{"id":919,"date":"2026-01-11T21:41:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T21:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/?p=919"},"modified":"2026-02-08T10:32:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T10:32:39","slug":"boka-welcomes-its-first-symphony-orchestra-a-historic-moment-for-art-and-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/boka-welcomes-its-first-symphony-orchestra-a-historic-moment-for-art-and-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Boka Welcomes Its First Symphony Orchestra: A Historic Moment for Art and Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Premiere Concert \u201cThe Sound of Boka\u201d Captivates Audiences and Marks the Emergence of Montenegro\u2019s New Cultural Centre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boka Kotorska and Montenegro are now richer for a new professional music ensemble \u2013 the Boka Symphony Orchestra \u2013 bringing together artists from Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi. Founded with the ambition to connect musicians from Boka and revitalise the region\u2019s artistic and musical heritage, the orchestra aims to contribute to the visibility, identity and creative output of the area through classical and contemporary repertoire, as well as works by Montenegrin composers \u2013 particularly those originating from Boka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The establishment of the orchestra was supported by the Municipality of Kotor, led by Mayor Vladimir Joki\u0107, who highlighted the historical significance of this event during the premiere concert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Premiere Concert \u201cThe Sound of Boka\u201d: A Spectacular Evening in a Full House<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Boka Symphony Orchestra held its debut performance, symbolically titled \u201cThe Sound of Boka,\u201d on 22 November at the \u201cNikola \u0110urkovi\u0107\u201d Cultural Centre in Kotor, before a fully packed auditorium. The audience included visitors from all three municipalities of Boka, as well as other parts of Montenegro. Representatives of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra also attended, lending support to the launch of this important ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The orchestra is led by director and flautist Andrea \u017divkovi\u0107<\/strong>, who oversaw the demanding process of gathering musicians \u2013 from experienced orchestral instrumentalists to young artists taking their first symphonic steps within this formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe establishment of the Boka Symphony Orchestra is one of the most significant cultural moments in the recent history of Boka Kotorska. Our mission is to make high art accessible and to position Boka as a regional centre of artistic excellence. The orchestra sends a message to young people that top-level artistic creation is possible in their own town,\u201d said \u017divkovi\u0107.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A Conductor of International Standing at the Helm<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The premiere concert was conducted by Maestro Mladen Tarbuk<\/strong>, one of Croatia\u2019s most distinguished composers and conductors. Educated in Graz, Zagreb and Vienna, Tarbuk has built a rich international career and held numerous leading positions in the region \u2013 including Director of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and President of the Croatian Composers\u2019 Society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He currently serves as Artistic Co-Director of KotorArt, Artistic Director of the Festival Orchestra of Montenegro, and Professor at the Music Academy in Zagreb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Diverse Programme: From Mozart to Composers of Boka<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Held in honour of Kotor Municipality Day, the concert presented a thoughtfully curated repertoire. It included the overture from Mozart\u2019s The Magic Flute<\/em>, the second movement of Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Symphony No. 9 From the New World<\/em>, and three iconic arias:
Si, mi chiamano Mim\u00ec<\/em> (La Boh\u00e8me<\/em>), Un bel d\u00ec, vedremo<\/em> (Madame Butterfly<\/em>), and Leh\u00e1r\u2019s Meine Lippen, sie k\u00fcssen so hei\u00df<\/em> (Giuditta<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A special contribution to the evening came from works by composers originating from Boka \u2013 Ivan Brkanovi\u0107<\/strong> and Borislav Tamind\u017ei\u0107<\/strong>. Maestro Tarbuk prepared a new orchestration of Brkanovi\u0107\u2019s Bokeljsko kolo<\/em> for mixed choir, while Tamind\u017ei\u0107\u2019s Igra<\/em> was orchestrated by his son Aleksandar Tamind\u017ei\u0107<\/strong>, adding an emotional dimension to the programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Soloists Impress the Audience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The audience was particularly moved by the performances of soprano soloists Petra Radulovi\u0107<\/strong> and Milica Lalo\u0161evi\u0107<\/strong> from Kotor, and Antonia Vu\u010dinovi\u0107<\/strong> from Tivat. After the Montenegrin national anthem and a brilliant sequence of arias, the concert concluded with a deeply emotional encore \u2013 the beloved Bokeljska no\u0107<\/em> \u2013 met with prolonged applause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A New Cultural Energy for Boka<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The premiere confirmed strong public support for the orchestra, whose vision, quality and artistic ambition mark the beginning of a new cultural chapter for both Boka and Montenegro. The ensemble has already announced future collaborations and performances, with its next appearance scheduled for 1 January 2026 in Budva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this orchestra, Boka not only preserves its heritage \u2013 it is creating a new cultural energy that, as already evident, will shape the region for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.vijesti.me\/vijesti\/kultura\/784803\/boka-dobila-svoj-prvi-simfonijski-orkestar-istorijski-trenutak-za-umjetnost-i-identitet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Premiere Concert \u201cThe Sound of Boka\u201d Captivates Audiences and Marks the Emergence of Montenegro\u2019s New Cultural Centre Boka Kotorska and Montenegro are now richer for a new professional music ensemble…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":922,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919\/revisions\/922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bokasymphony.com\/sr-me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}