To welcome the most wonderful time of the year, a musical evening entitled “Dear Santa” will be held in the Chamber Hall of the Music Center of Montenegro on Wednesday, December 17th, starting at 20 pm. This concert by opera artist Milica Raičević will bring the warmth of the holiday spirit.
The program is conceived as a musical letter to Santa Claus, and through carefully selected songs and emotional interpretations, Milica builds a story about the wishes, hopes, and small miracles that accompany the holidays.
She will be joined on stage by Davor Novak on piano, Marija Đuranović on violin and Milan Ninković on cello, which will give the concert additional expressiveness and artistic fullness, and Milica talks about all of this for Vijesti...
Milice, the musical evening “Dear Santa” was conceived as a musical letter to Santa Claus. How difficult was it to come up with a repertoire that would give Santa Claus a clear picture of what you really want for New Year's Eve?
The musical evening “Dear Santa…” was truly conceived as one big musical letter to Santa Claus. I wanted to send a message through each song, whether it was a wish, a memory, gratitude or hope. That’s why the hardest part was coming up with a repertoire that wasn’t just a list of songs but a little story that takes him through everything I would like him to bring me.
Holidays are a time of celebration, so a cheerful repertoire is expected compared to operatic works that have a lot of drama in them. How refreshing is this program for you, but also a challenge, because I assume you will present a completely different Milica to the audience? Is the way of interpretation different?
Holidays really do bring a special lightness and joy, and therefore a brighter, more festive repertoire is expected. For me, it was a real refreshment, because it allowed me to step outside the framework of typical opera dramaturgy and show a completely different, perhaps a little more relaxed and gentle Milica. This is precisely where the challenge lies - how to remain true to my vocal technique and artistic identity, while at the same time approaching music in a way that is stylistically completely different: while opera requires strong drama, great expression and constant emotional tension, the holiday program allows for more warmth, intimacy and play in voice color.
That's why I love this concert, it gives me the opportunity to show the audience a new dimension of myself but also to, at least for a moment, surrender to that primal joy that makes us fall in love with music in the first place.
Considering that you will be accompanied by a trio - piano, violin and cello, how much effort did you put into adapting the repertoire to be familiar to this type of ensemble, or will most of the works be transcribed?
It was challenging to combine different musical styles and emotions while keeping everything connected. The charm of this project was precisely in that creative play, choosing songs, adjusting arrangements, creating atmosphere and putting together their dramaturgy.
New Year's holidays are an inspiration for new pop songs every year. Have you considered including a contemporary New Year's or winter song that is not from the world of classical music in the program?
I wanted to leave room for something closer to a contemporary sound, precisely because of the audience that loves that blend of tradition and modernity. Choosing such a song requires special attention, it has to fit into the concept of the concert, into my vocal style and into the story I want to tell. I don't want it to seem like an incidental addition, but rather a natural part of the evening, which can bring a different energetic tone and a dose of freshness.
Somehow, the New Year holidays are synonymous with both ballet and classical music. But to what extent have these holidays been an inspiration to composers when it comes to opera arias?
New Year's holidays are synonymous with waltzes, balls and classical music, especially thanks to the Viennese tradition and Strauss's repertoire. However, when it comes to opera, it is interesting that the theme of the holidays and the New Year itself was not a frequent inspiration for composers in terms of direct "New Year's" arias. Which does not mean that the festive spirit was not present. On the contrary. Many composers were inspired by the winter atmosphere, celebrations, balls... Although there are no typical "New Year's arias", there are many musical moments in opera in which the magic of the holidays is felt. It is precisely these parts of the repertoire that show how much the composers were inspired by the atmosphere that is still close to us today - the joy, togetherness and sense of ceremony that winter and the holidays bring.
The New Year is a symbol of a new beginning. We often promise ourselves that we will not do something or start something on New Year's. What will 2026 change for you?
The New Year always brings that symbolic moment when we stop, look back and decide what we want to improve in the coming period. Like everyone else, I have my own little New Year's resolutions.
In 2026, I want more space for myself, for learning, for inspiration. I have learned that the pace we live in is sometimes too fast and that the most beautiful things happen when we allow ourselves to slow down. I also want to dedicate myself to new artistic challenges, a repertoire that inspires me, projects in which I grow and collaborations that enrich me. And perhaps the most important thing I want to change is to be a little braver towards my desires and ideas, because it is precisely in that step forward that the most beautiful changes occur.
I don't like to set rigid goals for myself, but I like to believe that every New Year brings an opportunity to be a better version of ourselves, and that's exactly what I want to cultivate in 2026.
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