KotorArt
International festival
Sunday, July 19
Church of the Holy Spirit, 9:00 p.m.
THE ISLAND
The Island, a chamber opera for three female voices, chamber ensemble, and electronics by Irena Popović
Program partners
Gradsko pozorište Podgorica, Muzički centar Crne Gore, PAM
TICKETS
Will be available soon.
Program
July 19, 2026
Irena Popović (1974)
The Island, a chamber opera for three female voices, chamber ensemble, and electronics
Libretto: Jelena Novak
Director: Irena Popović
Costume Designer: Lina Leković
Video Design: Emil Petrov
Piano collaborator on the project: Marina Mikić
Performers:
Olivera Tičević, soprano
Dubravka Drakić, actress
Sofija Ivanović, child voice
Boka Ensemble:
Tamara Jovanović, flute
Nenad Jovanović, violin
Željko Ivović, cello
Marina Mikić, piano
Srđan Palačković, percussion
Irena Popović, electronics
While waiting for her husband to return from a sea voyage, Jacinta Kunić from Perast devoted herself to embroidering a tapestry. In addition to damask and pearls of various colors, Jacinta used strands of her own hair in the embroidery. For 25 long years, she worked on the tapestry, hoping to welcome back the man who never returned. According to legend, Jacinta lost her sight while completing the tapestry. The overture of her story alternates between turbulent and intimate sections, metaphorically portraying the life of a woman who, despite her profound sorrow, endures – tirelessly and devotedly weaving a tapestry that becomes a symbol of her love for the man she will never see again. The opera is guided by three voices: a narrator – an actress, an operatic singer, and a girl’s voice. Together, through poetic imagery, they tell one of the most moving legends of the Bay of Kotor. Jacinta, now the narrator, recalls her childhood as a young girl, while the adult Jacinta (the operatic singer) remains unaware that she will live her life enclosed in a solitary world. The libretto shifts between past and present, dream and reality, and incorporates some of the most beautiful verses of women’s poetry. The role of the Boka Chamber Ensemble extends beyond playing music – they also speak or whisper lines, becoming an amplified voice of Jacinta herself. The opera departs from the expected operatic vocal tradition and transforms into a poignant cry, giving voice to all those who wait with unwavering devotion.
Artists
Olivera Tičević, soprano, is an artist whose career is distinguished by outstanding academic achievement, international recognition, and notable performances on the European opera stage. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade under Professor Aneta Ilić, and her master’s degree at the University of the Arts in Bern under Professor Christian Hilz. The award for Most Promising Performer from the Austrian Baroque Academy led to a series of concerts in some of Europe’s most important concert halls, as well as in Japan. Her regional opera debut was as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Madlenianum Opera in Zemun, followed by engagements at opera houses including Zurich and Oslo, as well as performances at numerous international festivals. She has appeared in the roles of Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Lucy in Weill’s The Threepenny Opera, and Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. Olivera Tičević demonstrates a strong artistic commitment to the performance of 20th- and 21st-century music. She has given world premieres of works by contemporary composers including Žarko Mirković, Nina Perović, Marko Kovač, and Draško Adžić. For her interpretation of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre in Bern, she was distinctly awarded. Olivera Tičević is currently engaged in several opera and vocal-instrumental projects in Montenegro, Bern, Vienna, Stockholm, and Oslo.
Dubravka Drakić, actress, graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Cetinje in 1999, under Professor Borislav Stjepanović. In 2014, she was appointed as an Assistant Professor at the same faculty, teaching the Speech course. She has served as the Director of the City Theater of Podgorica and as President of the Council of the Budo Tomović Cultural Information Center. She has appeared in numerous feature and documentary films, television dramas and series, and a wide range of theater roles, including: the Peasant Woman (Novela od Ljubavi by Stevan Koprivica), the Innkeeper (The Three Musketeers by Aleksandra Glovacki), the Witch (The Mountain Wreath by Petar II Petrović Njegoš), Gospava Radomirova (The Marriage of King Vukašin by Igor Bojović), Georgette (The School for Wives by Molière), and the Washerwoman (Yerma by Federico García Lorca). She has performed at the City Theater of Podgorica on both children’s and main stages, at the Montenegrin National Theater, in the municipal theaters of Nikšić and Herceg Novi, and at festivals throughout Montenegro and the region. She has collaborated with esteemed directors such as Milan Karadžić, Jagoš Marković, Branislav Mićunović, Ljubosav Majer, Blagota Eraković, Petar Božović, Ana Vukotić, Nikola Zavišić, Radmila Vojvodić, Stefan Sablić, and Boris Liješević, among others. Dubravka Drakić has received numerous professional awards and honors, including the 2014 Annual Award of the City of Podgorica.
Sofija Ivanović, a student at the Slobodan Škerović Philological Gymnasium in Podgorica, concurrently attended the Milorad Musa Burzan Primary School and the Vasa Pavić School for Music and Ballet, where she studied Piano and Vocal Arts. She has demonstrated exceptional aptitude for languages and literature and speaks fluent French and English. She is a national champion in French language competitions. Along with her academic and musical achievements, she is actively developing a theater career. She performs the leading role and appears as a singer in the production Fleka, with music by Irena Popović, which is part of the regular repertoire of the Montenegrin National Theater. Owing to her exceptional talent and fluent command of French, Sofija Ivanović performed before the Presidents of Montenegro and France during the meeting of delegations at the EU–Western Balkans Summit. In her free time, she enjoys singing and studying literature and philosophy, combining art with intellectual exploration.
Tamara Knežević completed her primary and secondary music education at the Vida Matjan Primary and Secondary Music School in Kotor, studying under Professors Jasminka Terzić and Žana Marinković. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Flute from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Ljubiša Jovanović. She has won numerous gold and special prizes at competitions both in Montenegro and abroad. As a soloist, she has performed at the String Festival in Kotor, KotorArt, and Purgatorije in Tivat. In 2013, she gave a solo concert for an Italian audience at the Nei suoni dei luoghi festival. Tamara is a regular member of the ensembles Talija Quartet, Providenca Trio, and Amiccie Duo. She has taught at schools in Bijelo Polje, Vasa Pavić in Podgorica, Vida Matjan in Kotor, and in Budva. Her students have won numerous awards at competitions both nationally and across the region. Tamara Knežević has served as a jury member at the Davorin Jenko International Competition and multiple times at the Montenegrin National Music Competitions. As Principal Flutist of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, she has performed with renowned conductors and soloists such as Roman Simović, Maja Bogdanović, Ivo Pogorelić, Uroš Lajovic, Bojan Suđić, and Gordan Nikolić, at festivals including BEMUS, Barski Ljetopis, A Tempo, and KotorArt.
Nenad Jovanović, violin, completed his primary and secondary music education at the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija, and his undergraduate and master’s studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Ljubomir Mihailović. As a student at the School for Musical Talents, he received numerous first prizes and special awards at competitions both nationally and internationally. He was a long-time member of the orchestra of the National Theater in Belgrade and the St. George String Chamber Orchestra, collaborating with orchestras such as Camerata Serbica and Symphonia Vienna. Nenad Jovanović has performed in countries of the former Yugoslavia, Norway, Hungary, China, Poland, and Slovakia, collaborating with renowned soloists and conductors such as Roman Simović, Uroš Lajovic, Ivo Pogorelić, Stefan Milenkovich, Bojan Suđić, Darinka Matić Marović, and Gordan Nikolić. He has participated in festivals such as BEMUS, the Ohrid Summer Festival, the Split Summer Festival, the Ljubljana Festival, and NIMUS. Nenad Jovanović is a member of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, where he serves as Principal Second Violin, and the Montenegrin Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the string quartet of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, he has performed a series of concerts in Montenegro and Albania. He has worked as a violin teacher at the Dr Vojislav Vučković Music School in Čačak, the Vasa Pavić Music School in Podgorica, and the Music School in Tivat.
Željko Ivović, cello, began playing at the age of six under Professor Zorana Prvulović and was a student at the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija, under Professor Relja Ćetković. He graduated from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Dejan Božić, and completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, under Professor Tobias Stosiek. He has served as a member of the Dušan Skovran Belgrade String Orchestra and the Banja Luka Philharmonic, and as Principal Cello in the KotorArt Festival Orchestra. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra in Novi Sad. Željko Ivović occasionally performs as a freelance member with the Belgrade Philharmonic and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra. Since 2022, he has also been engaged as Principal Cello in the Serafim Chamber Orchestra. He has performed throughout Serbia and Montenegro, as well as in Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, France, Italy, and Greece. He has been a member of the IL Belpaese String Quartet since 2011, and has been performing in a duo with violinist Igor Vasiljević since 2017. Željko Ivović has been employed as a cello teacher at the School for Musical Talents in Ćuprija since 2010, teaching Cello, Orchestra, Sight-reading, and Chamber Music.
Marina Mikić, piano, completed music school in Herceg-Novi, under Professor Zoran Redžić. She graduated in Piano from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad under Professor Kemal Gekić. During her studies, she won several Republic and Federal prizes in Serbia. Marina Mikić has continued her education through participation in numerous masterclasses held by renowned pedagogues, such as Igor Lazko, Vladimir Krpan, Konstantin Bogino, Aleksey Nasedkin, Jelena Richter, Jokuthon Mihailović, Dorian Leljak, and Arbo Valdma, among others. She has recorded for both Serbian and Montenegrin RTV. Beginning with her first solo recital, held at the age of eleven, Marina has been developing and expanding her piano repertoire, which today encompasses a wide range of solo, chamber, and orchestral pieces. She has performed in Slovenia, Austria, Montenegro, Croatia, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, USA, and Germany. Marina is currently employed as an Independent Collaborative Pianist at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. Dedicated to introducing classical music to young audiences, she performs in opera productions for children as a member of the Visoko C Association of Artists. In addition to her concert, collaborative, and pedagogical activities, she has been engaged in professional positions with various organizations: serving as Assistant of the KotorArt International Festival’s Artistic Director for eight years, as a board member of the Sombor Music Festivities, and as a board member of the Novi Sad Academy of Arts’ A Fest.
Srđan Palačković, percussion, completed his undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral artistic studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. He served as a percussionist and Principal Timpanist of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. Since the establishment of its percussion department, he has been a professor at the Isidor Bajić Music School in Novi Sad. He is also an Independent Professional Associate at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and a Full Professor at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. He has given masterclasses at the Festival of Young Artists in Bayreuth, Germany, and has served on the international jury of percussion competitions in Slovenia. As a soloist, Srđan Palačković has performed extensively on marimba, timpani, and percussion, presenting numerous concerts and recitals, including the world premiere of Marimba Concerto No. 1, Op. 8 by Nebojša Jovan Živković. His repertoire encompasses original works for percussion by internationally renowned composers. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with numerous orchestras and chamber ensembles, as well as with many of the leading musicians and artists from the former Yugoslavia. As a founding member of the Belgrade Percussionists Duo, the only professional ensemble in Serbia dedicated to classical and contemporary percussion music, he has appeared with his colleague Ivan Marjanović at prominent festivals such as BEMUS, NOMUS, NIMUS, A Tempo, and KotorArt. He has also performed with a percussion quartet as part of the MUSMA project.
Irena Popović, composer and director, graduated from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Department of Composition, where she studied under Zoran Erić and Srđan Hofman. She continued her education with a master’s degree at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, studying Composition and Orchestration under Reinhard Febel. Her oeuvre includes a significant focus on music for theater and film. She has received numerous awards, including the Sterija Award, distinguished recognition at the International Small Scenes Theater Festival in Rijeka, at the Festival of Professional Theaters of Vojvodina, at the Theater Meetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina/Brčko District, and at the Antalya Film Festival. Her most frequently performed compositions include: Broken Opera of My Heart for string orchestra, Mozart, Chandelier, Lustik or Ten Pieces with Singing Resembling an Opera for soloists, rock band, children’s choir, and chamber ensemble, Silence and Nothing for prompter and piano, Little NOIZ for string quartet, Overture Einstein’s Dreams / Music for Imagined Operatic Scenes for symphony orchestra, and The Snake King Who Ate the Elephant for symphony orchestra. In recent years, she has devoted herself to directing her own operas, exploring the intersection of operatic singing and the actor’s spoken voice as the foundation of her stage expression. This approach is among the artistic practices that push the boundaries of contemporary music and theater in the region.
Jelena Novak is a Senior Researcher and Assistant Professor at CESEM, FCSH, and NOVA University in Lisbon. Her research interests include modern and contemporary music, recent opera, vocal performance and new media, capitalist realism, voice studies, and female identities in music. She works across these areas as a researcher, lecturer, writer, dramaturge, music critic, editor, and curator, with a focus on connecting critical theory and contemporary art. Her recent books include: Postopera: Reinventing the Voice-Body (2015), Operofilia (2018), Einstein on the Beach: Opera beyond Drama (co-authored with John Richardson, 2019). She recently collaborated as dramaturge for the opera Children (2022) by Irena Popović, performed at the National Theater in Belgrade. She is currently working on a new book titled Opera in the Expanded Field, exploring what it means and what it takes to sing beyond the human.
