The Music Academy from Cetinje represented Montenegro at the prestigious “Flute & Me” festival, which was held in Ljubljana at the end of April, where it once again left a strong impression. In addition to its recognition in the field of performance and the ceremonial performance at the opening of the festival, the Montenegrin delegation also presented the country through elements of traditional costumes, visual symbols of history and culture, and a program that connected national identity and contemporary artistic expression.
The artistic delegation consisted of a full-time flute professor at the Academy Marija Djurdjevic with his class, piano accompanist Marija Barovic, clarinetist and teaching assistant Petar Garic, as well as the chamber ensemble Trio Ardor, which consists of professors from the Music Academy of Female Flutists Žana Lekić, pianist Nataša Popović and a cellist Mladen Popovic.
"During the six years of the festival, my class has performed as many as ten premieres, which represents an exceptional contribution to the development and enrichment of the national repertoire for flute and chamber music. For this result, and now the recognition that makes the performances of our musicians stand out, I am also grateful to my close associates, Montenegrin composers. Although not all works were written exclusively for the flute class, most of them were created in dialogue with performers from this class and are deeply connected to pedagogical practice at the Academy," Đurđević tells Vijesti.
At an all-night concert performed by flute students Marija Milić, Zorica Pavićević, Tijana Begović i Mara Culafic, together with their professor Đurđević and piano associate Barović, the audience had the opportunity to hear ten compositions by Montenegrin contemporary composers, four of which were premieres, and in the 11th composition they were joined by clarinetist Garić, with whom they performed a composition by prof. dr. Nina Perovic written for flute, clarinet and piano. In addition, works by Dr. Senad Gačević, Milivoje Pićurić, Ivan Marović i Aleksandar Perunović.
"A special curiosity of this year's festival was the joint performance of the piece 'Balkan Road Trip' for flute and double bass ensemble, composed by the Slovenian composer Leon Firšt"The sounds of more than 20 flutes on stage at the same time, through music, evoked a journey through the Balkans," Đurđević pointed out.
“The flute class, as well as the other participants, owes great gratitude to the dean of the Music Academy in Cetinje, Assoc. Prof. M.Sc. Tatjana Krkeljic, as well as the University of Montenegro, who with deep understanding support our aspirations for excellence, but also recognize the importance of artistic education and encourage the creation and performance of young, promising artists," she added.
The festival also hosted two-day masterclasses attended by students from several academies in the region. On that occasion, Đurđević also held an advanced, intensive masterclass for eight students, focusing on contemporary repertoire, technical precision and interpretative challenges. In addition to her, the Montenegrin delegation was also taught by Prof. Lekić.
An expert debate was also held, in which deans and professors of music academies from the region, as well as the president of the Slovenian Composers' Association, participated. Đurđević also participated, representing Montenegro and the Music Academy in Cetinje, bringing to the debate her experiences and vision of international cooperation, mobility and preservation of cultural identity in teaching, along with contemporary pedagogical practice that emphasizes ways of educating music students on important topics such as overcoming stage fright and building self-confidence.
The “Flatua & Me” festival is held biennially, each time in a different country of the former Yugoslavia. It was realized at the initiative of prof. Matej Zupan, a Slovenian flutist and pedagogue who, as a host, supported regional cooperation and coordination between music institutions.
"The festival is characterized by the fact that it is attended by professors and flute students from faculties and music academies from all cities in the region, and another distinguishing feature is that it performs compositions by local authors, specially written for the flute. During the festival, Ljubljana was the center of artistic dialogue, and the Music Academy from Cetinje was its proud and recognizable voice," Đurđević told Vijesti.
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