Building a professional symphony ensemble outside the capital city means, first and foremost, expanding the notion of a cultural centre and showing that exceptional music-making is not reserved for a single geographic point. Unlike the model centred around Podgorica, our orchestra grows from the community and for the community. It evolves as a public good — said Živković.
The formation of the Boka Symphony Orchestra was not received by the public as a sudden cultural experiment, but rather as a long-awaited outcome of a region that remembers, nurtures and passes music down through generations. Boka Kotorska, with its centuries-old tradition of collective music-making, town bands and institutional music education, is once again articulating the idea that high artistic achievement does not have to emerge in centres of power, but wherever continuity, knowledge and a shared vision exist.
The orchestra held its first concert on 22 November in a full hall of the “Nikola Đurković” Cultural Centre in Kotor, and performed again on 1 January this year on the square in front of the Old Town in Budva. The project is led by flautist and orchestra director Andrea Živković, who sees the Boka Symphony Orchestra not only as a professional ensemble, but as a living cultural organism – a space where experience and youth, local identity and the universal symphonic language meet.
In an interview for Pobjeda, Živković discusses the processes that preceded the founding of the orchestra, the challenges and advantages of building a professional symphonic ensemble outside the capital, the orchestra’s relationship with the community, audience and musical heritage of Boka, as well as the personal, almost intimate dimension of a project already transforming the cultural landscape of the region.
POBJEDA:
The creation of the Boka Symphony Orchestra was, according to the first reports, perceived as a “natural sequence of events,” rather than an ad hoc initiative. Which long-term processes, people and circumstances, in your opinion, needed to mature for such an orchestra to become possible in Boka today?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
For us to speak today of a symphony orchestra in Boka Kotorska as a stable and meaningful phenomenon, long-term processes needed to mature. Firstly, continuity in music education – generations of musicians trained in Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi now form a professionally mature base without which an orchestra cannot exist.
An important role was also played by the long tradition of town bands, which cultivated a culture of collective music-making, a sense of belonging to an ensemble, and continuity of musical life. Finally, it should not be forgotten that Kotor already had a City Symphony Orchestra in 1954, which confirms that the establishment of the Boka Symphony Orchestra today is not an ad hoc project, but a natural continuation of a deeply rooted tradition.
POBJEDA:
The orchestra brings together musicians from Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi. How do you balance the idea of a regional ensemble with the strong local identities of each town, and does this diversity represent your greatest strength?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
All three municipalities have their specificities and musical traditions, yet they belong to the same space and share the cultural code of Boka Kotorska. Music is the universal language through which we communicate while playing together – in front of it, we are all equal, regardless of which town or country we come from. Each of us brings our own energy and experience into the orchestra, and precisely this diversity forms the basis of a richer sound and a stronger shared identity. In that sense, the orchestra becomes a common space where differences are not erased, but transformed into value.
POBJEDA:
In Montenegro, a professional symphony orchestra has traditionally been linked to the capital city. What does it mean to build such an ensemble outside that framework – in Boka – and what are the advantages and specific challenges of such a model?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
Building a professional symphonic ensemble outside the capital means, above all, expanding the notion of a cultural centre and demonstrating that top-level music-making is not reserved for a single geographic point. Unlike the model centred around Podgorica, our orchestra grows from the community and for the community. It evolves as a public good – through enriching the cultural life of the region, making high artistic content accessible, and raising professional standards within the local environment.
Of course, there are specific challenges. They primarily relate to logistics, institutional support and long-term sustainability – because building a professional ensemble outside a centralised system requires additional effort, clear planning and strong cooperation between multiple local communities.
That is why we see this model in Boka not as an alternative, but as a valuable contribution to the decentralisation of culture in Montenegro – proof that a professional symphony orchestra can successfully live and grow wherever tradition, knowledge and a shared vision exist.
POBJEDA:
The orchestra includes musicians with experience in professional ensembles, as well as young artists entering a symphony orchestra for the first time. How do you envision the relationship between mentorship and development within the ensemble, and can it become a kind of “school in practice” for young musicians in Boka and Montenegro?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
We consider this blend of experience and youth as one of the orchestra’s key strengths. In the Boka Symphony Orchestra, we do not draw a strict line between “experienced” and “young,” but rather create an environment in which knowledge is naturally transferred through rehearsals and concert practice.
In this way, the orchestra organically becomes a kind of “school in practice” – a place where young musicians gain experience that cannot be learned solely in a classroom: how an orchestra functions, how a professional attitude is built, how to listen and react within an ensemble.
POBJEDA:
The premiere concert “The Sound of Boka” combined classical works, vocal pieces and compositions by authors from Boka. Should the orchestra’s repertoire also carry a clear identity mission – and how do you view the relationship between the universal symphonic canon and local musical heritage?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
The repertoire of the Boka Symphony Orchestra does have an identity dimension, but it is shaped through balance between the universal symphonic canon and local musical heritage. In this initial phase, the foundation of the repertoire is classicism, which enables the stable development of orchestral sound.
On that basis, space gradually opens for other stylistic periods and aesthetic directions. At the same time, one of the orchestra’s key focuses is discovering, researching and systematically collecting scores of composers from Boka, their preservation and archiving.
POBJEDA:
The Municipality of Kotor supported the project from the very beginning. How crucial is institutional support for the survival of such an ensemble, and how do you imagine a model of long-term financial and organisational stability?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
Institutional support from all three municipalities is essential for the survival and long-term development of the orchestra. It is important to emphasise that such a model would not represent a significant burden for municipal budgets, while for the orchestra it would be invaluable – as it would secure basic financial stability, continuity of work and the possibility for planned, sustainable growth.
We envision long-term stability as a combination of institutional support, project-based funding, collaboration with cultural institutions and partners, and a clearly defined organisational structure. In such a model, the orchestra functions as a public good, serving culture, education and the community – rather than as a short-term project dependent on circumstances of the moment.
POBJEDA:
In your statements you have emphasised that the orchestra is not here merely to “play,” but to generate new cultural energy. How do you see the orchestra’s relationship with the local community – as an elite artistic ensemble or as an open platform that actively engages with citizens?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
Certainly as an open platform that actively engages with the local community. Our goal is a high artistic standard, but it makes little sense if it is not in dialogue with the space and people from which the orchestra emerges.
For us, creating “new cultural energy” means that the ensemble is present in the life of the community – through concerts, educational programmes, cooperation with schools, young musicians and other cultural initiatives. We want symphonic music not to be perceived as distant or inaccessible, but as a living part of Boka’s everyday cultural landscape.
POBJEDA:
Boka has a long musical tradition, but also generations of young people who still need to be connected to classical music. Do you plan educational concerts, collaboration with schools and music institutions, and how important is audience development for you?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
Yes, educational programmes are very important to us and we see them as our duty. We plan to collaborate with music schools in Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi through educational concerts and programmes for young people. Audience development is extremely important to us, and already after the first concert it became evident that there is interest and a need for such content in Boka.
POBJEDA:
Representatives of regional orchestras and institutions attended the first concert. Where do you see the Boka Symphony Orchestra in the regional and international context – as a festival guest, a partner in co-productions or as Boka’s resident ensemble?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
Representatives of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra were present at the premiere concert, which means a great deal to us – as they witnessed the birth of the ensemble from its very beginning. We see this as an important sign of support and recognition.
The Boka Symphony Orchestra already has a clear place in the regional context. A performance at the opening of KotorArt in 2026 is planned, as well as at the Tivat Music Festival. In parallel, co-productions and collaborations with regional partners are being developed. In the long term, we see the orchestra as the resident symphonic ensemble of Boka, but also as an active participant on the regional and international music scene.
J. Nikitović
The Birth of a New Cultural Life in Boka
POBJEDA:
As a flautist and leader, you have found yourself at the head of a demanding project. What does this orchestra mean to you personally – professionally and emotionally – and how would you like the Boka Symphony Orchestra to look in ten years?
ŽIVKOVIĆ:
For me personally, this orchestra represents the birth of a new cultural life in Boka. It is especially emotional that its premiere evening came after exactly nine months of intensive work and preparation – like a natural, yet deeply personal process of an idea maturing into reality.
Professionally, it is a major challenge and responsibility, but also a powerful motivation. In ten years, I would like the BSO to be recognised for its high quality, stability and clear identity, and to offer audiences in Boka Kotorska an artistic experience of the kind expected in major developed European cities.
https://www.pobjeda.me/clanak/zelimo-da-ansambl-bude-prisutan-u-zivotu-zajednice
Autor: Jovan Nikitović
