KotorArt
International festival
Sunday, July 13
Square of the St. Tryphon Cathedral, 9:30 p.m
Gala Opening
BRIDGES OF MUSIC
MONTENEGRO FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
MLADEN TARBUK, conductor
KOTOR CITY MUSIC ENSEMBLE
DARIO KRIVOKAPIĆ, condutor
ŠTIGLIĆI KLAPA (prepared by Jelena Mihaljević)
ĐUDE WOMEN’S VOCAL GROUP (prepared by Davor Sedlarević)
NIKOLA KRIVOKAPIĆ, gusle
Tickets
Tickets are available through the GigsTix network, online at www.gigstix.me and throughout Montenegro, at selected Tobacco S Press locations.
Program
July 13, 2025
Prince Mirko Petrović (1879–1918)
Ferdinand March, for wind orchestra
Johann Strauss II (1825–1899)
Rosen aus dem Süden, Waltz, Op. 388
Anton Schulz (1812–1884)
The Montenegrin Heir March [Prinz von Montenegro Marsch]
Dominik Ertl (1857–1911)
Frohe Stunden
Špiro Ognjenović (1844–1914)
The Montenegrin Girl, Concert Polka, arr. Mladen Tarbuk
Milivoje Pićurić (1985)
Slavjo poje, for klapa and symphony orchestra
Julius Fučik (1872–1916)
Einzug der Gladiatoren, op. 68
Blagoje Bersa (1873–1934)
Capriccio-Scherzo
Nina Perović (1985)
Perpetual Spin, for gusle, Đude women’s vocal group, symphony orchetra, electronics, and video
Johann Strauss II
Overture to the operetta Die Fledermaus
Slavjo Poje is a traditional folk song from Boka. Its melody serves as the source of thematic material for a composition written for klapa and symphony orchestra, structured in three parts, or “tableaux.” Klapa singing is closely related to the form of a serenade – a nocturnal song, a song sung beneath a window. Accordingly, the first tableau evokes the color and atmosphere of night and serves as a prelude to the klapa’s entrance. It is characterized by long, static harmonies with occasional dynamic swells. In the second tableau, the klapa performs the song itself, arranged and harmonized somewhat differently for this setting. The final tableau is built around a waltz, which undergoes a series of transformations: from a mournful, elegiac tone, through evocations of the refined elegance of the Viennese waltz, to an ironic fusion of waltz and the folk idioms of Montenegro.
Milivoje Pićurić
Perpetual Spin for gusle, the Đude female vocal group, chamber symphony orchestra, electronics, and video, explores the theme of circularity. By synthesizing music and digital technology, the work emphasizes cyclicality and transience, engaging with a broader interpretation of folklore as a rich spectrum of surrounding sounds: from the noise of protests, through segments of turbo-folk, various AI-generated digital sonorities, the traditional sounds of the gusle and the Đude ensemble, to lyrical waltz episodes. The textual foundation of the piece is the poem Jednog Dana by Vito Nikolić, while the video component is composed predominantly of AI-generated visuals. Crucial to the creation of this work were encounters with the Đude ensemble and Davor Sedlarević, as well as with guslar Nikola Krivokapić. Through several meetings and engagements with the musical traditions each of them cultivates – in their own authentic, dedicated, and deeply grounded ways – these experiences strongly inspired both the creative process and the selection of musical material.
Nina Perović
Artists
The Montenegro Festival Orchestra is an initiative that brings together young Montenegrin musicians – mostly students or graduates who have received their education and professional experience abroad. Offering young artists the opportunity to connect, exchange experiences, and contribute to the development of musical creativity in Montenegro, the orchestra was first brought together in its now established formation during the summer of 2024 as the Festival Orchestra. They delivered notable performances at KotorArt and the Tivat Music Festival, under the baton of acclaimed international conductors from both the region and beyond, including Mladen Tarbuk and Nir Kabaretti. The orchestra has performed with distinguished soloists such as Gilles Apap, Petra Radulović, Sava Vemić, Benjamin Bliss, Nina van Essen, Sara Lakičević, and Simo Šišević, among others. Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra have also shared the stage with these young performers. The orchestra has achieved great success in its short time, performing both symphonic and operatic repertoire, and continues in its mission of connecting musicians from diverse traditions while presenting high-level artistry to audiences in Montenegro and beyond. The orchestra is currently led by its chief conductor, Mladen Tarbuk.
Mladen Tarbuk, a prominent Croatian composer and conductor, completed his studies in Composition and Conducting in Graz, Zagreb, and Vienna. He has appeared in almost all European countries, Canada, the United States, and Mexico, often performing his own works. He has regularly collaborated with the German Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf), the Wiener Concert-Verein, the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, and the Hungarian State Opera. Mladen Tarbuk is a holder of numerous Croatian and international awards and recognitions, most notably Slavenski, Papandopulo, HAZU, Janáček, E. Vogel, Risuonanze Trieste, and Tolosa. His compositions have been performed at major world festivals such as the Enescu Festival, World Music Days, and Wien Modern. He served as both the Director (2002–2005) and Music Director (2013-2017) of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb (2002–2005) and also as the Director of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival (2015–2017). During the term 2020–2024, he served as the chairman of the Croatian Society of Composers. In the 2021/2022 season, Mladen Tarbuk conducted the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra. He is a Full Professor of Composition, Conducting, Music Theory, and Orchestra at the Academy of Music in Zagreb.
The City Music of Kotor began its orchestral tradition in the mid-19th century, when a group of prominent citizens of Kotor submitted a proposal in 1842 to establish the Civic Music Orchestra of the City of Kotor. The wind orchestra gave its first performance during a visit by Austrian Archduke Franz Karl to the Bay of Kotor. Throughout its history, the orchestra has been led by a select group of esteemed conductors: Jeronim Fioreli, Ivan Jedlička the Younger, Antun Petrarka, Ivan Burati, Ivan Jedlička the Elder, and Dionisio De Sarno San Giorgio in the 19th century; Erminio Bagatella, Tripo Tomas, Antun Homen, Tripo Đurašević, Nikola Čučić, and Nikola Gregović in the 20th century; and thus far in the 21st century Vladimir Begović, Petar Bukilica, and Dario Krivokapić, the current conductor. The orchestra has performed at numerous ceremonies, including the wedding of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the proclamation of Montenegro as a kingdom, and in the presence of many notable figures, such as Prince Edward, King Olaf, Queen Beatrix, Eleanor Roosevelt, Josip Broz Tito, Nikita Khrushchev, Jean-Paul Sartre, Sophia Loren, Carlo Ponti, and Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević. It has received prominent honors, including the Order of Merit for the People with Silver Rays, by decree of President Tito of the SFRY (1967); the November Award of the City of Kotor (1977); and the Order of the Montenegrin Flag, 3rd Class (2022).
Dario Krivokapić began his musical education at the Vida Matjan Music School in Kotor and went on to complete his studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, earning a master’s degree in Horn Performance under the mentorship of Professor Milan Radić. As a student, he performed with the Faculty of Music Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Serbica Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Serbian National Guard, and the Banja Luka Philharmonic. He has participated in masterclasses led by renowned horn players and pedagogues such as Radovan Vlatković, Stefan Dohr, Boštjan Lipovšek, Anita Anderson, and others. His collaboration with the Operosa Festival – which was the first to produce opera in Montenegro – began in 2014, in the dual role of orchestra coordinator and ensemble member. He also completed a chamber music course in Norway. Dario Krivokapić has been a member of the Kotor City Music NGO since 2004, with which he has performed at some of the most prominent wind orchestra festivals across Europe. Since 2013, he has served as its conductor and, as a member of the organization’s leadership, has coordinated numerous projects, concerts, and international tours. He is currently a Horn Professor at the Vida Matjan Music School in Kotor and holds the position of Second Horn in the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra. He was also part of a working group at Montenegro’s Center for Vocational Education, contributing to the training of educators and institutional representatives in the development of outcome-based curricula.
The Štiglići Klapa was founded in 2016 as part of an elective school subject – Traditional Singing. When the subject was later discontinued, the group continued its work as an extracurricular activity. Over five years, many singers have passed through the ensemble, all of whom graduated from the Vasa Pavić Secondary School of Music and Ballet. Each year, the Štiglići Klapa welcomes new members. Despite this constant rotation, the group does not lose its quality – on the contrary, each new generation continues the artistic expression from the point where the previous one left off, often elevating it even further. The group first appeared in competition in 2018, in the male klapa category of the Perast International Klapa Festival. Since then, they have consistently won awards at the festival, including the Peraški školji Plaque for the Best Montenegrin Klapa, awarded by the jury in 2022. Current members include: first tenor Komnen Vuković; second tenors: Vladimir Kuč, Luka Đurović, and Petar Bulatović; baritones: Georgi Solomatin, Balša Dapčević, and Zarija Medojević; basses: Nikša Brajović and Luka Lukić.
The Đude Women’s Vocal Group (Đude) of the Mijat Mašković Cultural and Artistic Society from Kolašin is the last formal women’s vocal group in Montenegro that performs ancient archaic singing within the interval of seconds. By its essential characteristics, this singing is different from the Western tonal system and it has been learned through field research and interviews with the oldest women engaged in this field, as well as through collaboration with experts and ethnomusicologists. The Đude have won awards at all the renowned international festivals of traditional singing in which they have participated, as well as at competitions for the best European Heritage Story, under the patronage of the European Commission and the Council of Europe, with a symbolic story titled Survival – Voices of the Hills. The story tells of a group of about ten girls and women who have preserved the nearly lost old singing style in a small Balkan country. The repertoire of the vocal group includes songs from various regions of Montenegro and comprises different genres, ranging from mythological, religious, and humorous themed songs to love and ritual songs, as well as songs from other Balkan regions. The founder and leader of the group is Davor Sedlarević, a specialist educator for traditional dances.
Nikola Krivokapić has cultivated the art of singing while playing the gusle since childhood, carrying it forward as a voice from the past that still has something to say today. He has recorded several songs, including original compositions, and has participated in numerous events, concerts, and charity evenings, striving to bring the gusle closer to the public – especially to younger generations. He teaches at the Sveti Đorđe Gusle School in Nikšić, where he trains young people in this traditional art. As a member of the Gusle citizens’ association, which brings together guardians of tradition – both young and old – he promotes Montenegrin customs, culture, and the gusle to a wider audience. Nikola Krivokapić is currently studying at the Faculty of Architecture in Podgorica.
Milovoje Pićurić, composer, completed his undergraduate studies in Composition at the Music Academy in Cetinje under Professor Žarko Mirković. He went on to earn a specialist degree at the Music Academy in Ljubljana, studying with Professor Pavel Mihelčič, and completed his master’s degree at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade under Professor Srđan Hofman. He is the author of numerous works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, choir, and orchestra. Notable among his compositions are: Nocturne for solo violin, orchestra, and electronics – a work accompanied by the first music video of its kind in Montenegro; Titex Intro for strings, which has been performed over twenty times both domestically and internationally; Air for string quartet; Divertimento for strings; Eleusa for violin and piano; Four Sea Songs for mezzo-soprano and symphony orchestra; and Red Sun for clarinet and piano. His works have been performed at numerous concerts and festivals, including Espressivo, KotorArt, the Festival of Young Artists, Ljubljana Festival, and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Milovoje Pićurić also composes applied music and is a member of several Montenegrin jazz, alternative, and experimental music groups. He teaches at the Vasa Pavić Secondary School of Music and Ballet in Podgorica and is one of the founders of the Montenegrin Youth Orchestra. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, under the mentorship of Professor Aleksandra Vrebalov.
Nina Perović completed her bachelor’s and specialist studies in Composition at the University of Montenegro Music Academy under Professor Žarko Mirković, and in Piano under Professors Aleksandar Serdar and Vladimir Bochkarev. She obtained her master’s degree in Composition at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, under Professor Uroš Rojko, before going on to complete her doctoral studies in Composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Srđan Hofman. She also pursued advanced training at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. Perović composes both acoustic and electronic music for solo instruments, symphony orchestra, voice, and chamber ensembles. Her works have been performed in numerous prestigious concert halls throughout the region and at music festivals across Europe. Nina Perović also writes music for theater and film and is involved in several projects for children. She currently teaches at the Music Academy in Cetinje and is a member of the Music Department of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts. She has received numerous scholarships and has served as a guest lecturer, including with support from the Goethe Institute and the DAAD scholarship for professional exchange at the University of the Arts in Berlin, where she is currently specializing in the field of Musical Theater.
