Flower of Diversity
The ‘Flower of Diversity’ concert will be held in the Serbian National Theater, on the stage ‘Pera Dobrinović’, as part of The Danube Sea programme arch.
The programme will include a joint performance of traditional music ensembles from five different national communities, with world-renowned artists from Vojvodina in the field of vocal and instrumental music – solo singer Béla Mavrák and accordionist Lelo Nika.
Béla Mavrák is a native of Vojvodina who knows the languages, music and traditions of the national communities of the region. He graduated from the Music School and the Secondary Medical School in Zrenjanin. He studied at the University of Arts in Belgrade, and just three years later at the prestigious University of Cologne, where he graduated in 1994. He perfected his voice and education with Franz Corelli in Milan and Gianni Raimondi in Bologna, as well as with the Swedish tenor Nicolai Gädda. After a series of international performances, he received an invitation from the National Theatre in Belgrade to perform as Rodolfo in the opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. From then on, his brilliant international career began, which continues to this day. He performed on all continents, with the world’s largest orchestras, in the most famous theatres and operas, as well as in front of thousands of visitors in stadiums and squares. In 2004, he accepted André Rieu’s invitation to become a member of the trio ‘Platin Tenors’ together with Garry Bennett and Thomas Greull.
Accordion virtuoso, Lelo Nika, is at the very top of the world’s accordionists. He pushed all boundaries in music with his magical accordion, masterful technique, recognizable style strong emotional expression, energy that simply shines, permeates the audience and leaves them breathless. He is in the comfort zone on stage; he completely dominates as an example of unprecedented harmony between artist and instrument. Born in the Vojvodina village of Nikolinci, in Banat, from an early age he showed a love for music, which is natural since it is a tradition in Nika’s family. From the age of four, he fell in love with the accordion, and at the age of nine he was already playing in the orchestra. At the age of ten, his father sent him to his musician friend and director of the cultural centre in Nikolinci, Yonel Corneanu, who enabled him to learn the accordion from the famous Branimir Đokić. He later studied at the Academy in Malmö, as well as at the Danish Accordion Academy. He won first place twice at the World Accordion Competition.
The National Orchestra of Romanians from Vojvodina was officially founded in 2017, although it existed in various forms before with the aim of promoting the traditional folk music of Vojvodina Romanians. The orchestra organizes music festivals, seminars, workshops, cooperates with numerous institutions abroad with the aim of improving and promoting culture and art. The diverse repertoire that covers the folklore of all regions with a Romanians ranks this ensemble among the most prestigious ensembles that nurture Romanian traditional music, which is proven by successful performances at the most important events that promote this type of music that are organized in Romania.
On the occasion of the ‘Flower of Diversity’ concert, the Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Slovaks formed a chamber string orchestra composed of the most prominent Slovak musicians from Vojvodina, who have rich experience in their field of activity, both on local and international stages. The artistic director of the orchestra is Ervin Malina.
The Chamber Tambura Ensemble of the Croatian Music Association is composed of prominent instrumentalists, members of the Great Festival Tambura Orchestra, which has been operating in Subotica for twenty years. The orchestra works on collecting, processing and performing traditional music, as well as on new Croatian music. Among the significant ethnomusicological projects are ‘Bunjevačka kola po sviranju Pere Tumbas Haje’ and ‘Bunjevački svatovi – zaboravljene pisme i melodije’. The orchestra nurtures and preserves the true Vojvodina tambura tradition. Their repertoire includes compositions written for the tambura, transcriptions, folk songs and dances of their region.
The Juhas Orchestra was founded more than twenty years ago in Subotica. It is one of the most popular Hungarian folk orchestras in Vojvodina, but it is also known throughout the Carpathian Basin. They cherish Hungarian original music, as well as Romanian, Serbian, Croatian and Slovak melodies. Annually, they perform more than a hundred performances in the country and abroad, starting from their own concerts to the musical accompaniment of various folklore ensembles. They toured almost all European countries, but also played in Australia and China. They have released eight CDs, three of which are primarily intended for children. They participate in various projects for research, learning and popularization of Vojvodina’s musical heritage. Their intention is to show younger generations the jewels of Hungarian music and dance culture with the help of the ‘táncház’ method.
The cultural and artistic society ‘Petro Kuzmjak’ from Novo Orahovo near Bačka Topola was founded at the end of 1947, only a year and a half after about 120 Ruthenian families from Ruski Krstur moved to Senćanski Gunaroš, i.e. today’s Novo Orahovo. Since its establishment, the ‘Petro Kuzmjak’ cultural and artisitc society has been operating through various sections, and their tambura orchestra has existed since 2000 and has so far been a guest at numerous events in Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine and Romania, and has participated in more of television programmes in the Ruthenian language of RTV.
The project leader is the Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Romanians, while the partners are the Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Ruthenians, Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Hungarians, Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Slovaks, Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Croats.