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The string quartet Gosl will perform for the first time in front of the Podgorica audience at one-hour concert on September 4, 2023, in the main hall of the Cultural Information Center (KIC) Budo Tomović at 8 p.m. The concert of this newly founded quartet will be held as part of the KIC’s Chamber Music cycle.

The quartet was formed last year at the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music, and is made up of young and talented string players: violinists Luka Perazić and Viktor Huter, violist Petar Obradović and cellist Sari Šaćiri. The program of the ensemble includes two string quartets: Felix Mendelssohn No. 6, Op. 80 and Dmitri Shostakovich No. 9, Op. 117.

We are looking forward to the concert and are happy to have contributed to the initiative to create a new chamber ensemble in our country.

The final concerts of the 12^th Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music were held in Cetinje on August 6 at the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro at 8 p.m. and in Podgorica, on August 7 at the Budo Tomović Culutural and Information Center at 8 p.m. We presented a total of 24 chamber ensembles, i.e. 12 chamber groups each, and the same number of compositions by different authors, from the Baroque era to the modern times, at both concerts.

Very successful public performances were followed by 300 visitors who warmly greeted young players. Please, look at the detailed concert programs, both in Cetinje and Podgorica,  atached to this text.

The final concerts of the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music were included in the programs of cultural events “Summer in the Capital” organized by the Cetinje Tourist Organization, and “Podgorica Cultural Summer” organized by the Secretariat for Culture and Sports of the City of Podgorica.

Internal concerts of participants of the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music will take place in Ivanova Korita, on Friday, 4^th and on Saturday, 5^th at the “Lovćen” Turistic Education Center, at 2:30 p.m.

There will be 30 ensembles playing in different settings: duo, trio, quartet, quintet, septet and flute undectet. The repertoire includes various styles – from baroque, classical, romantic, and 20^th century music.

After five days of intensive preparations, rehearsals and master classes with mentos, players will show wide repertoire of chamber music.

The 12^th edition of the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music will be held from July 30 to August 7, 2023, in the Tourist and Educational Center Lovcen in Ivanova Korita, as it was announced at the press conference held on July 26, in the Cultural-information center “Budo Tomovic”. The editor of the music program, Maja Popovic, expressed her contentment that the Summer Camp was recognized as a project of importance for the realization of public interest and that it is continuously co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro, through the annual Competition.

“This year’s Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music will get together the largest number of participants. There are about 55 musicians of different generations, who come from different parts of Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, as well as from Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Japan. All of them will form chamber ensembles of different types: piano duo, piano trio, string quartet, piano quintet, septet, flute ensembles, flute choir and string orchestra,” said Popovic.

All participants in these different ensembles will be taught by an experienced team of mentors, including the famous violinist Sreten Krstic, cellist Dmitrij Prokofiev, Marko Simovic, assistant professor at the Academy of Music in Sarajevo, chamber music professors at the Academy of Music in Cetinje, pianist Nataša Popovic and flautist Zana Lekic, clarinetist Veljko Klenkovski, professor at FMU in Belgrade, oboist Stefano Vezzani, professor at several state conservatories in northern Italy, and violist Petar Obradovic and double bassist Ana Zvicer, members of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra.

“The Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music is recognized as unique project in the region, both in terms of affirmation and education in the field of chamber music, as well as in terms of the conceptual part of openness to cooperation with the participants. This camp contributes to the training of young musicians from Montenegro with internationally recognized musicians and professors in their own country. In addition, the camp allows participants to improve their skills without additional financial claims, in terms of paying for master classes. There is also the opportunity to collaborate with other musicians, their peers, both from the country, the region and beyond, and enjoy the multicultural atmosphere that this camp cherish,” explained Maja Popovic.

This project was started in 2012 on the initiative of Michael Schnurr, former diplomat of Geman Embassy in Montenegro, and KIC “Budo Tomovic” joined the pilot project; after two years this cultural institution took over the complete organization. Interest in participating in the Summer Camp grows by years, both from musicians who have already experienced the charms of the camp and from new participants. The Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany remained a strong partner on this journey, and therefore provided significant support for this year’s edition as well.

“We are very proud that Summer Camp has become one of the leaders in the cultural calendar of events for young people in Montenegro. At the core of this idea is the nurturing of young talents, and for that reason this camp brought together a selected number of students from Montenegro, the region and the world, who were given direct access and contact with prominent artists who participate as mentors at the camp. The core of the teaching camp is made up of prominent artists from Montenegro, members of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, as well as professors of the Music Academy in Cetinje. It is a great honor for us that this year we were able to support the participation of the mentor, Mr. Sreten Krstic,” said Andrijana Djonovic, the representative of the German Embassy in Montenegro.

Pianist Natasa Popovic is among the prominent musicians who will be mentors to new musical talents in the inspiring environment of Ivanova Korita. She has been part of this project since 2017, so she is a true witness of development of this project.

“I am glad that there is a Summer Camp for Chamber Music that brings together young people of different generations. In addition, the presence of adult amateur musicians is also nice. It is lovely to see them enthusiastic about playing together and learning new compositions. It is really inspiring for us professionals as well,” said the pianist.

According to the established plan and program, at the end of the seven-day intensive workshops and master classes, the project will offer two final public concerts: in Cetinje, on August 6 at the Ministry of Culture (8:00 p.m.) as part of the event “Ljeto u Prijestonici” and in Podgorica, on August 7 in the KIC “BudoTomovic” (8:00 p.m.) as part of the Podgorica Cultural Summer Festival.

Ivan Popovic, independent advisor of the Secretariat for Culture and Sports of the Capital City said that they gladly support the project, whose participants are talented young musicians from Montenegro, the region and beyond.

“The event traditionally gives to talented musicians the opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills in cooperation with prominent musical experts and perform in smaller ensembles, which affirms chamber music and encourages the creation of new chamber ensembles. The project is rightfully supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro, the Secretariat for Culture of the Capital City, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Montenegro, and the Cetinje Tourism Organization. The reach of the camp itself is evident by the impressive number of music pedagogues who have participated in the camp since 2012. The fact that there are many internationally recognized and established musicians among the participants of the Summer Camp is significant for the organizers from KIC, as well as for us,” said Ivan Popovic. All participants expressed their great joy as the final concert of the Summer Camp is included in the rich program of the city summer festival “Podgorica Cultural Summer” again this year.

 Leading project partners and the main organizers of the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music are the City of Podgorica and the Cultural Information Center “Budo Tomovic”, and it is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro, the Secretariat for Culture of the Capital City, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Montenegro, and the Tourist Organization of Cetinje.

Friends of the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music are the Art School for Music and Ballet “Vasa Pavić”, Podgorica, and the JU “Lovcen-Becici”, Cetinje.

Respectable Italian oboist and professor Stefano Vezzani will join the mentoring team of the 12th edition of the Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music. Professor Vezzani teaches oboe and chamber music for wind instruments in several music conservatories in Italy.

At the same time he actively performs and records for reputable European labels. Before meeting him in person at the camp, we recommend you to read his rich artistic and pedagogical biography. Let’s welcome him!

Stefano Vezzani biography

53 musicians who play string and wind instruments and the piano, have applied at the 12th Montenegro Summer Camp for Chamber Music. This year’s participants are mainly young musicians of different generations, high school students and undergraduate and master’s degree students. Participants come from Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Germany, Ukraine, Japan and Kazakhstan.  

We will soon create an interesting repertoire and numerous chamber ensembles in accordance with the suggestions of students and mentors. In addition to chamber ensembles, we have included playing in a chamber orchestra under the direction of mentor-violinist Sreten Krstić. There will be two compositions on the orchestra stands Concerto grosso no. 3 by the English composer Charles Avison (1709-1770), inspired by the piano sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti and the “Adagietto” movement from Gustav Mahler’s 5th symphony (1860-1911) in Krstić’s arrangement for strings. 

We expect a summer filled with enthusiasm for making music together, new acquaintances and enjoyable experiences.