The great ensembles from the region, Austria and Italy at the 22nd KotorArt Don Branko’s Music Days

This summer, the KotorArt Don Branko’s Music Days International Festival will host distinguished and significant ensembles from the region and Europe. The already announced Double Sens Ensemble with soloist Nemanja Radulović on violin to open the Festival, as well as the Western Balkan Youth Orchestra are just some of the ensembles that this year’s audience will have the opportunity to listen to in Kotor.

The Mare Nostrum Ensemble is a group specialized in baroque music, primarily in the vocal compositions of Alessandro Stradella. It was founded by Andrea De Carlo, a double bass player, whose encounter with the viola da gamba was decisive for the further course of his career and life’s determination. The partners of the concert are the Embassy of Italy in Montenegro and the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrade. The Festival audience will have the opportunity to hear a new approach to the aesthetics of vocal and instrumental music of the 17th century on Friday, July 14, in the beautiful setting of the Church of Our Lady.

The same venue is reserved for the Zagreb Soloists Ensemble, founded in 1953, one of the most respected ensembles in our region. During the 7 decades of its existence, the Ensemble was led by famous concertmasters, and since 2012 they have been performing with the prominent violinist Sreten Krstić, concertmaster of the Munich Philharmonic. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, July 15, starting at 9 p.m.

The partnership between KotorArt and Porto Montenegro continues this year with an exclusive concert where the best musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic will perform in a beautiful setting, under the direction of Kirill Kobantschenko, principal violin of this distinguished orchestra. Gathered within the Platform K+K Vienna, this fantastic group of renowned musicians was formed out of the desire to achieve the greatest possible artistic freedom. Under the name Vienna Calling, the concert will take place on July 29, starting at 9 p.m., as part of the RUBIX Porto Montenegro Festival. The concert was inspired by the album that the Ensemble released in 2018 for the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label, and represents an enchanting journey through the world of classical music, tango and jazz, as well as other genres. Concert partners are Regent Porto Montenegro, Porto Montenegro, Henley & Partners, Montenegro Sotheby’s Realty, Erste Bank and Addiko Bank.

“This year, the Festival continues to nurture the sounds of chamber music and we are very happy to present our audience with the diverse sounds of high-quality ensembles, such as the renowned soloists of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Zagreb Soloists, Mare nostrum and Double Sens. Soon we will also present the programs of other chamber groups, which have emerged from interesting and inspiring stories that the Festival has nurtured for years,” said the festival’s PR department.