Gala opening of the 23rd KotorArt Don Branko's Music Days dedicated to Maestro Miroslav Homen
Carmina Burana and the premiere of the short documentary film by RTCG
The Gala opening of the 23rd Kotor Art Don Branko's Music Days is planned to be traditionally held on the Statehood Day of Montenegro, on July 13, in Kotor, at the St. Tryphon Square.
This significant cultural event will be dedicated to the life and work of the Maestro, Miroslav Miro Homen (1940-2021), a native of Kotor. Over a hundred performers on stage will present the famous work of the 20th century, Carmina Burana, by composer Carl Orff. Homen performed this monumental piece over 100 times in his illustrious career. The cantata will be performed by the Symphony Orchestra and Choir of the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Albania, the Children's Choir of the Narodni Heroj Savo Ilić Elementary School from Kotor, prepared by Professor Vesna Ivanović, while the soloists will be soprano Rovena Xhelili, tenor Matias Xheli, and baritone Armand Likaj. The ensemble will be conducted by Robert Homen, son of Miroslav Homen. The event will be complemented by the premiere of a short documentary film about Maestro Homen, produced by Radio Television of Montenegro.
As a festival of national significance, we once again affirm the care and attention we devote to our artists, significant individuals who have contributed to us, as well as the local community. This gala opening is imbued with memories of the exceptional conductor, Miroslav Homen, a native of Kotor, and it is a great pleasure for us to organize such an event in remembrance of his life and work. We proudly remember him as a dear guest of the Festival. In the same venue where the gala event in his honor will take place, Maestro Homen in 2016 conducted a concert commemorating the tenth anniversary of Don Branko Sbutega's passing. – stated the Festival's PR department.
In the Homen family, there have always been two currents present, musical and horological. Maestro Homen left behind two sons, both musically gifted: the prominent conductor and professor Robert Homen, and the trumpeter and professor Rudolf Homen. In the 19th century, their great-grandfather came to Kotor from Vienna to repair a clock in the main city square. Falling in love with Kotor more than Vienna, he settled there permanently, and to this day, the ground floor of the tower houses the old watch shop owned by the Homen family, which still maintains the clock mechanism, one of Kotor's symbols.
The musical legacy of the Homen family carries the strong genes of Antun Tonći Homen, without whom the current cultural life of the city of Kotor would certainly not look as it does today. He was recognized as a significant pedagogue, composer, conductor, organist, and founder of music schools. His son, Miro Homen, after completing the Music Academy in Sarajevo in 1966, became the chief conductor of the Sarajevo Opera and Ballet. From 1988 to 1990, he was the director of the Sarajevo Opera and the Sarajevo Philharmonic. For thirty years, he conducted the Slobodan Princip Seljo Student Choir from Sarajevo, with which he won first prizes at international competitions. As a guest conductor, he performed in all opera houses of the former Yugoslavia and in numerous European countries. Since 1992, Miro Homen worked as a conductor, manager, and later chief conductor at the Ivan pl. Zajc Croatian National Theater in Rijeka. He was awarded the Milka Trnina Prize in 1998. In Sarajevo, Miro Homen staged the first post-war opera premiere – Puccini's Tosca (1998), followed by Verdi's Il Trovatore (1998), while in 2000, he conducted the premiere of the first Bosnian opera – Hasanaginica by Asim Horozić. He built his pedagogical experience at the Sarajevo Music Academy, first as an honorary associate professor of Choir, and then from 1986 as a full professor.
It is my great pleasure and honor to announce this year's opening of KotorArt. This year holds special significance for me as I will be conducting the opening for the second time. The reason this year's festival holds particular importance is that it is dedicated to my late father, Miroslav Homen, who made significant contributions to Kotor and whose name resonates throughout the region, including the former Yugoslavia, remaining in the hearts of many. I am sincerely grateful to the festival and director Ratimir Martinović for choosing to honor my father in this way, making this year's KotorArt a tribute to his memory. Carmina Burana holds a special place in my father's repertoire, as he conducted it over a hundred times in Sarajevo. In the former Yugoslavia, it was widely discussed and even considered emblematic of Sarajevo for a time. It is a technically demanding piece, and it is with great pride and pleasure that I extend an invitation to you not only to the opening but also to join us in Kotor throughout the festival. There will be numerous concerts, events, and discussions, all imbued with the spirit and legacy of my father. – stated Robert Homen.
The International KotorArt Festival is held under the patronage of UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and Media, and the Municipality of Kotor, with the support of the European Union, as well as the backing of significant sponsors and a broad network of partners from both domestic and international spheres. Further information about the Festival's activities can be found on the website www.kotor.art.
