ROCK SYMPHONY & VLATKO STEFANOVSKI

VLATKO STEFANOVSKI, guitarist, started to play at the age of thirteen. In his early years, he founded the Leb i sol band, which became one of the most significant groups on the musical scene of the former Yugoslavia, and with which he recorded fourteen albums and had tours all over the world. During the nineties of the 20th century, Stefanovski built a successful solo career with the albums Cowboys & Indians, Sarajevo, Vlatko Stefanovski Trio, and Kula od Karti. The collaboration with well-known guitarist Miroslav Tadić on the albums Krushevo, Treta majka, Live in Belgrade and Live in Zagreb shed new light on his oeuvre for acoustic guitar and his research of traditional Macedonian music. Stefanovski has collaborated with many famous artists, such as Tommy Emmanuel, Stochelo Rosenberg, Gibonni, Jan Akkerman, Theodosii Spassov Stefan Milenkovich, Kudsi Erguner, Bojan Z., Manu Katche, and Toni Levin, among others. He has also performed and recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, the Sophia Symphony Orchestra, and the Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as with big bands such as the FoolCool, the RTV Slovenia Big Band, the Croatian HTV Big Band, and the RTV Serbia Big Band. Vlatko Stefanovski also writes music for film, theater, and ballet. He was honored a Doctorate honoris causa at the University St. Kiril and Metodij in Skopje.

BITOLA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA was founded several decades ago. Initially, it was made up of a group of enthusiasts who, despite their relatively modest musical education, put on acclaimed concerts. Today, the ensemble is made up of graduated, professional musicians, and many holding master’s degrees in their respective instruments. The ensemble has held numerous celebrated concerts in Macedonia, participating at national festivals of the musical arts: Bit Fest, the Skopje Summer Festival, the Ohrid Sumer Festival, the Prilep Cultural Summer, and the Štip Cultural Summer, as well as at festivals of popular music across the Balkans, such as Nisville (Niš), Rock Village (Banatski Sokolac), and Baščaršija Nights (Sarajevo). The Orchestra regularly performs with renowned soloists and conductors, such as Vlatko Stefanovski, Roby Lakatos, Kerem Görsev, Alessandro D'Agostini, Anatoly Krstev, Boris Spasov, Ivan Kozhuharov, Sasha Nikolovski – Gjumar, Sasho Tatarchevski, Bisera Chadlovska, and Le Phi Phi, among others. The repertoire of the Orchestra consists of works from all epochs – from early Baroque to modern art and popular music. The Orchestra’s projects, such as Rock Symphony, James Bond Symphony, Ladies Symphony, and John Williams Symphony have been received by their audiences with great acclamation.