Open Competition for Solo Singers

The tenth edition of the Serbian Solo Vocal Music Festival, dedicated to the founder of Serbian art song Josif Marinković, was held from 23 to 25 May 2002 and centered on the Open Solo Singing Competition.

The jubilee event was made possible by numerous donors, with the general sponsor AD Polet IGK Novi Bečej and the patronage of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The festival was officially opened by Vice President Milan Manuštik.
The keynote speech was delivered by composer Rajko Maksimović, who reflected on the decade-long development of the festival:

“Although the life of ‘Horizons on the Tisa’ is not long compared to some other manifestations, in a relatively short time it has shown admirable results and justified its purpose and endurance. Many young performers have found inspiration here—first through concerts dedicated to Marinković and Serbian art song, and later through the open competitions. Numerous artists strengthened their careers by earning ‘Horizons’ awards, while others reconnected with our once-strong tradition of solo song and found their place in the national cultural heritage.

Particularly significant were the invited composers’ competitions, which encouraged renowned composers to contribute to the genre. More than fifty high-quality songs have been written thanks to this initiative—one of the best ways to honor Marinković’s artistic legacy.”

Opening Concert

The opening evening featured the Choir of the Cathedral Church of St. George from Novi Sad, led by conductor and musicologist Bogdan Đaković. The ensemble, which revived in 1987 and continues the rich tradition of Serbian and Bačka church-singing societies, performed works of Serbian sacred music, alongside compositions by contemporary foreign authors such as Ron Watson, Arvo Pärt, and John Tavener.
The concert concluded with the chorale “At Your Call I Come” from Rajko Maksimović’s Testament.

Solo Singing Competition

The fourth Open Solo Singing Competition gathered 14 young vocalists aged 20 to 31. Contestants performed in two rounds. The first round required:

• a compulsory song by Josif Marinković,
• an art song from the Romantic repertoire,
• an aria by an early master.

Interestingly, male voices dominated for the first time (five baritones and three tenors), compared to four sopranos and two mezzo-sopranos.

Competitors – First Round

(List preserved as in original program.)

(Here follows the complete list of 14 contestants, their hometowns, years of birth, voice types, and academies, as in the original text.)

Final Round & Jury

The jury, chaired by the legendary opera singer Biserka Cvejić and including Rajko Maksimović, Miroslav Štatkić, Dr. Dimitrije O. Golemović, and conductor Andrej Bursać, selected ten finalists.

In the final round, contestants performed:

• a compulsory piece from previous “Horizons on the Tisa” composers’ competitions,
• an art song,
• an operatic aria.

Award Winners

Female Voices
1st Prize – Snežana Savičić
2nd Prize – Ivana Milašinović
3rd Prize – Maja Ostojić

Male Voices
1st Prize – Vasa Stajkić
2nd Prize – Vojislav Spasić, Predrag Milanović
3rd Prize – Ljubomir Popović

“Josif Marinković” Award – Vojislav Spasić
(for the interpretation of Marinković’s “Gradinom zlato hodilo”)

Piano collaborators: Mirjana Kršljanin, Ljubica Grujić, Maja Grujić, Mitra Nedeljkov, and Tatjana Drobni.

Gala Concert

A celebratory concert by the String Orchestra of the Academy of Arts, University of Banja Luka, conducted by the distinguished Darinka Matić-Marović, closed the festival. The orchestra performed works by Vlado Milošević, Dimitrije O. Golemović, and Stanko Šepić, including solo performances by Dragan Lazić (oboe) and Branislav Petrović (cello).
The program also featured Homeland Songs by Golemović, beautifully presented by soprano Snežana Savičić.

CD of Solo Songs

A special highlight of the jubilee edition was the release of a compact disc featuring 15 solo songs, interpreted by laureates of previous competitions (1995, 1997, 2000). The selection, curated by Dr. Dimitrije O. Golemović, combines classical Serbian art songs (Marinković, Konjović, Bajić, Binički) with works created for the festival’s composers’ competitions (Despić, Babić, Hristić, Komadina, Kovačević, Milanković, Golemović).

Recording and post-production were completed by Zoran Jerković, Mladen Marković, and the RTS Novi Sad team.

“Horizons” in Novi Sad

The practice of presenting the festival outside Novi Bečej continued.
Winners Snežana Savičić and Vasa Stajkić held a concert on 27 November in the ceremonial hall of Matica Srpska, titled “Presenting the Winners of Horizons on the Tisa 2002.”

The program included solo songs by Marinković, Šepić, and Golemović, as well as foreign composers (Schubert, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Bellini). The evening concluded with a duet from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, performed by both laureates.

Publications

The tenth edition featured an extensive publishing program, including:

• the monograph “Josif Marinković” by Dr. Roksanda Pejović (reviewed by Dr. Dimitrije O. Golemović),
• the proceedings “Music at the Crossroads of Two Centuries”, from the scientific conference held at Matica Srpska in 2001, edited by Tatjana Marković.