The women's assembly choir is currently preparing for a concert on March 26, Earth Day, which will be held in Delta.
The conductor of the choir, creative artist Vjera Nikolić, says that they have prepared a rich repertoire, starting with melodies from the 12th century, through Montenegrin original music, to covers of some of the world's famous hits.
When the Vijesti team visited their rehearsal, it was busy: they rehearsed the well-known original song "Veselice", then a melody dating from the 14th century, and the choir's hymn "Tollite portas".
The founder of the Women's Choir of the Parliament of Montenegro, marketing manager Mirjana Marković, who works in the Committee for Tourism, Agriculture, Ecology and Spatial Planning, says that the members of the choir are employees of the Professional Service in the Assembly.
Mirjana says that she spontaneously came up with the idea of founding a choir.
For the founder of the choir, singing is a form of meditation
"We are very busy with work. The idea is to develop good synergy through music and strengthen teamwork - says Mirjana. She states that for her singing in the choir is a form of meditation.
"It helps me get rid of stress and forget about all the daily problems," says Mirjana.
Creative artist Vjera Nikolić is in charge of artistic engagement: she is the leader of the choir, but also sings, plays and makes arrangements especially for that choir.
Vjera says that working with the choir is an honor for her.
"I didn't expect to find so much interest in music in the Assembly," Vjera is honest.
She tells how, before the choir was founded, she thought about the people who work there as officials.
"They work a lot and really need a little relaxation," Nikolić points out.
The members of the choir also play percussion
She notes that working with the choir is a completely different experience from those she has had so far. About the members of the choir, he says that they are hardworking and that he gets "good return energy" from them.
"Before our first performance for the New Year, we used every possible moment to practice, we practiced even during their break"
"They are always ready for new ideas. They are happy to learn new things. We have similar energies. We are very much looking forward to new projects," says Vjera.
Vjera notes that members of the choir play percussion.
"Before our first performance for the New Year, we used every possible moment for practice, we practiced even during their break. Instead of using that time to rest, to eat something, they came to choir rehearsals," Nikolić points out.
When it comes to the choir's repertoire, Vjera says that it is diverse.
"We sing various things. Our repertoire includes songs from the 12th to the 21st century. We sing in several foreign languages: Russian, English, Italian, Latin. We also have covers of old Montenegrin songs," notes Vjera.
A member of the choir and an official in the Parliament of Montenegro, Irena Perović, tells "Vijesti" that she really enjoys working in the choir. He has been singing since the age of ten and this, he says, is a way to fill his working day with music. He points out that they never had any problems regarding the agreement regarding the songs they will sing.
"Most often, Vjera suggests a song and we mostly accept it," says Perović.
Both the government and the opposition enjoyed it
Another member of the choir, Sandra Milutinović, graduated from lower music school, piano instrument.
"If the king loves music, that country will be well," said Mencius.
She tells how she remembers the scene from their first performance when they sang a mix of songs about peace with the children from the chamber choir of the Vasa Pavić music school.
Sandra says that everyone present danced and sang with them.
"At that time, we received praise from representatives of the government and the opposition," says Sandra. He notes that during the founding of the choir, there were also skeptics, whether and how long the choir would succeed. However, they said they practiced hard and simply supported Mirjana's initiative.
They say that there are politicians who would like to join the choir, but - they don't have time.
Open the door
The hymn of the choir is "Tollite portas", which means "Open the door", after which the choir got its name.
"It is a poem from the 12th century. It was found in the Kotor pontificate, and it was found by Manja Vulić – Radulović," says Vjera.
Mirjana Marković says that the symbolism should be seen in that name.
"The doors of the Parliament should be open to everyone," says Mirjana.
Vjera notes that the founding of the choir is a completely unique case.
"We are not aware that any Parliament has its own choir. We only know that the Russian Ministry of Culture has a choir, made up of employees of that Ministry. The members of this choir are female employees who perform their work and also sing in the choir," says Vjera.
They say that there are politicians who would like to join the choir, but - they don't have time.
"If the king loves music, that country will be well," said Mencius.
Maybe one day Montenegro will have a choir made up of politicians, representatives of the government and the opposition. Who knows? Miracles do happen sometimes though.
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