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  • Open call for composers | Rossi Fest

    ​ portraits and remembrance Theme of the Call refers to the culture of remembrance of the World War II, Holocaust victims and the Righteous Among the Nations. Emerging composers have the opportunity to give their contribution to world heritage, by composing works based on historical, literary or other sources, as well as personal stories, deeds and events during World War II. ​ This way Rossi Fest aims to encourage the young artists to research and interpret the historical events in their own personal way and to give an important contribution to the remembrance culture of the Holocaust. ​ ​ PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR THE SELECTED COMPOSERS The festival's Artistic Committee will select up to 7 pieces to be included in the Rossi Fest 2023 Programme. The composers whose pieces are selected will be provided with: Active contribution in music and stage rehearsals with performers and stage director Performance of the compositions as part of the concert Portraits and Remembrance Audio and video recording of the performance Media support and promotion Accommodation Certificate of participation in the festival ​ ​ CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION​ The Call is open to students of Composition and composers not older than 35 year of age. The work should fit the theme of the Portraits and Remembrance as explained above. Length of the work: up to 8 minutes. The piece should be written for the ensemble Aratos Trio - violin, clarinet, and piano In this edition the advantage is given to works that are inspired by the life experience and letters of Hilda Dajč. Letters can be downloaded here . In accordance with the theme of the concorso (letters by Hilda Dajč), soloists can be added: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritones, or reciter; as well as: tape, electronics, ambient sounds, etc.* ​can be added ​ * Kindly contact us if you have any further information regarding the options for performing ensemble. ​ ​ ​ APPLICATION PROCESS The application is done by submitting the Application form, click here to apply. In order to apply it is needed to provide a short biography with the information about the education, prizes and awards, and professional activities, a high resolution headshot, score of the piece, and the artistic explanation for it. Call timeline: Opening: October July 10th 2022 Application deadline : November 10th, 2022 Announcement of the results: December 31st, 2022 Rehearsal period: 23-26 January 2023 Concert Portraits and Remembrance, the announcement of the winners, and the awards ceremony: 27 January 2023 ANY QUESTIONS? If you have any questions regarding the Call and the Festival, do not hesitate to write to us via the contact form on the website or by email (contact@rossifest.com ). ​

  • Adi choir in Novi Sad | Rossi Fest 2018

    Jewish music from all around the world, concert of the choir Adi Synagogue of Novi Sad 25. January 2018. ​ Along with the Belgrade audience, the Novi Sad audience also had the chance to enjoy listening to one of the concerts from the Rossi Fest 2018 program - a concert of Adi Young Israeli Chor, named Jewish music from all around the world, held in a wonderful Synagogue of Novi Sad. ​ Adi , Young Israeli Choir The Adi Choir was founded in 2006 and has 24 young singers, who are graduates of children's choirs, music schools, and academies. Since 2009 the choir has been led by its conductor and musical director, Oded Shomrony, and is sponsored by The New Israeli Vocal Ensemble and its musical director, Yuval Ben-Ozer. The choir's repertoire includes a variety of styles ranging from Medieval music to contemporary pop music while performing a-cappella music stands at the top of their priority. The choir has participated in many projects with various choirs and orchestras from Israel and abroad. The choir performs in a subscription series of Orchestras and various a cappella programs at HaMishkan LeOmanuyot HaBama (Tel-Aviv Opera House), Abu Ghosh Festival, the Jerusalem Music Centre, the Tel Aviv Museum of the Arts, the Felicja Blumental Music Center and the Mormon University in Jerusalem. The choir has also taken part in the performances and recordings of The Music is the Thing with Yoni Rechter, Yehudit Ravitz, Rona Kenan, and Shlomi Shaban. In the summer of 2013, the choir was invited to Serbia to perform in Belgrade and to represent Israel in the Music Edict International Festival, held in Niš. ​ Oded Shomrony, Conductor of the Adi Choir Oded Shomrony studied piano, voice, and violin. He has earned his master's degree in conducting from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Mr. Shomrony turned to conducting at the age of seventeen, serving as an assistant conductor at the International Opera Workshop in Tel Aviv. Since then, he has acted as a conductor of the Moran Singers ensemble and musical director of both, the Open Concert Project and the Thalamus vocal quartet. He is currently chief conductor of the Jerusalem Oratorio Choir, the musical director of the Choral Fantasy in Jerusalem Festival, and the baritone of the Thalamus quartet. Mr. Shomrony has conducted numerous orchestras, including the Israel Camerata Jerusalem and the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and as of 2004, he has been teaching (counterpoint, harmony, ear training, and choral conducting) at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. ​ ​ 1/1

  • Portraits and Remembrance | Rossi Fest

    Concert: Portraits and Remembrance Thursday, January 27th Rossi Fest YouTube Channel , 20PM (GMT +1) ​ ​ ​ Portraits and Remembrance represent one of the main program features of Rossi Fest. This concert, which is held every January 27th, marking the World Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a result of the Open Call for Young Composers we have founded from the first edition of the festival. Over the years, it has been a pleasure to receive applications of young composers from all around the world, who expressed their personal perspectives on the topic of the holocaust. For the Rossi fest 2022 Program seven pieces by composers from five different countries were selected by the festival Artistic committee and will be recorded and performed as part of the festival program. Authors will mostly attend the rehearsals of their pieces live online, while the Portraits and Remembrance concert will be screened online on Rossi Fest YouTube channel on January 27th at 20h (GMT +1). Aside from that, the composers will introduce us more with their pieces in short video-presentations, which will be screened prior to the performance of their pieces. ​ This year our program for young composers is joined by the musicologist, Bojana Radovanović, whose interviews with the selected composers of this year's Open Call will be soon available at the festival website. ​ Update: Given the current Covid19 situation, performance of pieces by Marko Karanfilovski, Otto Wanke and Gil Dori will have to be rescheduled - new performance date will be announced soon. Pieces by Carmel Curiel, Jorge Andres, Chesney Palmer and Pavel Nesit will be performed, as originally scheduled, on Rossi Fest YouTube Channel, on January 27th, 20 PM (GMT +1). ​ ​ ​ Program: Marko Karanfilovski: Forced march Otto Wanke: Paths...Shadows Jorhe Andrés Ballesteros: First they came... Carmel Curiel: Is there anything sadder than a train Gil Dori: by my death... II Chesney Palmer: In the Spaces, I still remember (2021) Pavel Nesit: 1396, for alto saxophone, snare drum and cymbal ​ Performers: Radan Jovanović, conducturo Mina Mendelson, violin Jelena Španović, flaute Mihajlo Samoran, clarinet Aleksandar Radulović, percussions Ivan Marjanović, percussions Marko Bogdanovic, piano Marina Popović, viola Ladislav Mezei, violoncello Jasmina Vrbanić, violoncello Boban Stošić, double bass Nikola Macura, saxophone Predrag Nedeljković, bass clarinet Vuk Zekić, baritone Evgenija Jeremić, soprano Tatiana Ivković, narator ​ Photography and video production: Tamara Stojanović Dejan Đurašinović Staniša Stojanović ​ Audio production: Marko Perić ​ ​ Marko Karanfilovski: Forced march The piece Forced march is composed on the text of the poem of the same name, by Hungarian poet of Jewish descent, Miklós Radnóti. The poet spent a part of WWII in the copper mine in the city of Bor, which was used as a concentration camp at the time. During the forced labor Radnóti wrote poems that were found in the pocket of his pants after the exhumation and later published under the title Bor Notebook. I find Radnóti`s poetry and the story of him very personal, given that I am a native of Bor. Ensemble: clarinet, piano, drum / tambour, baritone, cello; Marko Kranfilovski was born in Bor, Serbia in 1994. He gained his BA (2017) and MA (2019) Degrees in Composition at the Faculty of Music of the University of Arts in Belgrade, under prof. Tatjana Milošević Mijanović. He attended masterclasses by distinguished composers, such as Ivo Medek, Dimitris Andrikopoulos and Yinam Leef. His pieces were performed in numerous concerts and festivals in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and USA. He also writes music for short films, theater plays and commercials. Otto Wanke: Paths...Shadows My chamber ensemble piece Paths...Shadows is based on compiled phrases from Antonina Żabińska’s diary Ludzie i zwierzęta (released in 1968) and from Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio written in the early 14th century. Both highly contrasting text sources were merged into a text collage, which shows connecting lines between two different stories in different times as well as between Dante’s mystical world and real-life of Żabińska. Ensemble: flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, piano, soprano, violin, cello; Otto Wanke has undertaken a series of musical studies: first jazz composition in Prague, later classical, film, and electroacoustic composition – under Karlheinz Essl, Iris ter Schiphorst, Wolfgang Liebhart in Vienna. Recently I have been active as a performer of electroacoustic music, working as a soloist as well as in cooperation with other musicians. In 2018 I was employed as an assistant at the Department of Ethnomusicology at the Music university of Vienna and I started doing a Ph.D. program. Jorge Andrés Ballesteros : First they came... First they came... is a somber meditation on Martin Niemöller's famous poem about the cowardice of many members of German society during the rise of the Nazis that led to the Holocaust. The ensemble tries to maintain unity, but bit by bit the instruments shy away from each other when the texture threatens them. One by one, their voices are cut short with each line of the poem, until only silence is left. Ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello; Jorge Andrés Ballesteros is a composer and speaker based in Boston. A polystylist, his works center on classical music vernacular but include a range of musical styles. He is regularly commissioned to create projects and original works that engage with issues facing the community. He has written for groups such as the Chattanooga Symphony and the Mozart Society Orchestra. He received his BA in Music from Harvard University, where he studied with Chaya Czernowin, Edgar Barroso, and Trevor Bača. Carmel Curiel: Is there anything sadder than a train Primo Levi is one of the cultural heroes of the Jewish history of the Holocaust. He deals in his writing with the human qualities he attributes to man which were taken from him during the Holocaust. In his poem Monday, he makes a jarring comparison of the sadness in the existence of the train and of the horse to the sadness in the existence of a man, showing a man is deprived of his humanity.In my work, I referred to the transition from the mechanics to the humanity that exists in the poem - from the metal- rhythmic train, to the horse, walking at the pace dictated to it and to the man who is perceived as having free choice. I also referred to the rhythmic process in the poem - from the fast train that doesn't stop to the static, lonely person, who has no purpose to go towards. Ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, cello; Carmel Curiel (b.1998, Israel) is a composer and a violinist. She is a student at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, with Prof. Yinam Leef. Carmel received the Sharett Foundation excellence scholarship in composition. She won the 1st prize in the Israeli Composers Competition, and at Mark Kopytman Composition Contest. 2nd prize at Klon Award for emerging composers. Her pieces were played by the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, Iineraire Ensemble, I.C.S Quartet, Mivos Quartet, Meitar Ensemble, etc. Gil Dori: by my death... II by my death... II is a standalone movement from a larger work that is the creative culmination of my doctoral research into representations of the Holocaust in music. It features two poems by Julia Kolchinsky: Inheritance and Away From Babi Yar. Both reflect on a personal story and relay the general narrative of Holocaust victims. The piece deals with the culture of remembrance of the Holocaust between tradition and innovation, past and future, and extermination and resurrection. Ensemble: violin, reciter, live electronics; Gil Dori is interested in interactive electronic music, graphic notation, proportional procedures, and Jewish music. In addition to his artistic work, Gil is a co-founder of the EyeHarp Association, a cooperative start-up that develops accessible digital instruments, based in Barcelona, Spain. He also teaches online computer music and sound design classes at Ben-Gurion University and Sapir Academic College, Israel. Gil holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University. Chesney Palmer: In the Spaces, I still remember In the Spaces, I still remember is a work for submission to Portraits of Remembrance (2022) based on The Six Righteous Among the Nations in Auschwitz. It serves as a contribution to the memory of these beautiful human beings that sought to preserve life among their communities. The narration provokes powerful imagery of a terrible time that the world will not soon forget. In keeping the memory alive of these courageous few we hope history will teach us how to be better. Ensemble: Bb clarinet, violin, cello, double bass, piano, 2 percussionists: tubular bells, vibraphone, glockenspiel; Chesney Palmer is a pianist, clarinetist, and emerging composer from South Africa with a keen interest in abstraction theories and the links between visual abstract art and music. As a synesthete, he uses his multi-associative experiences to explore abstract art in a personal way that emphasizes textures, shapes, and sounds in music. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. under Lukas Ligeti. Pavel Nesit: 1396, for alto saxophone, snare drum and cymbal With my composition I want to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Roma Holocaust. I was looking for inspiration, among other things, when visiting the memorial of the concentration camp in Hodonín near Kunštát. It brought me appalling testimonies of human suffering and fundamentally affected my composition. For example, the rhythm of a small drum is supposed to evoke the beating stereotype of slave labor. The number 1396 is the number of prisoners who were in Hodonín. Ensemble: alto saxophone, snare drum, cymbal; Pavel Nesit was born in 1997 in Ostrava, where he also studied composition at the conservatory, under Milan Báchorek and Michal Janošík. Currently he is studying composition for fourth year at the Prague Academy of Music in the class of doc. Ph.D MgA. Slavomír Hořínka. In his current work, I prefer to work with limited compositional material and I focus on improving the purity of his compositional language. He has written a number of compositions for various ensembles (solo, choral, chamber or orchestral) and music for theater and film. 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.

  • Final concert of the Opera singing masterclass | Rossi Fest 2018

    ​ ​ 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

  • Opera | Bastien and Bastienne | Rossi Fest

    Opera: Bastien and Bastienne W. A. Mozart Sunday, January 24 National Theatre in Belgrade, Raša Plaović Stage, 19h ​ Rossi Fest is organizing a charity event for children and youth, in cooperation with the National Theatre in Belgrade – an opera performance of Bastien and Bastienne. This initiative aims to raise awareness of the importance of music in childhood education and also to enable children to express their creative potential. One of the shortest operas written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one-act singspiel Bastien and Bastienne, was composed when he was only 12 years old and it is one of Mozart’s earliest operas. It was commissioned from young Mozart by an eccentric Viennese physician dr Franz Mesmer in 1768. ​ Bastien and Bastienne, one of Mozart’s first operas, is ideal for introducing young audiences to the opera genre and therefore adapted into an interactive play for children. Bastien and Bastienne are engaged in love games created by Kolas, and to prove their mutual affection they even use social networks, which make them bond closer and drift apart simultaneously. Another participant in the game is also Kolina, who watches the play with the audience and reveals the secrets of opera to them. This libretto adaptation aims to make it contemporary for children and young people and introduce the opera genre to younger audiences with educational content through the character Kolina. ​ How will this love story end? Is the magic of Kolas strong enough to reconcile the lovers after a quarrel? Or, perhaps, magic is not necessary for true love? Director - Ana Grigorović Conductor - Stefan Zekić Scenograf - Jasna Saramandić Kostim - Katarina Grčić Nikolić Bastienne - Mina Gligorić Bastien - Siniša Radin Colas - Miloš Milojević Collina - Bojana Bambić Mrs First violin - Edit Makedonska Mrs Second violin - Snežana Dragićević Mr Viola - Mirko Crnojević Mr Cello - Siniša Jovanović Mrs Oboa - Marija Lazić Mrs Piano - Nada Matijević

  • Summer Opera Academy 22 | Rossi Fest

    ​ SUMMER OPERA ACADEMY August 20-27, 2024, Belgrade ​ Rossi Fest Summer Opera Academy is dedicated to presenting and promoting opera to domestic and international audiences and educating young opera professionals. The fourth edition of the academy will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's death with a performance of the opera "Suor Angelica" and celebrate the 145th anniversary of the founding of the Braća Baruh Choir with a concert as part of the European Days of Jewish Culture. ​ One of the festival's key goals is the development and enhancement of the professional skills of young opera artists in line with global standards. This year, the Summer Opera Academy offers young singers the opportunity to attend a masterclass with Metropolitan Opera soprano Olga Makarina and work with conductors Adi Bar Soria (Israel) and Stefan Zekić. ​ The program includes: Intensive stage and music rehearsals for the production of Giacomo Puccini's opera "Suor Angelica." Individual online sessions with Olga Makarina. Work with conductors Adi Bar Soria and Stefan Zekić. Acting workshop "Character Through Action" – creating a character through active stage presence, led by director Ana Grigorović (National Theatre in Belgrade). Stage production with an orchestra for the "Suor Angelica" opera at the Madlenianum Theatre. Media coverage of performances (post-production, interviews, etc.). Professional video and audio recordings of the performances. Professional photographs of all events, including rehearsals. ​ Application and Information: The application is free of charge. Application deadline: September 3, 2024. Participation fee: 800€ Rossi Fest offers special scholarships to the most talented young singers from Serbia. ​ For more information, contact us at: contact@rossifest.org . ​ ​ ​ ​ Artistic team: Adi Bar Soria conductor, vocal coach Stefan zekić conductor Ana Grigorović director Ana Grigorović director Opera Sestra Anđelika 27. Septembar 2024., Beograd Radnja Pučinijeve opere Sestra Anđelika odvija se u strogom katoličkom samostanu, gde mlada plemkinja Anđelika, poslata zbog vanbračne trudnoće, prolazi kroz duboku unutrašnju dramu. Njena priča osvetljava univerzalne teme majčinstva, gubitka i ženske sudbine, naglašavajući društvena očekivanja prema ženama. ​ Kroz emotivnu muziku, Pučini prikazuje Anđelikin svet ispunjen tugom i čežnjom za sinom kojeg nikada nije videla. Prelomni trenutak nastupa kada joj tetka saopštava da je njen sin preminuo, što Anđeliku vodi ka tragičnoj odluci da sebi oduzme život u nadi da će se u smrti ponovo ujediniti sa njim. ​ Priča o magdalenskim vešernicama, ustanovama gde su žene suočene sa brutalnim posledicama društvenih normi, naglašava kako su društveni pritisci oblikovali sudbine mnogih žena. Veza između Anđelikinog slučaja i tih žena ukazuje na večiti sukob između slobode izbora i društvenih očekivanja. ​ Iako smeštena u 17. vek, Pučinijeva drama odjekuje i danas, reflektujući pritiske sa kojima se žene suočavaju u vezi s majčinstvom, karijerom i ličnom slobodom. Anđelikin tragičan kraj postavlja pitanja o ceni koju žene plaćaju za svoju slobodu, podsećajući nas na važnost borbe za prava žena i njihovo mesto u društvu. ​ Sestra Anđelika nije samo priča o jednoj ženi, već univerzalna poruka o ženskoj borbi za pravo da same odlučuju o svojoj sudbini. Đakomo Pučini SESTRA ANĐELIKA Opera u jednom činu Libreto Đovakino Forcano Dirigent Stefan Zekić Reditelj Ana Grigorović Scenograf Dunja Kostić Korišćeni elementi dekora predstave Miholjsko leto (scenograf Vesna Popović) Kostimograf Katarina Grčić Nikolić Dizajn svetla Vlado Marinkovski Sestra Anđelika Jelena Radovanović Kneginja, Anđelikina tetka Martina Koljenšić Nastojnica samostana Nataša Rašić Učiteljica novih iskušenica Vera Zečević Sestra Đenovjeva Tamara Ružić Sestra bolničarka Nevena Matić Sestra Dolčina Sara Kržalić Sestre milosnice Iskra Sretović, Hristina Stanković Preobraćenice Simona Đurović, Jana Maksimović Sestra Osmina Angelina Grieko Sestra Lučila Lara Perić Iskušenice Emilija Vidicki, Anastasija Mitrović, Katarina Stajčić Anđelikino dete Avram Zekić Deca Zara Šoljaga, Mitra Šoljaga, Lea Zekić, Aleksandar Vujičić, Lucia Ravlić, Miljana Komatina ​ Hor Braća Baruh ​ Koncertmajstor Vesna Jansens Binsku muziku vodi Anastasija Mitrović Inspicijent Jovana Gavrilović Prevod libreta Ana Bunjak ​ ​ Gala koncert ​ Program: ​Avinu Malekinu ar. Maks Janovski ​ Supplication Iz ciklusa Jevrejski život Ernest Bloh ​ Baal schem 2. Nigun Ernest Bloh ​ Sefardske pesme 1. Skalerica de oro 2. Adio querida 4. En la mar Prema pevanju Jagode Flori Zapis i aranžman: Kamenko Berić ​ Tema iz filma Šindlerova lista Džon Vilijams ​ Pet jevrejskih ljubavnih pesama 1. Temuna 2. Kalá kallá 3. Lárov 4. Éyze shéleg! 5. Rakút Muzika: Erik Vitakre Tekst: Hila Plitman ​ Gelt David Mejerovič Ar. Džek Kamen ​ 150 psalm Luis Levandovski ​ Dirigenti: Adi Bar Soria (Izrael) Stefan Zekić ​ Izvođači: Hor Braća Baruh Mina Mendelson, violina Ladislav Mezei, violončelo Nada Matijević, klavir Tamara Ružić, sopran Nevena Tatmoirović, sopran Luka Lazarević, tenor Gala ​ Gala Koncert ​ Previous editions of Summer Opera Academy ​ ​ 2023 Concert of the participants of the Academy 2021 Mocart competition 2022 Opera "Il Tabarro" 2022 Gala concert "Renewal" 2023 Opera review "Der Schauspieldirektor" 2023 Concert of the Academy participants

  • Duo Edit | Rossi fest

    ​ Concert: Inspirations for violin and harp Duo Edit National Theatre in Belgrade, "Raša Plaović" stage 28 January 2022 at 20:00 ​ The concert of Inspiration for Violin and Harp, interpreted by Duo Edit (violinist Edit Makedonska and harpist Gorana Ćurgus) includes a wide range of program arranged specially for this unusual ensemble - from famous works of classical music to music from musicals, all composed by composers of Jewish descent. The duo was founded in 2011 and performs a wide range of repertoires - from virtuoso works, popular classics, evergreen music, as well as works by Serbian composers, some of which were specially commissioned for the duo. So far, Duo Edit has made notable appearances at numerous festivals in Serbia, as well as in important concert halls in Belgrade and other places across the country. The Association of Composers of Serbia, the Association of Music Artists of Serbia, as well as Organization of Music Authors of Serbia have recognized the importance of this duo and its contribution to the preservation and nurturing of Serbian cultural heritage. For the Lilac record company, the duo released two CDs (2021) - Rhapsody of Sound and Inspirations for Violin and Harp. ​ Program: L. Grinski: Air Hebreic Rondino Soiréé Turque Danse Roumain J. Offenbach: Barcarola Princ von Arkadien F. Mendelson: Lied ohne Worte, op.30 J. Williams: Manha de carneval, Black Orfei L. Berenstain: Tonight, Somewhere (from the West Side Story) G. Gerswin: Rapsody In Blue ​ Edit Makedonska comes from a musical family. She started learning to play the violin with her mother Dijana Raponđijeva-Stojanović, and she graduated from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade in the class of prof. Fern Raskovic. Makedonska completed her master's degree in violin and chamber music in Plovdiv, where she was engaged as an assistant at the Faculty of Music and Dance. She also graduated in solo singing at the Mokranjac Music School in Belgrade, as well as from the Ballet School in Sofia. She worked as a violin teacher at the Josif Marinković and Vladimir Đorđević Music Schools in Belgrade, as well as a professor of violin and sight reading at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. As a concertmaster she was engaged in the National Opera and Ballet in Skopje, in the opera houses in Varna and Plovdiv (Bulgaria), as well as in the Terazije Theater in Belgrade. She has been a member of the Association of Music Artists of Serbia (UMUS) since 1989. Makedonska is also the founder of the string quartet Edit (2000), which, among other things, performed at international festivals in Bulgaria in 2005 and 2006, performed chamber opera Romance, by Igor Ranković (under the baton of conductor Đorđe Stanković) and for which conductor Angel Šurev arranged Masne's opera Don Quixote - which was, with Živan Saramandić in the title role, performed for two years on the stage of Rasa Plaovic of the National Theater in Belgrade. She has given numerous concerts as a soloist and concertmaster throughout the former Yugoslavia, but also in Austria, Germany, England, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, USA and Italy (Puccini Opera Festival 2017 in Torre del Lago). The repertoire of her solo concerts especially focuses on Serbian classical music. She has recorded for radio and television, and is also engaged in composing children's music (songs Apple and Butterfly; Sasha, Gypsy Dog; music for the book Fairy Tale for Children by Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordjevic). She wrote the theme for Ballad of the Field (for violin and chamber orchestra), a composition by Mirjana Živković, which she premiered in 2016. She is the first concertmaster of the National Theater listed in the Museum of the National Theater, and in 2021 she was awarded with the Seal of the National Theater, for her special contribution to work. Gorana Ćurgus graduated and obtained her master's degree in harp at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, in the class of prof. Milica Baric. She has been the harpist of the Opera of the National Theater for 20 years, and for many years she was a member of the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, the RTS Symphony Orchestra and other renowned orchestras in Serbia. She won first and special awards at national and federal competitions, as well as at the international competition Petar Konjović. She received the Golden Angel Award for the best young musician in Serbia in 1994. She was a member of the music-conceptual group Secondhanders, with which she participated in the projects: Play for Music (2009), Gentle, Gentle, The gentlest (2011), Six (not so) easy pieces (2012), Irritations (2013) and Tri(p)bina (2014). In recent years, he closely collaborates with mezzo-soprano Nataša Jović-Trivić, oboist Marija Lazić, flutist Vanja Đorđević and oboist Borislav Čičovački. In 2015, she premiered Stockhausen's composition for two harps and voices, Radost, with the harpist of the Belgrade Philharmonic, Milana Zarić. With Vanja Djordjević, she premiered the Sonata for flute and harp by Ivan Jevtić, in 2017. Together with Borislav Čičovački, she premiered and recorded the Sonata for oboe and harp by Petar Stojanović, organized by the Committee for the Protection of the Serbian Musical Heritage of Serbian Academy of Science and Art. As part of the Committee's projects, she participated in the performance and recording of music by Josip Slavenski, Aleksandar Obradović and Ljudmila Frajt, as well as music by Isidora Žebeljan. She collaborates with young Serbian composers and regularly performs at the Composers' Forum of the Association of Composers of Serbia. From 2015, she is a member of the author team of the Music Opera and Theater Organization MOTO, and in recent years she has been successfully writing projects in culture.

  • 25.-28. januar 2018 | Rossi Fest

    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

  • 25.-28. januar 2020. | Rossi Fest

    Program ​ 25-27 January 10:00 - 13:00 Museum of the National Theater in Belgrade Opera singing Masterclass Olga Makarina 14:00 - 17:00 German Lied Vocal Masterclass Alessandra di Giorgio / Sanja Radišić 25 January, Saturday 20:00 National Theater, Stage Raša Plaović Concert of the Ensemble Salomone Rossi (IT) Musical flowers from Jewish Baroque 27. January, Monday 17:30 Museum of the National Theater Judicium Salomonis: Two baroque interpretarions in oratorios by Carissimi and Charpentier Lecture by Prof. Ana Stefanović 18:45 Museum of the National Theater Before and After the Music of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps Lecture by Prof. Tijana Popović Mlađenović ​ 27. January, Monday 20:00 National Theater, Stage Raša Plaović Concert: Portraits and Remembrance Quatuor pour la fin du temps , Olivier Messiaen Director: Ana Grigorović Stage design: Dunja Kostić Choreography: Miloš Kecman, Milan Bačkulja Video: Jovan Vlahović, Matija Novaković Mina Mendelson, violin Nikola Đurica, clarinet Vanja Šćepanović, piano Pavle Savić, violoncello 28. January, Tuesday 18:00 Museum of the National Theater Concert of the participants of the vocal masterclass 20:00 National Theater, Stage Raša Plaović Concert: The Psalms of David The Baruch Brothers Choir Conductor: Stefan Zekić Olga Makarina (USA), soprano Ayelet Cohen (Israel), soprano Alessandra di Giorgio (Germany/Serbia), mezzo-soprano Ladislav Mezei, violoncello Hristina Antić, organ Aleksandar Radulović, percussions Mina Marinković, harp ​

  • Portraits and Remembrance | Rossi Fest

    Concert: Portraits and Remembrance Wednesday, January 27th YouTube premiere, 19h ​ ​ ​ Portraits and Remembrance represent one of the main program features of Rossi Fest. This concert, which is held every January 27th, marking World Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a result of the Open Call for Young Composers we founded four years ago. Over the years, it has been a pleasure to follow up applications of young composers from all around the world, who expressed their different perspectives on the topic of the holocaust. For the Rossi Fest 2021 Programme seven pieces by composers from six different countries were selected, out of which three are based on the poem A Bloody Fairytale by Serbian poet Desanka Maksimović - a poem we wanted to bring attention to in this festival edition. The composers have told us more about their pieces in short video presentations. Keeping in mind the current epidemiological situation, authors will mostly attend the rehearsals of their pieces live on the internet, while the Portraits and Remembrance concert will be screened online on Rossi Fest's YouTube channel. By a unanimous decision of the jury, special awards were given to Lazar Đorđević for the piece 21st of October and to Bracha Bdil, for the piece My Father`s Death . Distant Memories – Jonathan Domingo (Philippines) (world premiere) A Bloody Fairytale – Rose Hall (UK) (world premiere) There is still hope – Evgeniya Kozhevnikova (Russia) Waren wir, sind wir, werden – Adrian Mocanu (Ukraine) A Bloody Fairytale – Tamara Knežević (Serbia) (world premiere) 21st of October – Lazar Djordjevic (Serbia) (world premiere) My father’s death – Bracha Bdil (Israel) ​ Dirigent: Radan Jovanović Performers: Mina Gligorić, sopran Ana Radovanović, mecosopran Vuk Zekić, bariton Jelena Španović, flute Marija Lazić, oboe Mihailo Samoran, clarinet Dušan Petrović, bassoon ​ First violins: Mina Mendelson, concertmaster Vesna Janses, Ivana Zavišić Violeta Ćirić ​ Second violins: Vojin Aleksić Ljuba Trujanović Milica Andrijašević Anja Trkulja ​ Violas: Miljana Stamenić Teodora Radosavljević ​ Cellos: Ladislav Mezei, artistic director of Jewish Chamber Orchestra Jasmina Vrbanić Boban Stošić, kontrabas ​ Percussions: Aleksandar Radulović Vanja Šćepanović, klavir Sound production: Marko Perić ​ Video: Matija Novaković ​ Jonathan Domingo (Philippines) – Distant Memories The work Distant Memories is based on the poem A Bloody Fairytale by Desanka Maksimović and revolves around the notion of remembering. This piece is my attempt to give voice to the essence of the poem by creating various soundscapes to evoke a certain image and emotion related to the text. The verses are portrayed through the use of different vocal techniques such as sprechstimme/gesang, narrated text, whispers in different volumes, etc (and also to present a technical virtuosity of the vocalist). The backbone of this piece is in the unique repeated stanza of the poem, presented in three distinct, unmeasured passages of music. The inner movements / stanzas are like dialogues between the vocalist and the instrumentalists. The entire piece is inspired by the movement of chimes and bells in the wind, and like memories—it lingers...and then vanishes. Composer-conductor Jonathan Domingo graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Music with a degree in composition. His notable achievements include prizes at the Asian Composers' League Young Composers Prize, Singapore Intl. Choral Composition Competition and finalist diplomas from the International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition and the Intl. Music Composers’ Forum and Competition. He is currently undertaking projects for solo piano and large-scale choral work. Rose Hall (UK) – A Bloody Fairytale I wanted to explore shared grief, but also celebrate the innocence and humanity of these children. I chose a small ensemble for intimacy with a warm sound world, utilizing the sorrowful haunting timbre of the reed instruments. I explore the theme of sameness, and how this was any normal day for these children with clockwork motifs and thematic repetition. The climax is not the moment of death, but at the hope of their future, and the anticipation of what will be lost for this generation. Rose Hall is a British award-winning composer whose work focuses on telling narratives that challenge preconceptions through opera and contemporary music theatre. Her work has been performed across the world with notable works including: 'Mein Schatten', awarded second prize at the Wolf Durmashkin Award 2018, opera Dead Equal 2019 in collaboration with The British Army, and 2020 saw her work on digital micro-opera Wisdom of Stone for OperaVision which has been viewed by over 7000 people. Evgeniya Kozhevnikova (Russia)– There is still hope There is Still Hope by Jane K (Evgeniya Kozhevnikova) is a musical reflection after visiting the digital collection on the website of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The lyrics contain short phrases from the last letters written by the victims of the Holocaust (translated to English), which are now a part of Yad Vashem’s archive. It is the composer’s hope that the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis will never be forgotten. Jane K (Evgeniya Kozhevnikova), a Fulbright Scholar, is a composer, pianist, and educator. Her works have been performed at regional, national, and international level music events. She has been working as a composer and a musician in theaters, performing original music with her jazz band, and teaching piano. Jane holds her master’s degree in Music Composition from Western Michigan University. She is currently pursuing her second master’s degree in Jazz Performance at WMU. Adrian Mocanu – (Ukraine) – Waren wir, sind wir, werden The piece is an attempt to find the touchpoints of the poetry of Paul Celan and the musical heritage of Franz Schubert. Celan's life was deeply affected by the suffering caused by the Holocaust, which had been reflected in his poetry. Based on excerpts from Celan's poem Psalm, the work also appeals to Schubert's Der Leiermann from Winterreise - a lied that may be seen as an apotheose of despair of Schubert’s iconic vocal cycle, which correlates with the tragic themes of Celan's verses. Adrian Mocanu was studying composition at P. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, and in 2019 started postgraduate studies in electroacoustic composition in Madrid, Spain. He was the winner of the 38th Frederic Mompou International Award in Barcelona and received the 2nd prize at IV International Composition Competition GMCL/Jorge Peixinho in Lisbon. His works have been performed in Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Czechia, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, and the USA. Lazar Djordjevic (Serbia) - 21st of October The composition 21st of October is a result of a long term planning to turn into a musical piece a chilling and horrifying event of firing squad shooting of innocent people of Kragujevac, including a few hundred of pupils from schools in Kragujevac that happened on 21. October 1941. The piece is based on a poem by Desanka Maksimović A Bloody Fairytale. This work is progressively composed and mostly follows the form of text. The beginning of composition symbolizes the last school class before pupils and their teacher have been taken in front of a firing squad. The closing part of this composition where the baritone and the rest of the ensemble speak farewell messages of killed people of Kragujevac presents a culmination of the morbidity of this event. Lazar Djordjevic was born in 1992 in Kragujevac. The compositions by Lazar Djordjevic were performed several times in the country and abroad. He was a participant in many festivals such as the International Review of Composers in Belgrade, Rossi fest, KOMA festival (for young authors), Festum, etc. 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 concerto for accordion and orchestra, which premiered in 2017. Lazar Đorđević is currently employed as an assistant at the Department of Music Theory at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade. Tamara Knežević (Serbia) – A Bloody Fairytale The concept of this work is to evoke series of mixed emotions through changes of various auditory imagery that lead to final Alleluia; games and boyhood are presented with whistles, finger-snapping, clapping, and they are interrupted with the march rhythm of the drums, woes, and intensity of the text that is barely pronounced. Whispers, screams, a trembling voice of a mother mourning her lost child, lead to bel canto and gradually bring clarity to the melody, Alleluia of composition – a prayer for little angels that will remain eternal heroes. Tamara Knežević holds a master’s degree in composition. She received her artistic education in the class of professor Miroslav Štatkić at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, where she is currently in the last year of Ph.D. studies. As a Ph.D. candidate with a scholarship, she is a participant in the project Identities of Serbian music from local to global: traditions, changes, challenges by the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Art in Belgrade. Bracha Bdil (Izrael) - My father’s death The work My Father's Death is a neo-baroque lamentation based on the words of Pnina Avni. This composition is dedicated to Prof. Alexander Tamir (Wolkowyski), a Holocaust survivor who, as an 11-year-old boy in the Vilna ghetto, composed the melody for the poem about the massacre of Ponar, which became one of the symbols of the Holocaust. Composer, conductor, and pianist, has a Master's degree in Music Education and Composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Bracha was awarded the 2019-2020 ACUM Award, Israel, won the first prize in the Wolf Durmashkin Composition Award, Germany (2018), and the first prize in the Yardena Alotin Composition Competition, Bar-Ilan University, Israel (2016). Her repertoire includes orchestral music, chamber, vocal and electronic music, as well as music for dance and theater. Jewish Chamber Orchestra 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.

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