The Cattaro Junior Festival will be held tonight.

Following the first Cattaro Teen festival, the second edition of the International Children's Music Festival Cattaro Junior will be held in Kotor tonight at 19 pm at the "Nikola Đurković" Cultural Center.

The festival brings together 18 participants from Montenegro, the region and Europe, and will be officially opened by the dance group "Diva" from Podgorica, with a performance by the junior group "Queens", with the choreography Under the Sun by Milica Radosavović.

Special guests will be Nikolija Pandurica, Milica Cvijetić and Anđelina Milović.

The festival will be complemented by an artistic segment consisting of the Cattaro Junior concert and stage choir, which brings together children from the School for Primary and Secondary Music Education "Vida Matjan" Kotor, members of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" from Kotor, as well as students from the Respira Arts School from Podgorica and the Music School of Tivat.

The choir operates under the conductorship of master Jerina Knežević and performs as a unique stage ensemble of young artists.

All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the "Be Human" Foundation.

The importance of the Cattaro Junior festival was spoken about by the director and creator of the Cattaro Junior International Music Festival, Stevan Faddy, the director of the "Nikola Đurković" Cultural Center, Radmila Beća Radulović, and the director of the Kotor Municipality Tourist Organization, Jovan Ristić.

"It gives me great pleasure that today from Kotor we can send a beautiful and important message: that children deserve a serious stage, serious attention, serious support and a space where their talent, voice, emotions and imagination can be seen, heard and remembered," said Faddy.

"Cattaro Junior was created out of a deep belief that children's talent should not be viewed as something incidental. On the contrary, it is at this age that the first dreams, the first courage, the first encounters with the stage and the first moments in which a child feels that what they carry within themselves has value are born. That is why this festival is not just a competition. It is a space for encounters, friendship, music, play, creation and cultural connections. It is a place where children from Kotor, Montenegro, the region and Europe come not only to sing, but to meet, socialize, exchange experiences and feel that they belong to a larger artistic family. I would especially like to greet all our participants. Thank you for being part of Cattaro Junior. You are the heart of this festival and the most important reason why we are doing all this," said Faddy at the press conference.

He also thanked parents, mentors, authors, composers, songwriters, arrangers and producers, "because behind every child's performance there is a lot of work, trust, support, sacrifice and love."

"We respect that very much and are aware of how important it is for children to feel security, joy and pride on this stage," Faddy emphasized.

Like last year, one of the most important and beautiful segments of Cattaro Junior is the festival's concert and stage choir.

"It is not just a musical addition to the program, but a symbol of togetherness, support and the beauty of the children's voice when it becomes part of a larger whole. This year, the choir has a particularly important role, because, in addition to the expert jury, it will also participate in the evaluation process as a special, children's festival perspective. In this way, children not only perform, but also actively participate in the life of the festival, listen to each other and learn how important attention, respect and responsibility are in art," explained Faddy.

He emphasized that he owes special gratitude to Mihailo Lazarević, director of the School for Primary and Secondary Music Education "Vida Matjan" Kotor, Ivana Krivokapić, conductor of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" Kotor, Anđela Homen and the Public Institution of Music School Tivat, as well as to everyone who contributed to making the Cattaro Junior concert and stage choir one of the most emotional and significant parts of the festival this year.

Faddy also highlighted the humanitarian dimension of this year's edition of Cattaro Junior.

"All proceeds from the symbolic ticket price will be directed to the 'Be Humane' Foundation. In this way, we want the festival, in addition to its artistic and educational role, to send a message of solidarity, empathy and responsibility towards those who need help the most. We believe that children should be taught from an early age not only to create and perform, but also to feel, share and understand the importance of togetherness," he emphasized.

The "Nikola Đurković" Cultural Center is hosting the second edition of the "Cattaro Junior" International Children's Music Festival, which makes Radmila Beća Radulović especially happy, because she believes that this institution must create space for the development of talents.

She expressed her belief that "Cattaro Junior" will be a place where memories for a lifetime will be created and saw the special significance of this festival in everything they do, because these young artists are taking their first musical steps in Kotor.

Her wish for all participants was to return to Kotor, its culture and tradition.

Jovan Ristić expressed his satisfaction that such a festival is being organized in Kotor and his hope that this city will be the home of "Cattaro Junior" for many years to come.