Choirs and prominent soloists at KotorArt

This summer, the KotorArt International Festival will feature choral academic ensembles from Zagreb and Belgrade and prominent world-renowned musicians.

The most famous Croatian Ivan Goran Kovačić Academic Choir, whose high quality performances have resulted in numerous awards and recognitions, will appear on July 16, 2022 in the Church of Our Lady in Prčanj at 9 p.m. As the most numerous amateur choir, under the baton of maestro Luka Vukšić, at the concert titled Croatian Sacred Choral Music, will present a program that chronologically covers the centuries of Croatian a cappella music, from Glagolitic church singing to the 21st century. The concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and the Embassy of Croatia.

The magical atmosphere of the Church of Our Lady in Prčanj will be especially emphasized on August 13 at 9 p.m. by the female voices of the Collegium Musicum Academic Choir from Belgrade. Traces from the Constellation Regula is a project by which the Collegium Musicum, under the direction of Dragana Jovanović, pays tribute to their founder and conductor, mentor and friend, Professor Darinka Matić Marović. The program of the concert includes the compositions she loved and performed the most, as well as the premiere of the piece Coda (2021) by composer Žarko Mirković, dedicated to Darinka Matić Marović and the Collegium Musicum Choir. Darinka Matić Marović, a frequent guest of the KotorArt Festival, which founded the biennial award with her name, was the first female conductor, the first female dean at the Faculty of Arts in Belgrade and the first female rector of the University of Arts. She ran Collegium Musicum since its founding in 1971. The partners of the concert are: the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, the Stari Grad Municipality of the city of Belgrade and Collegium Musicum.

A highlight among the soloists who will perform this year are members of the famous Berlin Philharmonic, gathered in a trio of violinist and concert master Daishin Kashimoto, principal clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer and guest pianist José Gallardo. They will perform on July 20 at Dom Vojske in Porto Montenegro at 9 p.m., and the program will feature works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Piazzolla and Gershwin. The concert is part of the KotorArt Visiting events. The partners of the concert are: Porto Montenegro, Henley & Partners, Regent Porto Montenegro, Sotheby’s International Realty and the Embassy of Germany. This will be the only concert of the festival with no free entry. Tickets can be bought throughout Montenegro, at Tobacco S Press kiosks, through the Gigs Tix service. 

Church of the Holy Spirit will be the host of several concerts. The great Chinese violinist Zhu Dan and the famous French pianist Michel Dalberto will perform on Tuesday, August 2, at 9 p.m., as part of the China Stage series. The concert is held in collaboration with Shanghai Orient Culture Business Co. Ltd., Shanghai International Culture Association and the Embassy of China.

The world-renowned pianist Kemal Gekić will perform works by Handel, Liszt, Schubert, Rachmaninoff and Chopin at a concert on August 11, at 9 p.m. The concert is part of the KotorArt Academy series.

During the Romanian Days series at the festival, on August 9 at 9 p.m., the Kotor audience will be introduced to the Pagin brother and sister. Soprano Sara and pianist Aimo will perform Romanian folk melodies, selected songs and arias. The concert will be held in cooperation with the Embassy of Romania.

This year’s edition of KotorArt will be officially closed with a concert called Miloš & Avi, on August 14 in the Church of Our Lady in Prčanj, at 9 p.m. Two prominent artists, guitarist Miloš Karadaglić and mandolinist Avi Avital, will present works by Bach, de Falla, Glass and Duplessy.

Concerts of prominent musicians are certainly something by which KotorArt is recognized in the regional and European context. In recent years, the festival has hosted some of the world’s most prominent musicians, such as composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, pianists Yuja Wang, Ivo Pogorelić, Denis Matsuev, Boris Berezovsky, cellist Mischa Maisky, violinists Leonidas Kavakos, Nemanja Radulović, percussionist Martin Grubinger, and many others.

The organizers of the International KotorArt Don Branko’s Music Days Festival emphasize that in difficult times, culture and art must be one of the ways to preserve the system of values and important messages that we convey to the public. Current issues, from ecology to cultural heritage protection, attractive tourist programs, along with representative artists and, especially, cooperation with numerous international institutions and embassies, point to the motto of the entire festival since its founding – a Confucius’ saying often quoted by Don Branko Sbutega: “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness”.

This summer, the KotorArt International Festival will be held from July 1 to August 14, with a rich and diverse program, under the auspices of UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and Media and the Municipality of Kotor, with the support of the European Union, the Western Balkans Fund, many embassies in Montenegro and other important partners and sponsors.