The 25th KotorArt and Don Branko's Music Days opened with the festive program "Duration"

With the words "in the name of forgiveness, reconciliation and love, ring the bells", spoken this year by the Little Admiral of the Boka Navy Kotor Krsto Petrović and with the sounds of the bells of the Cathedral of St. Tryphon, the jubilee, 25th edition of the International KotorArt Festival was officially opened.

On the Statehood Day of Montenegro, in the unique ambience of the Square in front of the Cathedral of St. Tryphon, a concert with the symbolic name "Duration" marked a quarter of a century of the festival, confirming its permanent mission to preserve cultural heritage through art, encourage contemporary creativity and open space for dialogue between people and cultures, the organizer announced.

The opening program was dedicated to two significant anniversaries, 120 years since the birth of Ivan Brkanović, a significant composer born in Kotor, and twenty years since the death of Don Branko Sbutega, one of the founders of KotorArt, whose vision permanently shaped the identity of the festival.

Under the conductorship of Maestro Mladen Tarbuk, the Boka Symphony Orchestra, the Academic Choir Ivan Goran Kovačić, soprano Mihaela Kristina Mlinarić, tenor Reza Fekri and baritone-bass Krešimir Stražanac performed. The audience attended the premiere of the cycle Songs to Music, commissioned by KotorArt to verses by Don Branko Sbutega, as well as the first performance in Montenegro of the monumental Triptych by Ivan Brkanović.

Artistic director and founder of the festival, Ratimir Martinović, pointed out that the theme of this year's opening is not just the name of the concert, but the idea that has defined the identity of KotorArt for a quarter of a century.

"Happy Montenegrin Statehood Day, a day in which self-awareness and resistance are intertwined. I believe that these two terms at least partially describe this festival, because KotorArt is also, in its own way, an act of resistance, resistance to oblivion, superficiality and apathy. Montenegro today seems much less apathetic than last year, and I believe that we all have reason to be encouraged by this fact. My mission for my hometown is simple: to contribute with my work to the maximum reduction of the number of those who would vote to remove Kotor from the UNESCO list in a possible referendum. The path to preserving our city does not lead through fear, but through culture, education and raising awareness of the value of the space we inherit. This process must be a permanent commitment, because we are leaving Boka to future generations, which we are obliged to preserve."

Martinović noted that it is precisely culture that makes Kotor recognizable in European terms, emphasizing that over the course of a quarter of a century, KotorArt has not only built a program, but also a community of people who believe in art as the driving force of society.

"KotorArt, as we know it today, is proof of what Kotor can do in music, but also in every other creative expression. When I look back on these twenty-five years, I don't just see a festival. I see proof that a small community, when it decides to believe in itself, can create something that outlasts generations. That's why I'm not afraid to imagine the next twenty-five years. I see a Kotor where young people stay and return not out of necessity, but because they can create here. I see KotorArt as a natural point on the cultural map of Europe and the Mediterranean and a city that carries its heritage as its greatest strength."

The President of the Municipality of Kotor, Vladimir Jokić, pointed out that this year's theme of KotorArt strongly reflects the identity of the city that has existed for centuries.

"Duration is the greatest achievement of human work. It transcends transience and leaves a mark in the lives of future generations. Kotor is a symbol of duration and survival, but much more than that, a city that has woven itself into the identity of Montenegro. Freedom would be worth nothing without beauty, and there is no beauty without art. That is why I want KotorArt to remain a constant and unquenchable beacon of our cultural life for at least the next twenty-five years."

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić said that Kotor represents one of the strongest symbols of the country's cultural identity, while KotorArt is its contemporary expression.

"There are cities that have history and there are cities that are history. Kotor belongs to the latter type. UNESCO did not grant Kotor an identity, it only recognized what this city created long ago. KotorArt is not just a festival. It is proof that Kotor can speak the European language of excellence and that culture represents one of our most important development potentials. When we preserve our culture, we become permanent and indelible."

Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujović emphasized that a quarter of a century of KotorArt represents much more than the continuity of successful festival editions.

"History is shaped by great events, institutions preserve order, and culture is created by people who believe that beauty, knowledge, and creativity represent the most enduring expression of freedom. Twenty-five years of KotorArt bear witness to the persistence of an idea and the dedication of people who understood that audience trust is gained over years, and artistic excellence is built with each new challenge."

The head of the UNESCO office in Montenegro, Siniša Šešum, reminded that the anniversary edition is also being held under the auspices of the Director-General of UNESCO.

"We are particularly proud that this jubilee edition is being held under the patronage of the Director-General of UNESCO, right here in Kotor, in the heart of the city that proudly bears three UNESCO statuses. The patronage of the Director-General of UNESCO confirms KotorArt's strong alignment with UNESCO's global mandate to encourage creativity, promote intercultural dialogue and protect the diversity of cultural expression."

The grand opening of the anniversary edition of KotorArt once again confirmed that the festival is not just a place of top artistic achievements, but a space where tradition and modernity, local and universal, past and future meet, the organizer announced.

"In the year of its great jubilee, KotorArt continues to build bridges between artists, audiences and the community, remaining true to the idea that culture is not just a keeper of memory, but one of the most powerful drivers of society," the statement reads.