Although choral music has great potential in Montenegro, it is not sufficiently developed, which is reflected in the small number of active ensembles, but also in the lack of opportunities and possibilities for existing ensembles to present themselves to the audience, says Varvara Lojko in an interview with Vijesti. Despite this and all sorts of crises, from Covid, to the economic situation, to social circumstances, the "Zima" choir from Bar, which Lojko founded and leads, has been an example of work, effort and satisfaction for ten years - both for all members individually and collectively, as well as for the audience.
The multiple award-winning choir "Zima", consisting of individuals from different countries located in Montenegro, will hold a full-length concert in Podgorica today, in the DODEST hall of the Cultural and Information Center "Budo Tomović", at 20 p.m.
This is their premiere performance in Podgorica, and for that occasion and the performance at KIC, the choir will perform compositions Johann Sebastian Bach, Giacomo Puccini, Greg Gilpin, Vladimir Lis, Zdenko Runjić i Drago Britvić, Franz Gruver, Karl Jenkins, Paul McCartney i John Lennon, Wine from Babadžanjan and others. This way, each visitor will be able to hear something in line with their interests, but also develop curiosity about something less well-known, and admission is free.
"When it comes to repertoire, we try to have as many different songs as possible, primarily because I believe that it actually develops the choir. If we practice only one type of music, then we can only improve in that genre, not in others. That is why we try to sing folk, but also pop and fun, and even church music, both Orthodox and Catholic, gospel and the like. We have many different items on our program, so we also have something from Montenegrin composers and the musical heritage of Montenegro, but also festival and competition compositions, as well as some modern songs, so that it is interesting for the people who listen to us," says Lojko at the beginning.
He says he has no expectations from this concert, except that the audience in Podgorica will accept them and that everyone will have a pleasant and enjoyable time. However, there are wishes for each performance, in line with their mission, which is to spread interest and love for choral music.
"We mainly perform in Bar, as well as outside Montenegro, and this is our first concert in Podgorica, which we are organizing in cooperation with Majom Popović from KIC. That's why I hope that people will support us and I'm glad to see that there is a lot of interest. I hope that this concert will be to the mutual satisfaction of both us and the audience, although I don't have any special expectations from the audience, only from us that we will sing well and that the people present will like it... We are trying to spread the culture of choral music and we hope that our singing will make people love choral music and continue to attend concerts, and eventually inspire them to maybe join a choir themselves", says Lojko.
The choir has 36 active members, he adds and points out that the choir is mostly Russian, but there are also Germans, Ukrainians, an Argentinean, representatives of Azerbaijan, Moldova, as well as citizens of Montenegro.
"We all meet in Bar and practice together, and some even come from Podgorica. Although we often have multiple languages spoken at rehearsals and have to translate words, we communicate easily, in the only universal and international language - the language of music and conducting. Conducting is something that is the same and universal everywhere in the world. I think the choir is a true example of working together, understanding and developing individuals, but also the collective. In addition, I am grateful that I enjoy the trust of the members when it comes to choosing repertoire, music, performances, but also in general...", emphasizes Lojko.
She admits that she often encounters stereotypes and prejudices when it comes to choral singing...
"People generally think that choral singing is boring and not for them. On the other hand, most people don't even know what music is, and that's what people who visit our concert for the first time tell us, and then become interested and continue to follow us. Music is something that shapes both individuals and society, which is why I additionally think it's important to spread the idea of choral music, but also to develop that aspect in Montenegro," she says, emphasizing that the entire system and government have a significant responsibility to improve the position of culture, art, music and choral singing in our country.
"I believe that choral music has great potential in Montenegro, but that it is not sufficiently developed. Montenegro has many good conductors, quality musicians, good performers, it just needs to be recognized, supported and encouraged... I truly hope that the Montenegrin government and each of the municipalities will support this kind of development, recovery, movement, because it does not require a lot of money. I do not want to count money and question the investment, but if we compare the amounts of money invested in the New Year's program every year, I believe that there is a great imbalance in relation to what culture is and what refines, inspires, heals... All that is needed is continuity, watering, nurturing, because there is nothing more sustainable than culture that can easily become part of tradition and heritage, and it does not require huge forces or money, but only for it to be a priority of the state, which is currently not...", emphasizes Lojko.
She supports her statement with questions: where are the festivals, events, performances, where are the orchestras?
"We have a music school in every city, but not orchestras, choirs, ensembles intended for those who will not become professional musicians, but want to practice music. This is something that is extremely useful for all of us. One choir is not enough for one city, there should be more of them. Every faculty should have a choir, every music school, cultural center and so on, and in addition to all that, it is necessary that there are opportunities and places for these choirs to perform. During the former Yugoslavia, there were regular choir festivals, and the priority of cultural centers, cultural centers and all municipalities was to include choirs in their regular programs, so the choirs knew that they had places for their performances and concerts. Today, it is different and there are no such opportunities and gatherings anymore. Priority is given to popular music, which I have nothing against. However, I believe that, just as a person's diet should be balanced and balanced, this should also be the case with cultural and entertainment content. "One cannot just eat fries and meat and drink juices, but we also need fruits, vegetables, a cooked meal, to maintain our health. It's the same with music," she emphasizes, referring to the global situation:
"The entire world is in a major crisis - economic, cultural, social... Music is one of the ways to overcome these crises. In a situation where we are all deprived of various possibilities, money, and opportunities, culture and music are one of the best solutions, including choral music, which has existed for centuries," says Lojko.
She explains that there are numerous positive influences of classical music.
"There are numerous studies that show how classical music affects the development of plants, not to mention babies and children, and then adults. That is why it is necessary for as many people as possible to be introduced to classical music, including choral singing. Classical music has a beneficial effect on mental health, stimulates a state of meditation, reduces tension in the body, and refines the soul... Because of all this, I believe that quality music has a good effect on people, but also that everyone's priority should be to change for the better and become better, and that is the way. Because, if people are not familiar with good and quality music, then it can never be their choice, that is why we should consciously and conscientiously work on the development of culture, because man is a being of culture. We do our best and start from ourselves, because every person should change the world from themselves, and the system should set art and culture as a priority for the development of society, through the development of these aspects and by investing in classical music, chamber ensembles, instrumental music, choral singing, orchestras, city music and the like. "Choirs have one big advantage, and that is that their work does not require large investments. Choirs do not need instruments, sound systems, buildings, institutions, but only talented and hard-working people who will occasionally get some satisfaction for what they do," believes Lojko.
She also noted that in recent years, many choirs in Montenegro have ceased operations, which she attributes to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the re-establishment of some ensembles is also evident.
"Covid did destroy several excellent collectives, because people could not gather, and therefore they lost continuity. Despite this, I think there is an excellent movement and foundation for establishing new choirs, but also for taking part in existing ones, because I believe that people are interested in choral music and the culture of choral music. I also notice that in the last two years this part of culture in Montenegro has started to recover, although I think the potential and capacity is much greater than what is currently present and visible on the scene," she says and adds:
"I support development, the establishment and operation of as many ensembles as possible throughout Montenegro, and I am especially happy because I heard that there is a choir in Žabljak. I don't have to talk about Kotor, it is part of the city's tradition...".
Lojko emphasizes that the mission of the "Zima" choir is precisely to encourage people to engage in art, creation, gathering around noble and healthy ideas, and enjoying good music.
A decade marked by love and awards has flown by.
The “Zima” choir was formed in 2015 in Bar, and this year marks its 10th anniversary, under the leadership of Varvara Lojko.
In an interview with Vijesti, Lojko says that those ten years passed without her even noticing, all thanks to her love for choral music.
"I hope that I will continue to do this for the next 50 years and that we will have many more reasons to celebrate. What makes this anniversary most meaningful to me is that I see how much we have all developed over the past ten years, including choir singing itself. This implies continuous work that brings significant development. It may seem like I am bragging, but people in the choir only develop with practice and time. Today's concert ends our annual concert season, which was rich and during which we performed both in Montenegro and abroad. Now we are slowly starting to design a new program and arrange performances with which we will celebrate this anniversary in October," she announces.
“Zima” is a two-time laureate of the International Choir Competition in Herceg Novi (silver and bronze awards). It participated in the “Barski ljetopis” festival, “Živa ulica” and the “Dukley Gardens” Christmas festival, the choir meeting in Cetinje in 2023 and the “Mokranjčevi dani” festival in Negotin in 2024, where it received a charter for performing the music of Sergei Taneyev. It also won a gold plaque at the International Festival in Kikinda. As part of the “Niš Choir Festivities” event, the choir won an award last year for the coherent performance of Montenegrin choral music.
Bonus video:
