI CHOIR CONCERT "JEWISH MUSIC FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD" Along with the Belgrade audience, the Novi Sad audience had the opportunity to enjoy one of the concerts from Rossi Fest 2018 Program - a concert by Adi Young Israeli Choir, called Jewish music from all around the world, held in the wonderful Synagogue of Novi Sad. More info OPERA SINGING MASTERCLASS WITH OLGA MAKARINA A special place in Rossi fest program goes to Opera singing masterclass and the honor to host a renowned soprano from Metropolitan Opera, Ms. Olga Makarina. Selected candidates had a three-day sessions with Ms. Makarina in the Museum of the National Theatre in Belgrade, as well as the Final concert of masterclass on the Raša Plaovic stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade, both accompanied by the official National theatre repetiteur, Srđan Jaraković. More info CHORAL CONDUCTING MASTERCLASS WITH ODED SHOMRONY We are very happy that maestro Oded Shomrony gave a two-day masterclass in choral conducting at Rossi fest 2018, with two different sessions - individual sessions with maestro Shomrony intended for young conductors, students of conducting, but also students of secondary music schools who want to engage in conducting; whereas the second session - conducting Adi Chor, was intended exclusively for experienced students of conducting and young conductors. More info LECTURE "THE WORK OF SALAMON ROSSI IN THE EVE OF MUSICAL MODERNITY" Prof. Ane Stefanović Member of Rossi fest's Artisti Committee, distinguished musicologist and full-time professor at the Faculty ofMusic, Belgrade, dr Ana Stefanović, gave an interesting lecture The Work of Salomone Rossi on the Eve of Musical Modernity at the Jewish Community hall in Belgrade. More info CONCERT KOL HAOLAM KULO On the second day of the festival, a concert named Kol ha'olam kulo was held in Concert hall of the Jewish Community Belgrade. The participants of this concert were three choirs: Adi Youth Choir (Jerusalem), Choir Hashira (Novi Sad) and Baruch Brother Choir (Belgrade). More info CONCERT "PORTRAITS AND REMEMBRANCE" On of the most important parts of Rossi Fest program is a concert Portraits and Remembrance, organised for the occasion of marking the Holocaust Remembrance Day, in the Hall of Jewish Community Belgrade. The concert was preceded by an Open call for young composers, with the same name, where the works of five young composers - Damjan Jovičin (BIH / SRB), Jug Konstantin Marković (SRB), Tamar Melanie Shalit (ISR), Stefan Naerac (SRB) and Vladica Mikićević (SRB) - were chosen for Rossi Fest 2018 Program. The program of the Portraits and Remembrance Concert consisted of works contemporary Serbian composers` works, such as such as Aleksandar Vujić, Aleksandar Simić and Rafailo Blam, as well as the works of XIX and XX century European composers, such as Sergei Prokofiev and Louis Lewandowski, which were inspired by or written on Jewish themes. The concert was organised in cooperation with the following participants: Jewish Chamber Orchestra, Baruch Brothers Choir, Laidslav Mezei (Vcl), Duško Nikolić (Vl), Marko Kovač (Pf), Nikola Đurica (Cl), sopranos - Milena Damnjanović and Mina Gligorić, tenor Roberto Jachini, and conductors - Stefan Zekić, Dijana Cvetković and Đorđe Perović. More info FINAL CONCERT OF OPERA SINGING MASTERCLASS Part of the program of the last day Rossi Fest 2018 was a concert on Raša Plaović Stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade, where the participants presented the programme they were working on during the previous days of the Masterclass, followed by candidates` receiving of Certificates for their participation in the Masterclass. The accompanist at the concert was an official repetiteur of the Opera of the National Theatre in Belgrade, Srđan Jaraković. More info FESTIVAL CLOSING AND GALA CONCERT Rossi Fest 2018 was officially closed with a Gala Concert and a ceremony of assignment of Knesset awards on the Main stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade. The audience had the opportunity to hear famous opera arias, duets, ouvertures and choir numbers, interpreted by the soloists from Israel, America and Serbia; ensembles Adi, Baruch Brothers and Jewish Chamber Orchestra and conductors Oded Shomrony, Mark Voloch and Stefan Zekić. More info

Lecture ​ On January 29, within the scientific segment of the festival's current edition, Rossi Fest proudly hosted a musicologist from the Academy of Music in Zagreb, Ivan Ćurković, at the National Theater Museum. The distinguished guest delved into the captivating theme of "War and Peace in G. F. Handel's oratorios," captivating the audience with his insights and expertise. Dr. sc. Ivan Ćurković was born in Novi Sad in 1980. He graduated from the University of Zagreb in musicology at the Academy of Music (2005) and comparative literature and Hungarian studies at the Faculty of Philosophy (2007). He is pursuing his doctoral studies at the Institute of Musicology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Heidelberg, where he obtained the title of Doctor of Science in 2017 with a dissertation titled The Vocal Duet and G. F. Handel's Italian Contemporaries. An Attempt at a Comparison. Since 2007, he has been employed at the Department of Musicology of the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, since 2023 as an associate professor. In the period 2018-2021, he held the position of head of the Department of Musicology. He is a participant in several scientific conferences in the country and abroad, and he was also the president of the program and organizational committee of the international scientific conference Musicology and Its Future in Times of Crises organized on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Musicology of the Academy of Music in 2020, and a member of the organizational committee of the scientific conference The Blasphemous in Music in Sound held at the Department of Musicology in 2023. He is the author of the monograph The Vocal Duets of G. F. Handel and His Italian Contemporaries (1706-1724), several scientific and professional articles as well as music and theater criticism, and he also works as a part-time associate of the Lexicographic Institute Miroslav Krleža. Since 2022, he has been a member of the management board of the international networking project, the so-called COST Action A new ecosystem of early music studies financed by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology. His areas of scientific interest are vocal music of the 18th century with special emphasis on the work of G. F. Händel, performance practice of the past and present, and the application of various cultural theories in historical musicology. War and peace in the oratorios of G. F. Handel January 30, 2024, at 6 p.m., Jewish Culture Center ​ Abstract: Although the war theme is an integral part of the opera librettos set to music by G. F. Händel, with frequent dynastic struggles characteristic of the opera series of that time, only the composer's vocal music in the English language could fully correspond with the wartime - or peaceful - reality of the United Kingdom. The English oratorio genre was invented primarily to morally educate the audience, and many authors such as Ruth Smith have pointed out the importance of interpreting these Handel works in the context of the time of their creation and the intellectual climate that surrounded them. At the same time, the reception of biblical oratories tended to identify the British nation with the chosen people, since the Old Testament war conflicts and their resolution could be seen in their own political everyday life. The lecture will consider those Handel oratorios in which the theme of war and peace plays a more important role and find a balance between the meanings they could have taken on at the time of their creation to their relevance today. Most of the presentation will focus on case studies from two groups of oratorios. The first includes works such as Deborah, Belshazzar, and, to a certain extent, Alexander Balus, which thematize the events of the war with the procedures of classical dramaturgy in which the conflict arises from the conflict between the warring parties, while the musical face takes on individual soloist roles, as well as choral parts of the opposing parties ( ethnic) groups. Judas Maccabaeus and Joshua are primarily in the second group, and the "enemy" in the musical and dramaturgical sense does not appear in them at all. Together with them, we should also consider Solomon, one of the rare oratorical thematizations of political stability and peace. ​ ​

Vokal Ensembl Elinor (Slovenia) Atrijum narodnog muzeja 29. januar 2022. u 20:30 ​ The final evening, January 29, will be marked by a concert by the attractive vocal ensemble Elinor from Slovenia, which will present a refreshing program composed of compositions of a wide range of styles - from the time of Salomon Rossi to the present day. Tickets for the concert can be purchased in Vulkan bookstores or at the following link . ​ The Elinor Ensemble represents significant cultural gain of the ancient region, focusing on achieving quality vocal production. The ensemble performs Renaissance, Baroque and contemporary music, records thematically diverse programs. ​ Vocal coach, choir leader and singer Robert Feguš links with his highly qualified and specialized pedagogic work in the field of vocal techniques, different fields of musical theory, general medicine, vocal pedagogic and performing practices (most of all in the segment of choral music). As you can see he leaves a significant contribution of wide range as well as high quality to Slovenian culture. He is an esteeming vocal coach who cooperates with different Slovenian singers, choirs and vocal compositions in the form of professional and educational seminars, he also works a lot with JSKD (the Public Fund for cultural activities) specifically with the section of choral music. In 18 years of artistic presence he has performed with various vocal casts in more than 500 concerts. Vocal coach Robert Feguš with an exhaustive knowledge of his professional field there can be essentially contributed to the rise of the performance practice in the domain of choral music and vocal music in general. -- Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, January 2018 ​ Program: Wilhelm Nagel (1871-1955) Schöne Nacht Text: Carl Busse Salomonone Rossi (1570-1630) Barechu Judovska molitev Vilko Ukmar (1905-1991) Opolnoči Text: Srečko Kosovel Vilko Ukmar (1905-1991) Skica na koncertu Text: Srečko Kosovel Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) Beati quorum via Psalm 119, 1 Damijan Močnik (1967) Verbum supernum prodiens Text: Sv. Tomaž Akvinski Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) Est ist ein Ros entsprungen Text: Sv. Tomaž Akvinski Marij Kogoj (1892-1956) Večerni zvon Text: Anton Medved Alexander Campkin (1984) The Crimson Sun Text: Cardinal Newman Fabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Pie Jesu Arr: Barnaby Smith The Road Home from Southern Harmony, 1835 Arr: Stephen Paulus Text: Michael Dennis Browne ​ ​

Concert Portraits and Remembrance National Theatre in Belgrade, "Raša Plaović" stage 27 January 2020 at 20:00 ​ The concert "Portraits and Remembrance" is a significant part of Rossi Fest and one of the constant parts of the program of all festival editions. The theme is dedicated to Holocaust victims as well as the brave and righteous deeds by individuals and groups. As part of the commemoration of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the concert, the “Quatuor pour la fin du temps” (Quartet for the End of Time) by Olivier Messiaen will be performed. The piece was debuted during the composer’s captivity in the concentration camp Selesia. Faced with the horrors of war and captivity, the composer finds inspiration for his work in the final chapter of the bible - prophecies, dreams and visions by St. John about the End of the World. With this mode of action, Rossi Fest takes on a vital role in nurturing a culture of awareness of the Holocaust horrors. ​

​ ​ The final concert of the Opera singing masterclass Raša Plaović Stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade 28. January 2018 ​ Part of the program of the last day of Rossi Fest 2018 was a concert at Raša Plaović Stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade, where the participants presented the program they were working on during the previous days of the Masterclass, followed by candidates` receiving of Certificates of their participation in the Masterclass. The accompanist at the concert was an official repetiteur of the Opera of the National Theatre in Belgrade, Srđan Jaraković. ​ 1/3

​ ​ The fifth edition of Rossi Fest 25 - 29 January 2022 ​ ​ At the end of January 2022, the fifth edition of the Rossi Festa festival was held. The Belgrade audience had the opportunity to enjoy a diverse program with excellent foreign and domestic artists, in the National Museum and the National Theater in Belgrade. The opening of the festival, on January 25, was marked by a kind of music exhibition in the Atrium of the National Museum, with a contemporary concert - Baroque Music Exhibition. Among the performers were the chamber ensemble of the oldest Jewish choir in the world - Braća Baruch, chamber instrumental ensemble, as well as eminent soloists - Aleksandra Jovanović (soprano), prof. Ladislav Mezei (cello) and assistant. Stefan Zekić (conductor, baritone). An attractive and varied program composed of carefully selected compositions by Rossi, Monteverdi, Loti, Lidarti, Handel and other relevant baroque composers, was performed under the direction of Ana Grigorović. At the traditional and unique concert for this festival, Portraits and Remembrance, on the YouTube channel of the festival on January 27, the works of young composers selected in the eastern competition by the artistic council of the festival were broadcasted. The theme of the competition aims to interpret and maintain the memory of events and personalities in the context of the Holocaust, through new works of classical music. In past years, the festival had a surprisingly good response and received applications, presented and promoted works by composers from all over the world, and this year excellent works by seven young composers from five countries were performed: Otto Vanke (Czech Republic), Jorge Andres (USA), Carmel Curiel ( Israel), Marko Karanfilovski (Serbia), Gil Dory (Israel), Chesney Palmer (South Africa) and Pavel Nesit (Czech Republic). ​ As the part of the festival program is dedicated to scientific research, Dr. Ana Stefanović, our distinguished musician and professor at the Faculty of Music of the University of Arts in Belgrade, held a lecture on the topic - The Story of Esther in Genre Interpretations of Musical Baroque - at the Museum of the National Theater on January 28. At the concert Inspiration for Violin and Harp , interpreted by Duo Edit, a wide range of programs in an arrangement for this unusual instrumental ensemble - from well-known works of classical music to musicals, were performed on the stage of Raša Plaović. The festival was organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Jewish Municipality of Belgrade, SOKOJ, the Embassy of Israel, the Italian Institute for Culture, and private donors. ​​ Program 2022 ​ January 25, Tuesday Atrium of the National Museum 20:30 Concert: Baroque music exhibition Opening of the festival January 27, Thursday Online concert: YouTube channel Rosi Fest, 8 p.m. (GMT +1) Concert: Portraits and Remembrance Concert of finalists, selected at the international competition for young composers of the same name, dedicated to the International Holocaust Day January 28, Friday Museum of the National Theater 18:00 Lecture by Dr. Ana Stefanović: The Story of Esther in Genre Interpretations of Musical Baroque ​ National Theater, stage Raša Plaović 20:00 Duo Edit Concert: Inspirations for violin and harp ​ January 29, Saturday Atrium of the National Museum 20:30 Concert of the Vocal ensemble Elinor (Slovenia) Baroque music exhibition The story of Ester Portraits and remembrance Inspirations for violin and harp

​ Esther Oratorio Cristiano Giuseppe Lidarti ​National Theater, Main Stage, 20h ​ European premiere ​ ​ As the crown of this year's program, we would single out the European premiere of the oratorio "Esther" on February 6th, which will be performed in Europe for the first time after more than 200 years. The oratorio will be staged at the Grand stage of the National Theater in Belgrade, under the baton of festival director Stefan Zekić, directed by Ana Grigorović, and performed by our eminent artists in the main roles: Aneta Ilić (soprano), Sofija Pižurica (soprano), Marko Živković (tenor), Vuk Zekić (baritone); as well as the acclaimed instrumental in the instrumental solo parts: Mina Mendlsson (concertmaster), Ladislav Mezei and Milan Popović (continuo), together with Baruch Brothers Choir and the Jewish Chamber Orchestra. The scenography is signed by Dunja Kostić and the costumes are created by Sara Blam. ​ The score of the oratorio "Esther" (1774) by the Italian composer Christian Giuseppe Lidarti was rediscovered only in 1997 and is still considered one of the richest and most monumental works of Jewish art music of the 17th century, and the 18th century. Saravalo's libretto, based on the text of the second version of Handel's oratorio (1732), "remained without music" until November 7, 1997, when Richard Andrews, a librarian at the University of Cambridge, found a handwritten score by Christian Giuseppe Lidarti called oratorio "Esther," in 1774. He then began to work on the reconstruction of the work, which resulted in the world premiere of the oratorio in May 2000 in Jerusalem, while the Belgrade audience will have the opportunity to attend the European premiere of this work. Stefan Zekić, dirigent Studirao je na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu na odsecima za dirigovanje i solo pevanje. Na istom fakultetu zaposlen je na Katedri za dirigovanje od 2022. godine. Od 2009. godine angažovan je kao dirigent, korepetitor i dirigent u Operskom studiju Narodnog pozorišta u Beogradu. Osnivač je i umetnički rukovodilac ansambla za ranu muziku Canticum Novum, dirigent Jevrejskog kamernog orkestra od njegovog osnivanja, glavni dirigent hora Braća Baruh sa kojim je osvojio brojne nacionalne i međunarodne nagrade na prestižnim festivalima i takmičenjima. Osnivač je i direktor Rosi festa. Ana Grigorović, rediteljka Diplomirala je i magistrirala pozorišnu i radio režiju na Fakultetu dramskih umetnosti, gde je sada na doktorskim studijama. Režirala je preko dvadeset dramskih i operskih predstava širom zemlje. Od 2013. godine Ana radi kao operska rediteljka u Narodnom pozorištu u Beogradu, gde je režirala nagrađivane operske i dramske produkcije. Osnivač je udruženja „Opera Lab“ čijom se delatnošću zalaže za razvoj operske umetnosti u zemlji. Aneta Ilić, sopran Jedna je od vodećih vokalnih umetnica Srbije. Solo pevanje je studirala na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu (klase prof. Biserke Cvejić i prof. Irine Arsikin), gde je danas redovni profesor na Katedri za solo pevanje. Osnovu njene koncertne delatnosti čine resitali sa klavirom, a kao solistkinja sa orkestrom nastupala je gotovo na svim relevantnim festivalima u zemlji, izvodeći repertoar od baroka do savremene muzike. Njen operski repertoar obuhvata uloge u operama baroknih i pretklasičnih kompozitora, Mocarta, kao i kompozitora XX veka. Posebno mesto u njenom repertoaru čini srpsko muzičko stvaralaštvo – premijerno je izvela brojna dela domaćih autora, a mnoga od njih pisana su za nju ili za kamerni ansambl Donne di Belgrado, čiji je član. Ostvarila je veliki broj snimaka za Radio-televiziju Srbije, kao i za Holandski državni radio. Vuk Zekić, bariton Diplomirao je solo pevanje na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu. Tokom studija dobio je Specijalnu nagradu za najboljeg učenika generacije i Specijalnu nagradu na međunarodnom takmičenju za operske pevače - Citta di Alcamo (Sicilija). Od 2011. godine ostvario je više od 15 uloga u Narodnom pozorištu u Beogradu. Vuk je sa velikim uspehom dva puta nastupio na festivalu Operosa u Crnoj Gori i na renomiranom Letnjem festivalu u Varni. Tokom svoje karijere imao je ogromno iskustvo u izvođenju savremenih opera i koncerata savremenih srpskih kompozitora. Uspešno se bavi pedagoškim radom u Muzičkoj školi "Stanković" gde je šef odseka solo pevanja. Sofija Pižurica, sopran Rođena je u Beogradu, gde je, paralelno sa studijama književnosti na Filološkom Fakultetu, završila i osnovne i magistarske studije na FMU u Beogradu, u klasi prof. Biserke Cvejić. Proglašena je za studenta generacije i najboljeg studenta Beogradskog univerziteta, a zatim je postala i prvi doktor solo pevanja u Srbiji. Sofija Pižurica je prvakinja opere Narodnog pozorišta u Beogradu, a njen repertoar čini preko dvadeset uloga prvog faha. Čest je gost inostranih operskih kuća. Marko Živković, tenor Diplomirao je solo pevanje kod prof. Nikole Mijailovića na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu. Učestvovao je i osvajao nagrade na raznim takmičenjima u Srbiji i susednim zemljama i nastupao sa različitim ansamblima iz Beograda. Od 2014. nastupa kao solista u Narodnom pozorištu u Beogradu, Srpskom Narodnom pozorištu u Novom Sadu i Operi i teatru Madlenianum u Beogradu i na raznim festivalima. Nastupio je u više od 15 operskih naslova. Nastupao je i kao solista sa vodećim nacionalnim horovima u Srbiji, horom RTSa, a ostvario je i dva koncerta sa sa Beogradskom filharmonijom. Mladen Prodan, tenor Rođen je 1993. u Prijedoru, Bosna i Hercegovina. Završio je odnovne akademske studije na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti na odseku za solo pjevanje u klasi prof. Ljudmile Gros Popović. Potom završava i master studije u klasi prof. Nikole Mijailovića. Pohađao je majstorske kurseve Tomasa Hempsona, Srbe Dinića, Igora Vlajnića, Berislava Jerkovića. Član je operskog studija Narodnog pozorišta u Beogradu. Hor Braća Baruh Hor Braća Baruh iz Beograda, osnovan je 1879. godine kao Srpsko jevrejsko pevačko društvo. Eminentni istraživači tvrde da je reč o najstarijem jevrejskom horu na svetu. Promenio je naziv 1952. godine u sadašnji, u spomen na trojicu braće iz poznate jevrejske porodice Baruh iz Beograda, stradale u pogromima početkom Drugog svetskog rata. Tokom svog dugogodišnjeg rada, hor je priredio veliki broj koncerata u svim značajnim muzičkim centrima Jugoslavije, dok su inostrana gostovanja ostvarena širom zemalja sveta, od Evrope i Azije do koncerata u Karnegi Holu u Njujorku, 1978. godine. Hor Braća Baruh redovan je učesnik svih najvažnijih festivala klasične muzike u zemlji i inostranstvu, odakle redovno donosi niz nagrada i priznanja za svoj rad. Hor je dva puta odlikovan od strane Predsedništva države, za svoj doprinos kulturnoj afirmaciji zemlje, a na njegovom čelu se bile neke od najznačajnijih ličnosti iz istorije naše umetničke muzike. Za izuzetne uspehe koje je hor ostvario u poslednjih nekoliko godina zaslužni su, dirigent hora, Stefan Zekić i predsednica hora, Branka Cvejić Mezei. Mešoviti hor UA MO Stanislav Binički ​ Naš proslavljeni kompozitor, nastavnik i utemeljivač vojne muzike Stanislav Binički, osnovao je 26. septembra 1899. godine Beogradski vojni orkestar. To je bio prvi orkestar u Srbiji koji je mogao koncertno izvoditi, za tadašnje doba, modernu muziku. Tradiciju tog orkestra, kroz tri veka, do danas čuva Umetnički ansambl MO Stanislav Binički, koji ove godine obležava 124 godine postojanja. Stanislav Binički je bio važna figura u domaćoj i svetskoj istoriji muzike. Za sobom je ostavio brojna dela klasične muzike koja za motiv imaju teme i melos naših prostora. Tvorac je prve srpske opere Na Uranku, ali pored mnogo važnih dela, izdvojićemo nama veoma važnu, patriotski nadahnutu kompoziciju Marš na Drinu. Umetnički ansambl MO Stanislav Binički danas predstavlja ustanovu Uprave za odnose sa javnošću, koja svojom programskom i repertoarskom raznovrsnošću i žanrovskom prilagodljivošću, na dostojan način afirmiše i reprezentuje Republiku Srbiju, Ministarstvo odbrane i Vojsku Srbije, domaćoj i inostranoj publici, ali i stručnoj javnosti. Od 2022. godine, nakon višegodišnje pauze, profesionalni sastav Ansambla je ojačan Mešovitim horom i solistima koji su postali neizostavni deo nastupa Ansambla. Jevrejski kamerni orkestar Jevrejski kamerni orkestar osnovao je 2012. godine violončeista Ladislav Mezei, u saradnji sa B'nei B'rit ložom Srbije, a članovi orkestra su profesionalni muzičari jevrejskog porekla i njihovih prijatelji. Primarni cilj orkestra predstavljanje muzike jevrejskih kompozitora, kao i drugih kompozitora čija su dela inspirisana jevrejskim temama, a interpretacija orkestra povezana je sa tradicijom, kulturom i istorijom jevrejske zajednice u Srbiji. ​ Hor Braća Baruh Sopran: Ivana Jovanović Maša Nedeljković Tatjana Ivković Isidora Matić Anđela Vemić Marija Todorović Bojana Stojanović Atina Gajdoš Vanja Stevanović Andrijana Kužet Žana Krstić Jelena Ripić Demić Teodora Trajković Alt: Milica Andjelkovic Komatina Teodora Vasić Tošić Mina Pavlović Jelena Jovičin Ljiljana Marković Sara Konstantinović Esmina Nežović Manda Egić Tenor: Zoran Stepanović Andrija Krasojevic Djordje Nenić Bas/Bariton: Aleksandar Pauković Danilo Trajković Ivan Dedić Jovan Mihajlović ​ Mešoviti hor UA MO Stanislav Binički Sopran: Biljana Vasiljević Mitrović Marijana Radosavljević Nevena Tatomirović Jovana Kovačević Alt: Jelena Zekić Jovana Bjelić Natalija Begović Tenor: Dragan Milanović Matija Prodanović Filip Milivojević Zoran Knežević Bas/Bariton: Nikola Nikolovski Strahinja Tričković Svetozar Vujić Jevrejski kamerni orkestar I Violine: Mina Mendelson, koncertmajstor Dušica Blaženović Vesna Jansens Ivana Zavišić II violine: Martina Miler Milica Žugić Violeta Ćirić Viole: Ena Vaganek Jovan Muratović Tijana Dimitrov Violončela: Ladislav Mezei Nebojsa Janković Kontrabas: Boban Stošić Flaute: Jelena Španović Ana Popović Oboe: Marija Lazić Dragan Lazić Horne: Igor Lazić Gordana Stojnić Čembalo: Milan Popović ​ ​

Lectures of the prof. Ana Stefanović and Prof. Tijana Popović Mlađenović Jewish Community of Belgrade / Gallery 27. January 2019 ​ ​An important part of the Rossi Fest program is dedicated to the education and affirmation of music students and young music professionals. Therefore, in addition to the concerts of local and foreign performers, the competition for young composers, and the master course for young opera singers, the program included lectures by eminent musicologists. In the gallery of the Jewish Comunnittz Belgrade, on January 27th, 2019, two professional lectures were given by the professors of the Faculty of Music Art in Belgrade, Dr Ana Stefanovic and Dr. Tijana Popovic Mlađenovic. ​ Ana Stefanović, musicologist, Professor at the University of Arts, Faculty of Music (Department of Musicology), in Belgrade and Associate Researcher at IreMus , Paris. She received her MA degree at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and her PhD in musicology at the University Paris IV Sorbonne. Main areas of her research are baroque opera, solo song, the relation between music and text, as well as questions of musical style and stylistic analysis. She is engaged in several international and national projects in musicology and is the author of a large number of studies and articles published in reviews for musicology and music theory, and in collected papers. She edited several issues of collected papers and organized several international conferences. She published the 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 Narraivity in Music Drama , Beograd, FMU, 2017. She is also the author of the Anthology of Serbian Art Song I–VI , Belgrade, UKS, 2008–2014. ​ David et Jonathas , the biblical opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier In this lecture, we deal with the particular position of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s tragédie en musique David et Jonathas (1688) on the libretto by François Bretonneau, one of two operas based on the Old Testament − besides Jephté (1732) by Michel Montéclair − in the whole French baroque repertoire. Beyond that, the unique position of this work in the history of music lies in the fact that it is, in its first performance in the college of Jesuits Luis le Grand in Paris, performed in combination with the other biblical, literary drama, Saul by Father Étienne Chamillard. This opera is in this sense strongly marked by several crossings: of two religious and cultural paradigms, Judean and Christian / Catholic, of two genres, literary and musical tragedy, of two spheres, sacred and profane – the crossing obtained by the insertion of the religious subject in a secular musical genre −, and finally, of musical generic models, also involving a stylistic and musical poetic mixture that come from this opposition. The conference will focus on these multiple crossings, giving this Charpentier’s opera a special place in the French and European lyric field. ​ Dr Tijana Popović Mladjenović is a musicologist, full-time Professor at the Department of Musicology of the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade, and Head of the Musicology Department Council. She has been a visiting professor at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, the University in Ljubljana, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the Music Academy in Sarajevo. Her main research interests include the European music of the fin de siècle, contemporary music (she specialized in contemporary French music at the University of Paris IV Sorbonne), aesthetics and philosophy of music, and issues concerning thinking in music. She is the author of six books. ​ Concerto for Viola and Orchestra / Viola Tango Rock Concerto Benjamina Yusupova Music has a Vision – Listening to Others and Oneself through It ​ Since music is primarily a cultural phenomenon (because there is no culture without music and because every man possesses that subtle skill of significantly yet intuitively understanding music), whose essential feature is diversity (the plentitude, variety and coexistence of musical identities), the question that always imposes itself and now seems especially intriguing is when and how music moves us, or to what are we moved? In other words, if we model ourselves through music both as individuals and as participants in culture, and if in constructing musical traditions, we model the way culture is constructed by building the consensus of musical belief and commitment on which musical collaboration depends – the question that imposes itself is how does music give us a new identity today, which is both thoroughly other and fully ours, or to what extent people now tune their sense of self to (different) music (identities)? From a postmodern perspective, the basic work of culture is to construct subject positions, and the primary action of music in this era is not to express but to invite subjectivity. In this context, the general power of music to implant subjective states in the listener that are paradoxically both native and alien, is perceived using the work of Benjamin Yusupov as an example (his approach combines the specific cultural identities of various ethnic groups with different styles of art and popular Western music), primarily his Concerto for Viola and Orchestra / Viola Tango Rock Concerto (2003). ​ 1/1

​ Concert Portraits and Remembrance Marking of Holocaust Remembrance Day National Museum Belgrade 27. January 2019 ​ The Portraits and Remembrance concert is a significant part of the Rossi Fest program and is the only part of the festival that is constantly on the program of all festival editions. On the occasion of the World Day of Remembrance for Holocaust Victims, the program will consist of works made by young composers selected at the Competition for Composers: Portraits and Remembrance , as well as representative works composed by Jewish authors and historical works that correspond to the theme of the concert. ​ By participating in the Rossi Fest Competition Composers, young composers have the opportunity to contribute to the world's cultural heritage in the area of preserving memories of Holocaust victims and giving honor to those who opposed it, using historical literature and other sources as an inspiration or part of their compositions. The Artistic Committee of the festival selects the most representative performances for the concert each year. ​ This year, applications from countries around the world have been received (Luxembourg, Portugal, Croatia, Hungary, Iran, Mexico, Italy, Serbia, Uruguay, Kadana, Brazil, BiH, France, Israel, Russia, China, UK, South Africa, Armenia, Montenegro, USA, Ukraine), with nearly fifty compositions. The Artistic Committee of the Festival selected five pieces, from the following authors: Lazar Djordjevic (Serbia), Nina Perovic (Montenegro), Bracha Bdil (Israel), Ben Lunn (UK), and Guy Ben-Tov (Israel). In addition to the various chamber ensembles that will be presented to us that evening, the Jewish Chamber Orchestra, the Baruch Brothers Choir, and the Synagogal Ensemble Berlin will also take part in performing at the concert.​ ​ This year, the festival received entries from over twenty countries around the world from nearly fifty compositions, and the Artistic Committee of the Festival selected five compositions, from the following composers: Ben Lunn (UK), Bracha Bdil (Israel), Gay Ben-Tov (Israel), Nina Perovic (Montenegro) and Lazar Djordjevic (Serbia). Besides the Baruch Brothers Choir and Jewish Chamber Orchestra, Synagogal Ensemble Berlin and vocal soloists and musicians gathered in various instrumental ensembles and performed at the concert. The concert was conducted by Regina Yantian (Germany), Stefan Zekic, and Djordje Perovic. ​ 1/4 Ars Sonora - RTB 28. januar 2019 00:00 / 00:00 Nina Perovic Nina has completed her basic and specialist studies of composition at Music Academy in Cetinje in the class of professor Zark Mirkovic. She graduated piano in the class of Professor Alexander Serdar, and she completed her specialist studies in the class of Professor Vladimir Bockarjev. Thanks to the scholarship Basileus she continued her studies of composing at the Music Academy in Ljubljana, in the class of professor Uros Rojko, where she gained Master's degree. She completed her PhD studies in the class of professor Srdjan Hofman, at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. She has been studying at numerous courses abroad with renowned international composers such as Klaus Lang, Peter Ablinger, Georg Friedrich Has, Beat Furer, Dmitry Kourliandski, Vinko Globokar, Nigel Osborn and others. She is engaged as an associate in teaching and as a guest lecturer at the Music Academy of Cetinje.​ Withesses The text of this piece consists of two different and quite remote texts. The first one, that the piece is named after, is a testimony of German military doctor that served on Russian front, taken from Hannah Ardent`s Eichmann in Jerusalem , and is "among the very few subjectively sincere memoirs of its kind" (The New Yorker) and the second one is Mirko Banjević`s poem Nad sobom nevječnim . The musical material is systematically organized by the looks of a keyboard and the relationship between black and white keys, where the note `D` has the `main role`. The soprano interprets the text of the poem, while the narrator delivers the textual basis of the testimony. The diligence and the simplicity of the music material, as well as the meaning and relationship of the two texts, invite the listener for inner viewing of this problematics and ethical values of that time`s individuals and society, but also of the time we live in." Braha Bdil Bracha Bdil, composer and pianist, born in 1988, has a B.ed in Music Education from Levinsky College and a Master's degree in Music Education and Composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, led by Professor Andre Hajdu, o.b.m. and Professor Haim Permont. Bracha won the first prize in the Wolf Durmashkin Composition Award , Germany, the first prize in the Yardena Alotin Composition Competition , Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and a prize in the International Choral Writing Competition named after A.D Kastalsky – Moscow. Her repertoire includes orchestral music, chamber, vocal and electronic music, as well as music for dance and theatre. Her compositions have been performed around the world, including: China International Choir Festival - Beijing, Belt and Road World Choir Festival - Hong Kong, International Jewish-German Festival – Bavaria, Concert sponsored by the Russian Musical Union - Saint-Petersburg, The Schnittke Festival - Seratov-Russia, Société de Concerts de Montréal – Canada, and more. Bracha is a member of the Israel Composers' League and her works are often performed on Israeli stages and the Israeli radio. Starting from season 2018-9 Bracha has been appointed as artistic director and chief conductor of the women's Zmora orchestra in Jerusalem. Hayom "This day He causeth all the creatures of the universe to stand in judgment. Have mercy upon us, O Thou, who art tremendous, holy". (Jewish prayer book) The composition Hayom is for a Tenor and Horn. It is a soloist meditative composition which is performed entirely behind the scenes in a dark hall. The soloist tenor hums pentatonic decorated melodic lines that imitate ancient 'genesis' singing. Further on a horn joins in and imitates the tenor line like an echo and creates a dialogue with it. Further on the tenor sings the words of poetry which are said on Rosh-Hashanah. This day – mining the holly important day which G-d is judging all human beings for their past acts and determines their future, for good or for bad. The composition ends with a horn blast that connotes the blowing of the shofar – the Jewish symbol of that special day - Rosh Hashanah (the first day of the Jewish New Year) - the day that human being was created and is to be judged for his acts. Gaj Ben-Tov Guy Ben-Tov is an Israeli born composer-performer and video artist, currently residing and studying in Austria. The conflict between the absolute power bestowed upon the artist (composer/director) and the need for collaborators (performers/actors) to achieve an artistic vision, is currently a fundamental element in his aesthetic and moral approach to artmaking. Exploring a wider definition of the relations between performer and composer, in 2018 he formed Ungrateful Ambassadors , a composer/performer duo with Mathilde Vendramin. Currently finishing his Master’s degree in Composition and Music Theater at the Kunst Universität Graz under the guidance of Prof. Beat Furrer and Bernhard Lang. During various workshops, festivals and other musical activities he had the opportunity to study with Mark Andre, Matthew Shlomowitz, Dimitra Trypani, Jennifer Walshe, Klaus Lang, Hannes Seidl, Rebecca Saunders, Milica Djordjevic and Marco Blaauw. His pieces have been performed in Israel (Va’Yissa Meshallo Va’Yomar - Modalius Ensemble at the Israeli Music Festival ), Turkey (Zrima -Herzafen Ensemble in Ankara ), Germany (Ḥibur-חיבור in Darmstädter Ferienkurse 2018 ), Austria (YomoLedeT and Song of Food-ensemble B.i.R.D as part of Obsession Zeichnen an exhibition in the BRUSEUM, Neue Galerie, Graz), Greece, and Italy. Liebe Luise! for Voice, Classical Guitar, Clarinet, Piano, Cello and Contrabass The texts in the piece are from a letter written shortly after WW2 by a German friend of my great grandmother, telling her about the last days of her parents in the concentration before they were murdered. In this piece, I am trying through very limited use of the instruments to present memories as unreliable and the past as a fading image, the past can be remembered in various ways and there is never a single monolithic objective perspective. This is the first movement of a bigger project I'm working on, but it could also be performed as a self-contained piece. Ben Lun His music has been described as ‘Evocative’, ‘Restrained Otherwordliness’, ‘Chilling’, ‘sophisticated and most importantly obsessive’ or ‘produces…glorious roaring sounds’ and ‘desolate monotone’. He has also been referred to as a ‘Composer of life music’. Ben Lunn is a Mackem composer who studied in the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama under the guidance of Peter Reynolds, as well as studying in the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre with Marius Baranauskas. He has also received guidance from Param Vir. Since graduating from his Master’s he now resides in Glasgow, working in various elements including conducting, musicology, teaching and composing. His work has been featured in many leading international festivals including Vale of Glamorgan , London New Wind Festival , Druskomanija , Leeds Leider+ , Zilele Muzicale Aniversare , HASS FEST , Toronto Contemporary Music Lab , and Occupy the Pianos . He has had the privilege of working with leading international ensembles and soloists like N.A.M.E.S, Sofia Soloists, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Synaesthesis , Music Theatre Wales, Ligeti Quartet , OeNM, Ensemble X and Y, Nikolai Matsov, Rolf Hind, Francoise-Green Duo, Zubin Kanga, Martynas Levickis, JVLMA, and Jauna Muzika. Currently, he has been made an associate artist for Drake Music . And in October he was appointed Trainee Artistic Director of the Hebrides Ensemble . Ben Lunn is also featured in the British Music Collection and the British Council’s Disability Arts Online as a featured artist. He is published by Oriana Productions ​ T-4 for Violin, Cello, Alto Trombone, Motion Detection, and Electronics T-4 makes reference to the Nazi euthanasia programme where thousands of disabled people were sterilised, experimented on, and murdered simply for being seen as 'defective'. The piece constantly references names of some of those lost and parallels them with disabled people being killed as a result of the British government's austerity measures. In short, it asks have we learnt our lesson from the past or are we repeating the same horrific mistakes? Lazar Djordjevic Lazar Djordjevic was born in 1992 in Kragujevac. In 2010 he enrolled in basic academic studies of composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, in the class of Zoran Eric, a full-time professor. He is currently a student of the final year of doctoral academic studies. Lazar Đorđević was trained abroad by attending compositional workshops led by composers Peter Ablinger, Vinko Globokar, Stephen McNeff, Sidney Corbett, Johannes Kretz, Yann Robin... The compositions by Lazar Djordjevic were performed several times in the country and abroad. Apart from his own compositions, many of Djordjevic's orchestrations of other authors, as well as the works in the field of applied music, have been performed. For the composition Jednom sam negde čuo... for clarinet, accordion and string quartet (2016) he received an international award for the best composition at the contest New Serbian Music for the Accordion at the International Festival of Accordions Eufonija . He is a prize-winner from the Stevan Hristic Foundation in 2015 and Josip Slavenski Foundation in 2017. He is the author of the first Serbian concert for accordion and orchestra, premiered in 2017 at Novi Sad. Lazar Đorđević is currently employed as an assistant at the Department of Music Theory at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade. IV postcards from 1944 The inspiration for making this piece is the author`s first encounter with Bor`s Notebook (Bori notes ) of Miklós Radnóti. This "continuous lyric report on calvary and confrontation with calvary", as said by Aleksandar Tišma in the foreword, has its culmination in four postcards from 1944. The piece is written for a reciter and chamber ensemble consisting of flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, violin, viola and double bass, and the poetics of the piece is a result of the author`s exploring of sound colour and timbre of many years and of his constant search for the new means of expression. The form of the piece depicts in its four sections each of the four Radnóti`s postcards. Radnóti`s poem that is not a part of the postcards, but has made a strong impression of the author, appears as a leitmotif of the piece. Oratorio Todesfuge (Paul Celan), by Anna Segal Well known Israeli contemporary composer Anna Segal has extensive musical experience. She is working with different musical collectives and has been lucky to collaborate with the Berliner Symphonic Orchestra in Berlin and the great Israeli conductor Lior Shambadal. She composes music for orchestra, choir, quintet, suites, pieces for solo instruments, film scores as well as music for children. One of her latest pieces has been focussed around the Holocaust. She wanted to create something important that, in artistic form, will tell the world more about this tragedy. By chance, a friend drew her attention to the poetry of Paul Celan. And the jigsaw puzzle was completed. The poem is in narrative form and is from the perspective of the persecuted Jewish people. The poem begins with a very bright image – “black milk…” The white milk in Celan´s poetry turns black, symbolic of the world turning over to pain and horror. The obsessive repetition of those lines being the only thing left when all capacity to think is lost in the darkness. Celan’s poem does not have a happy end, and it cannot be in that situation, so Anna Segal decided to take a line from another well-known Celan’s poem Tenebrae for the end of this composition. In the final lines, the Jewish people ascend to “heaven”, they are next to the Lord. It seems to her that this is a symbolic end, so the last passage sound in major, as a symbol of hope and forgiveness. When this musical piece was finished, Anna Segal played it to her grandmother Frida, who survived the Holocaust. She could not listen to the end, tears welling in her eyes. The Israeli composer will dedicate the premiere of Todesfuge at the festival to her grandmother. Anna Segal´s personal interpretation of Paul Celan´s poem is taking the listener on a journey into the memory of the Jewish people. The music is giving the poetry of Celan colour and maybe a new life. Synagogal Ensemble Berlin The ensemble consists of eight to twelve singers who work as freelance soloists or belong to the Berlin opera choirs. The Synagogal Ensemble Berlin is the only ensemble in the world that brings the liturgy of Louis Lewandowski to music every Friday night, Shabbat morning and on all Jewish holidays. In his concerts with the Synagogal Ensemble Berlin, Cantor Isaac Sheffer brings this unique Jewish-German tradition into the world, with compositions by other great composers of the 19th century such as Salomon Sulzer and Samuel Naumbourg as well as from the 20th century such as Kurt Weill, Maurice Ravel, Ben Steinberg, Meir Finkelstein and others. The ensemble performs again and again in Poland, England and France. Regina Yantian, director of the Synagogal Ensemble Berlin Already at the age of 12, Regina Yantian became interested in organ music. At the age of fifteen, she began her education as an organist and choirmaster and subsequently studied comparative musicology and Jewish studies in Jerusalem and Berlin. Since 1998 she is organist and choirmaster of the synagogue Pestalozzistraße in Berlin-Charlottenburg. For many years Yantian sang herself in the synagogue choir and got her artistic impulses through her work with Cantor Estrongo Nachama. She is also the director of the Synagogue Ensemble Berlin, which is known far beyond the borders of Berlin. Yantian is particularly proud of her latest project: since 2011 she has been Artistic Director of the Louis Lewandowski Festival, inviting synagogue choirs from all over the world to dedicate themselves to Louis Lewandowski's tradition. As part of the cultural program, the municipalities have two programs to choose from European and American Synagogal Music of the 19th and 20th Century and Jewish songs from Eastern Europe and Israel. Jewish chamber orcest Jewish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2012 by Ladislav Mezei in cooperation with B'nei B'rit lodge of Serbia. The members of the orchestra are professional musicians of Jewish descent and their friends. The JCO's primary purpose is to present the music of Jewish composers, as well as the others, whose written work was inspired by Jewish themes. Their interpretations are related to tradition, culture and history of Jewish community of Serbia. Hor Braća Baruh The Baruch Brothers Choir from Belgrade was established as the Serbian-Jewish Singers Society in 1879, with the goal of cherishing and performing the cultural and artistic heritage and tradition of the Jewish people which lives in these parts. The Society changed its name in 1952 to the current name in commemoration of the three brothers from the progressive revolutionary Jewish family of Baruch, members of the resistance movement who were killed during the pogroms of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. Joshua Jacobson (Boston, USA), conductor and a renowned researcher in the field of Jewish music, has concluded that this choir is the oldest active Jewish choir in the world. From the year of its foundation until today, the choir has held numerous concerts and participated in many competitions and festivals in the former Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Choral Festivities in Nish, Mokranjac’s Days in Negotin, BEMUS, BELEF, Choirs among the Frescoes in Belgrade and others), as well as abroad (Israel, USA, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, the Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, UK and others). Among the most important performances of the choir, we would like to mention the concert in Carnegie Hall in 1978, as well as the attendance of our choir on numerous occasions at the most important Jewish choir festival Zimriya in Jerusalem. Our ensemble has gradually perfected its performance under the conductorship of the most eminent conductors and composers of our country (S. S. Mokranjac, J. Marinković, S. Hristić, B. Babić, B. Pašćan, A. S. Vujić, et al.), having gained under their guidance a high level of artistic interpretation and superb discipline in stage performance. The repertory of the choir consists of representative works of musical literature from both Jewish and Serbian composers, as well as all the most important works of the classical choir repertory of all styles and epochs and the works of modern composers. The Baruch Brothers Choir has been awarded two times for the cultural affirmation of its country by the presidency of Serbia, and in the past five years, the choir won many significant awards. The choir’s admirable success was largely achieved by the contribution of its conductor, Stefan Zekic, and the president, Branka Cvejic - Mezei. Mina Gligorić, soprano Rođena je 1993. godine u Šapcu. Osnovne i master studije solo pevanja završila je na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu u klasi prof. Katarine Jovanović sa najvišom ocenom. Proglašena je za najboljeg studenta u akademskoj 2014/2015. godini. Višestruki je dobitnik nagrada na takmičenjima Nikola Cvejić, Srpska solo pesma, laureat na takmičenju Lazar Jovanović. Pored mnogih koncerata koje je organizovao Fakultet, ističe se učešće na Dunav festu, Rosi festu, a kao uspešnog studenta je nagrađuju Centar lepih umetnosti Guarnerius i Narodna biblioteka Srbije. U oblasti barokne muzike usavršavala se sa prof. Erihom Trakslerom sa Univerziteta umetnosti u Beču, sa Evelin Tab, a u okviru Barokne austrijske akademije sa Kristijanom Hilcom, Robertom Mameli i Marinom Bartoli. Na ovom kursu postaje stipendista za 2017. godinu. Izabrana je da bude polaznik majstorske radionice Vladimira Redkina, soliste Baljšoj teatra, i Dejvida Gaulenda, umetničkog direktora programa za mlade u Royal Opera House. Trenutno je polaznik Operskog studija Narodnog pozorišta, honorarni saradnik pozorišta Madlenianum i Duško Radović. Vuk Zekić, bariton Diplomirao je na odseku za solo pevanje na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu u Klasi profesora Nikole Kitanovskog. Od 2001. godine angažovan je kao stalni solista hora Braća Baruh sa kojim redovno nastupa na svim značajnim koncertima, festivalima i takmičenjima u zemlji i inostranstvu (Italija, Slovenija, Austrija, Mađarska, Švajcarska, Španija...). Kao solista je učestvovao i u snimanju dva CD-a za hor Braća Baruh izvodeći dela srpskih, jevrejskih i svetski poznatih autora. Po završetku studija pevanja dobio je nagradu Fakulteta muzičke umetnosti za najperspektivnijeg mladog pevača sa najvišom prosečnom ocenom u svojoj generaciji. Pored brojnih nagrada koje je osvojio tokom školovanja, dobitnik je i specijalne nagrade na Međunarodnom takmičenju operskih pevača Citta' di Alcamo (Italija, 2008. godine) koju mu je dodelio žiri u sastavu Richard Bonynge, Joan Sutherland, Lella Cuberli. U okviru operskog studija Narodnog pozorišta tumačio je uloge Marčela (Boemi) i Enrika (Lučija od Lamermura), kao i u praizvedbi Pučinijeve opere Il Tabarro, u ulozi Mikelea. Od 2010. godine je solista u Narodnom pozorištu u Beogradu. Simonida Rodić, flauta Završila je doktorske akademske studije (2015), specijalizaciju (2010) i diplomirala (2009) na studijskom programu za flautu na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu, u klasi profesora Ljubiše Jovanovića. Master studije i specijalizaciju za instrument Pikola završila je u Norveškoj na Univerzitetu u Stavangeru, u klasi profesora Vidara Austvika. Dobitnica je mnogih stipendija i nagrada na festivalima, republičkim i međunarodnim takmičenjima. Redovno nastupa kao solista i kamerni muzičar u zemlji i inostranstvu. Nikola Ðurica, klarinet Kada je kao petogodišnjak, prvi put čuo i video klarinet, rekao je: "Hoću to da sviram!” U periodu od 2003-2006 uzima 14 specijanlih nagrada (100 od 100 poena) I 9 prvih nagrada. U Septembru 2006 sa svojih nepunih 15 godina odlazi u Ameriku gde nastavlja srednju skolu u prestiznoj (Interlochen Arts Academy- Michigan USA) Nikola je bio vukovac, nastavio je svoje studije sa Pr. Franklin Cohen na “Cleveland Institute of Music” u Klivlendu/Ohio. Od leta 2012 Nikola postaje profesor na Internacionalom Festivalu Kamerne muzike u Pragu po imenu AMEROPA, Sa svojom 21 godinom Nikola diplomira sa cistim desetkama i nastavlja svoj put dalje u Japan. Po njegovom povratku u Beograd on je oformio Duo Gitarinet sa kolegom gitaristom – Mirkom Dimitrijevic. Gitarinet je pobednik na RTS emisiji “Najbolji Orkestar Srbije”. Od Novembra 2016, Nikola postaje kljucni deo Jazz Improvising Orkestra pod imenom “Stegreif” – Berlin Nemacka. Kao lider duvacke sekcije u ovom kamernom orkestru Nikola je svirao desetine koncertnih turneja u 2017 i 2018 godini. Nikola Ulemek, bas klarinet ​Nikola Ulemek rođen je u Beogradu 1989. god. Osnovnu muzičku školu , OMŠ “Stanislav Binički” , završio je u klasi prof. Nenada Ivanovića, srednju školu , SMŠ “Davorin Jenko“ u klasi prof. Ljubiše Jovanovića, a osnovne i master studijezavrsio je na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu kodprof. Ante Grgina, sa prosekom od 10.00 . Pohađao je master klasove Ljubiše Jovanoviće, Jan JakubaBokuna, Dr. Stephanie Zelnick, Ante Grgina, Aleksandra Tasica, Pol Majera, Bruno Di Girolamo-a, Milan Reriche, Mate Bekavca, Jonatan Cohler-a i Rocco Parisi-a. Od 2010 do 2018. godine radio kao profesor klarineta u muzičkoj školi „Vatroslav Lisinski“,a po pozivu nastupa kao bas klarinetista u Simfonijskom orkestru RTS-a i Beogradskoj Filharmoniji. Artist je firme Heni Semer Paris. U julu 2013. godine je učestvovao na festivalu „ClarinetFest“ u Asiziju (Italija) , a u decembru 2014. na 4tom Evropskom Klarinetskom Kongresu u Katovicama (Poljska). Katarina Popović, horna Katarina Popović je rođena u Beogradu 1989. godine. Počela je da uči hornu u Muzičkoj školi ,,Stanković’’, gde je takođe završila nižu muzičku školu za klavir i solo pevanje, pa i srednju školu na odseku teorije muzike. 2010. ona diplomira hornu u klasi profesora Miloša Đorđevića i polaže prijemni na Univerzitetu Muzičke Umetnosti u Beogradu, gde je u klasu prima prof.Milan Radić, kod koga završava osnovne akademske studije 2014. godine. iste godine upisuje master studije kod prof. Milana Radića. Katarina je svirala u brojnim orkestarima i redovno pohađa stručne seminare. ​U Narodnom pozorištu u Beogradu od 2010., radi kao honorarni član u orkestru. Pozvana je i kao gost u Banjalučku Filharmoniju od 2011.; bila je stalan honorarni član simfonijskog orkestra radio televizije Srbije od 2012. – 2017.; Sa svojim bras kvintetom osvojila je Laureat na festivalu kamerne muzike u Pančevu. Mina Mendelson, koncertmajstor Rođena je u Beogradu. Doktorirala umetničke studije violine na FMU u Beogradu, u klasi red. prof. Fern Rašković. Usavršavala se kod profesora: David Takeno, Sabinne Grollmus, Stephan Baratdue, Sreten Krstić i Mateja Marinković. Gostovala je u brojnim gradovima Srbije i inostranstva (Kina, Turska, Holandija, Velika Britanija, Francuska, Nemačka, Mađarska, Bugarska, Hrvatska, Crna Gora, Makedonija). Kao solista sarađivala je sa Niškim simfonijskim orkestrom, BGO Dušan Skovran, Kamernim ansamblom Mokranjac, Gudačima Svetog Đorđa, Jevrejskim kamernim orkestrom, Orkestrom Univerziteta u Zhuhaiu (Kina) i sa dirigentima: Nelson Leong, dr Suzana Kostić, dr Milena Injac, Stefan Zekić, Vesna Šouc i Obrad Nedeljković. Na Fakultetu umetnosti u Nišu zaposlena je od 2003. godine i trenutno je vanredni profesor violine na Katedri za gudačke instrumente. Nemanja Marjanović, viola Nemanja Marjanovic je rodjen 1976. godine u Beogradu. Doplomirao je i Magistrirao na fakultetu Muzicke Umetnosti u Beogradu, u klasi Prof. Dejana Mladjenovica, a trenutno je student Doktorskih studija na Univerzitetu Umetnosti u Beogradu. Postdiplomske studije je zavrsio i u Madridu, na visokoj skoli za muziku Kraljica Sofia (Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia), u klasi renomiranog svetskog solo violiste, Gerard Caussea (Zerar Kosea), u cijoj klasi je Magistrirao kao student generacije na katedri, i primio licno diplomu od NJenog Kraljevskog Visocanstva Rrine Sofie. Trenutno deluje kao Docent na Fakultetu Muzicke Umetnosti u Beogradu, i na Akademiji Umjetnosti u Banja Luci,na katedri za gudacke instrumente na odseku viola. Ladislav Mezei, violončelo Redovni profesor na Katedri za kamernu muziku Fakulteta muzičke umetnosti Univerziteta umetnosti u Beogradu, na kojem je završio diplomske i poslediplomske studije, nakon čega se dodatno usavršavao na Muzičkoj Akademiji Ferenc Liszt, u Budimpešti. Bogata umetnička biografija gospodina Mezei uključuje dve sezone na poziciji solo čeliste Sarajevske opere i filharmonije, mesto stalnog člana Beogradske filharmonije i poziciju vođe grupe violončela (1975–2004), solističke nastupe sa Vojvođanskim simfoničarima, Simfonijskim orkestrom RTS i orkestrom Vojske Jugoslavije, kao i poziciju soliste i člana baroknog ansambla Muzika florida i Akademskog kamernog ansambla Jeunesse musicale, dok su naročito zapaženi i njegovi nastupi na solo resitalima širom prostora bivše Jugoslavije. Osnivač je Jevrejskog kamernog orkestra sa kojim je ostvario veliki broj koncerta. Miladin Stojković, kontrabas Osnovne i master studije zavrsio je na Fakultetu muzicke umetnosti u kalsi profesora Nebojse Ignjatovica. Saradjivao je sa kamernim orkestrom Orfej, Camerata Serbica, Camerata Pancevo, ansamblom Beogradski barok, Simfonijskim orkestrom RTS. Od 2013. godine predaje kontrabas u muzickoj skoli Dr Vojislav Vuckovic. Igor Dražević, klavir Igor Dražević (1989) je završio osnovne i master studije je klavira u klasi prof. Dubravke Jovičić. Trenutno je na završnoj godini doktorskih studija na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu, odsek klavir, u klasi prof. Aleksandra Šandorova. Usavršavao se kod istaknutih profesora klavira: Svetlane Bogino, Vladimira Ugarkova, Aleksandra Serdara, Nevene Popović, Jokut Mihajlović, Arbo Valdme, Aleksandre Romanić, Natalije Trul i Siavuša Gadžijeva. Dobitnik je brojnih nagrada na domaćim i međunarodnim takmičenjima. Kao solista i kamerni muzičar radi na promovisanju u očuvanju muzičkog stvaralaštva domaćih autora širom Srbije i u inostranstvu. Učestvovao je na festivalima savremene muzike kao što su ,,ReConstruction” (2017), ,,KoMA” (2017, 2018), Rostrum+ (2018.) Milana Benedek, gitara Započinje muzičko obrazovanje u muzičkoj školi “Vatroslav Lisinski” u klasi prof. Gorana Popovića. Srednju muzičku školu završava u klasi prof. Aleksandra Hadži-Đorđevića. Školovanje nastavlja na Fakultetu muzičke umetnosti u Beogradu u klasi prof. Vere Ogrizović gde završava i master studije. Trenutno radi kao profesor gitare u muzičkoj školi „Vatroslav Lisinski“.