The music program of the Center organizes concerts, music festivals, performances, concert lectures, promotions of topical music books and CD editions, masterclasses and children programs all year long, usually in the Artget gallery, one of the most beloved music venues in Belgrade, and in summer also in front of the Centre.
The music program by the Centre is often organized in other city venues, such as the City Hall, Italian Institute, Art Pavilion Cvjeta Zuzorić, and other. Concerts are free of charge and designed for a wide audience – for the citizens of Belgrade, but also for the tourists.
The music program with the longest tradition – Concerts in the Gallery – supports and encourages young musicians of Belgrade and Serbia by presenting, each Monday since 1986, talented artists and performers, those who have been awarded in national and international competitions, the ones at the very beginning of their careers, but also the already established musicians from Serbia and from abroad. Our firm belief that supporting young talents by offering them an opportunity to obtain valuable professional experience at the very beginning of their careers represents a true investment in the country’s future in music, has already born fruit. Some of the internationally acclaimed musicians have begun their careers in the Centre: Aleksandar Madžar, Ilija Marinković, Vesna Stanković, Miloš Raičković, Isidora Žebeljan, Nemanja Radulović, Vladimir Milošević, Stanko Madić…
The Centre is famous as the initiator and the organizer of two unique international festivals: Days of Organ Music, and Harpsichord, Living Art, which present renowned European performers and pedagogues.
The Centre also supports jazz and popular music, through the concerts by the fountains in front of the Centre, which turns into a temporary summer stage “Music of the Square”.
Big anniversaries often represent occasions when the Center prepares special interdisciplinary projects and concerts dedicated to great composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Belgrade to Horowitz, Music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Schuman and His Doppelgängers, Hope and Despair – which marked the anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, The Sky Was Strewn with Stars – the centennial of the death of Stevan S. Mokranjac, Erik Satie – a man with an umbrella..
Another important element which contributes to the quality and the variety of the music program is the cooperation with institutions from the country and from abroad. The Centre co-organizes and collaborates with numerous music festivities, such as Belgrade Saxperience Festival, Guitar Art Festival, Promenade Concerts by the Belgrade Wind Orchestra, World Music Day, International Festival of Chamber Choirs, Belgrade Summer Festival (BELEF), International Review of Composers, and many other.
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Extra information
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Days of Organ
The international Days of Organ – Dies organorum festival has been every summer, since 2001. The Festival is eminent for bringing together the most distinguished organists from Europe and other continents, but also in promoting the exchange of experience and an insight into the novelties in that field. The festival founder is Nena Mihajlović Vlajković, who has also been the director since 2016, while the music department of the centre has been in charge of the program.
The program of the Festival consists of the concerts of art music since baroque, spiritual music, improvisations, but also concert of music that contains elements of jazz and other genres. Organs are represented as solo instrument but also within chamber and bigger ensembles. The program also presents one concert for children, while one part of the Festival is dedicated to summer school of organs that is tailored for organ students and learners, thus contributing to good additional education for music professionals in Serbia.
The main venue is the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which houses a great modern organ by the Italian organ builder Francesco Zanin, while the part of the program for children and students takes place in the Museum of Science and Technology, on the instrument by the builder Johann Marcel.
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Harpsichord, a living art
International festival Harpsichord, a living art – Ars vivendi clavicembalum
Ever since its inception in 2003, the Harpsichord festival has been a unique event not only in southeast Europe, but in Europe in general. The promotion of harpsichord as a solo and chamber music instrument which has been in use since 16th century, makes it a cultural leader in nourishing the European music culture and cultural heritage. The festival presents eminent harpsichord artists and pedagogues to the wide audience through concerts of harpsichord music based on the 400-year-long harpsichord music repertoire.Although the use of such a sophisticated tone for exploration of various Belgrade concert venues acoustic features was not among the initial intentions, it turned out to be one of the Festival’s characteristics.
Another valuable segment are master courses for students and high-school pupils, as well as numerous lectures and instruments exhibitions for the young ones but also for all music lovers.
The quality and relevance of the harpsichord festival has thus contributed to the development of Cultural Centre of Belgrade recognizable image.
Lorenzo Ghielmi (Italy), Jon Laukvik (Norway), Jurgen Essl and Martin Sander (Germany), Dalibor Miklavčič (Slovenia), Christoph Bossert (Germany), Liuwe Taminga and Peter Dirksen (Holland), Borbola Dobozy and Agnesz Rotko (Hungary), Maria Luisa Baldassari (Italy), Egon Mihajlović (Montenegro), Blandine Rannou (France), etc. are some of the prominent names of European organ and harpsichord music who, as performers and lecturers, have taken part in the international organ and harpsichord festivals so far.