Artistic Projects
European Concert Tour of the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Music
The concert tour of the Symphony Orchestra of the Faculty of Music, held from December 8–11, 2019, marked the ensemble’s first performance in European Union countries after three decades. It was conceived as a dialogue between Serbian and European music, performers, audiences, and cultures.
The core of the tour consisted of performances in Slovenia (Slovenian Philharmonic Hall in Ljubljana) and Italy (Teatro Zancanaro, Sacile), organized at the invitation of partner institutions.
The concert program of the European tour was carefully designed to emphasize the cultural and artistic dialogue between Serbian and European musical heritage. It included one of the most beautiful works of Serbian orchestral music—the suite from the ballet The Legend of Ohrid by Stevan Hristić—alongside major works from the European solo and symphonic repertoire: the Violin Concerto in D major by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Symphony No. 5 in D minor by Dmitri Shostakovich.
The Symphony Orchestra was conducted by the renowned maestro Bojan Suđić, Full Professor, while Dragan Sredojević appeared as the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s concerto.
“The Belgrade symphonic effect last night was compelling and demonstrated an overall musical presence of inspiring ease and the joy of making music together,” noted the critics in Ljubljana.
Production and Performance of the Opera The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini
The opera The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, premiered on April 21, 2019, on the Main Stage of the National Theatre in Belgrade, with a reprise performance at the “Vuk Karadžić” Cultural Institution on May 12, 2019, was the result of a collaboration between three faculties of the University of Arts in Belgrade, realized for the first time after more than two decades. The project was led by the Faculty of Music, which acted as organizer and was responsible for the musical performance, in cooperation with the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, in charge of directing and production, and the Faculty of Applied Arts, whose students were responsible for costume selection and visual design of the opera production. The uniqueness of the project also lay in the fact that its realization relied entirely on student engagement—more than 80 students from the three faculties had the opportunity to practically apply their knowledge and talent in professional conditions.
The musical preparation of The Barber of Seville was led by Associate Professor Dragana Radaković within the Opera Studio course. The soloists, male choir, and symphony orchestra of the Faculty of Music were conducted by Professor Vesna Šouc, while the stage direction was signed by Vladan Đurković.
The high artistic value of the performance, its original production, and the professional results of the project were also confirmed by music critics, who noted that “not only through singing, but also through their acting qualities, excellent characterization, and witty gestures, the performers demonstrated that they could already represent a true refreshment for an operatic scene that seems to be in need of new faces.” It was further emphasized that “this staging of The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini captivated with the energy and youthful spirit that most befit this comic masterpiece of the Italian composer,” and that the performance showed “young talents have much to learn and can already, during their studies, establish themselves on the somewhat stagnant opera scene in Serbia, which is in great need of the kind of energy demonstrated by the participants in this production.” (Cultural Circles, Radio Belgrade 2, May 14, 2019)
Celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Faculty of Music
In 2017, the Faculty of Music in Belgrade celebrated a major jubilee—80 years since its founding. During the anniversary year, the Faculty organized numerous events, including concerts, panel discussions, symposia, academic conferences, exhibitions, promotions of printed and audio publications, award ceremonies, and other activities involving not only current professors and students, but also retired professors and colleagues living and working abroad.
Among these events, particularly noteworthy were the Ceremonial Academy marking the eight decades since the Faculty’s establishment, held on March 31, 2017, at the National Theatre, and the Gala Concert on November 21, 2017, in the Great Hall of the Kolarac Endowment. In addition, during the jubilee year, the monograph 80 Years of the Faculty of Music was published, the FMU Sound Archive of Memories was established, and the project “Two Jubilees – Eighty Years of Higher Education in the Fields of Music and Fine Arts in Serbia” was realized in cooperation with the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade.