Tivat Music Festival
2025

June 18 2025, 9 p.m.
Grand Hall of the Tivat Cultural Center

Partner of the program:

CARMEN

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF THE NATIONAL THEATER OF REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
CONDUCTOR: STEFAN ZEKIĆ
DIRECTOR: MILAN NEŠKOVIĆ

Roles:
Carmen: Sofija Petrović, mezzo-soprano
Don José: Marko Živković, tenor
Escamillo: Vuk Zekić, baritone
Micaëla: Ivana Milinčić, soprano
Actors:
Zuniga: Anando Čenić
Garcia: Vladimir Đorđević
Lillas Pastia: Rok Radiša
A Gypsy Girl: Anđela Rakočević

Set Design: Andreja Rondović
Costume Design: Jelena Vidović
Stage Movement: Emir Fejzić

PROGRAM

Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
Carmen, an one-act opera

A Word from the Conductor
Carmen, by Georges Bizet, is one of the most famous and most frequently performed tragedies in the history of operatic literature. In Peter Brook’s dramaturgical adaptation, crafted in the 1980s, the dramatic action becomes denser, more intense, and more focused. With its emphasis on the theme of tragic love drawn from the music-drama material, the adaptation naturally brings a reduction of characters and musical numbers. Without highlighting the vibrant setting of the original story, this “stripped-down” Carmen relies on the concrete relationships between the characters and more clearly maps the problem of the suffering of a woman of Roma origin. Carmen, the first Roma heroine in opera, tells not only a story of great love and tragedy but, above all, speaks of freedom – the freedom to exist, to act, and ultimately, the freedom to choose and to love freely.

Stefan Zekić

A Word from the Director
Opera brings together the two things that made me become a director: music and theater. Spain brings together the three things that make me feel alive: wine, sun, and passion. Seville may be the most beautiful city I have ever visited, because it gathers all my passions in one place. So it is no wonder that some higher force conspired and foretold that my first opera direction would be – Carmen. An opera bathed in sunlight, passion, and manzanilla. This is a story to be heard, seen, but above all, felt. A story about love. The kind of love it ought to be. And for it to be that kind of love, it must be sought. That search is difficult. It demands a freedom that is often out of reach. How is freedom in love so elusive? Is that the greatest oxymoron there is? And is that why the subtitle of this opera is “a tragedy”? Can love exist without freedom?

Milan Nešković

Artists

The Symphony Orchestra of the National Theatre of the Republic of Srpska – currently in development – officially began operating in 2022. Through its efforts to establish its own symphony orchestra, the National Theater of the Republic of Srpska has enriched its programmatic activities by staging works in the field of musical and stage arts. As a developing organizational unit within the National Theater, the Symphony Orchestra currently comprises mainly young, yet classically trained and accomplished musicians. In past concerts held in Novi Sad, Mostar, and Banja Luka, the Orchestra has performed jointly with some of the region’s most prominent orchestras, academic ensembles, and choirs, as well as with professional soloists from across the country and region. The Orchestra’s repertoire includes musical stage works, and for the 2024/2025 concert season it will present two concert series: Serenade for… and Introductions. A major success for the Orchestra and its home institution has been the staging of Bizet’s opera Carmen, as well as its performance at the New Year’s celebration held at the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad. The beginnings of the Symphony Orchestra are tied to the engagement of conductors Branka Radošević Mitrović, Dušan V. Urošević, and Stefan Zekić. The current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor is Dušan V. Urošević.

Stefan Zekić studied Conducting and Vocal Arts at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and further refined his skills under prominent European conductors. In 2006, he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Braća Baruh Mixed Choir, the oldest Jewish choir in the world. He is the recipient of a decoration from the Government of the State of Israel for his outstanding contribution to strengthening cultural ties between Serbia and Israel. He conducted the premiere of At Dawn by Binički – the first Serbian opera – on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the National Theater in Belgrade. Stefan Zekić is a permanent jury member of the Portraits and Remembrance International Composers’ Competition, and serves as a lecturer and conductor at festivals and competitions such as the IMVAJ International Masterclass and Competition (Israel) and Neustädter Meistersingerkurs (Germany). As a guest conductor, he has collaborated with the Madrigal Choir of the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, the vocal ensembles Oktoih, Marienhain (Germany), and Musica (Slovenia), with the Royal Strings of St. George, and various symphony orchestras in the region. Stefan Zekić is the founder and Artistic Director of the Canticum Novum early music ensemble, Permanent Conductor of the Jewish Chamber Orchestra, and Director of the Rossi Fest International Classical Music Festival. He works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Conducting at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade and serves as a Conductor at the National Theater.

Sofija Petrović graduated in Vocal Studies from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Ljudmila Gross Popović, and later continued her studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. From 2015, she was a member of the Opera Studio of the Paris National Opera for three consecutive seasons, where she further developed her skills and collaborated with numerous world-renowned opera artists. Notable projects include roles in the operas Owen Wingrave and La Ronde, as well as performances in numerous concerts on the stage of this opera house. At the Bastille Opera, she appeared as Aksinya in Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Sofija Petrović made her debut in Sicily as Princess de Bouillon in Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro Massimo Bellini, in Switzerland as Esmeralda in Notre Dame at the St. Gallen Festival, in Zagreb as Maddalena in Rigoletto, Judith in the Croatian opera Judita, and Charlotte in Werther at the Croatian National Theater. In Austria, she performed as Amneris in Aida at the Oper im Steinbruch Opera Festival. She has performed with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the RTS Symphony Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In Serbia, she appeared as Carmen in the opera Carmen at the Serbian National Theater and at the opening of the 54th BEMUS Festival.

Marko Živković graduated in Vocal Studies from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, under Professor Nikola Mijailović. He has participated in and won awards at numerous competitions in the region. He has performed with ensembles such as Virtuozi, Metamorfosis, the Collegium Musicum Academic Choir, the Academic Cultural and Artistic Societies (AKUD) Krsmanac and Lola, the New Trinity Baroque music ensemble, Belgrade Baroque, and the Rossi Fest choir and orchestra. As a member, soloist, arranger, and Assistant Conductor of the Viva Vox choir, Marko Živković has performed in numerous cities and festivals both regionally and internationally, including performances at the United Nations in New York and the House of Nations in Beijing. Since 2013, he has performed as a soloist at the National Theater in Belgrade, the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, the Madlenianum Opera and Theater in Belgrade, and the National Theater of the Republic of Srpska in Banja Luka. He has appeared in over twenty opera productions ranging from early Baroque and Classicism to Romanticism and works by contemporary Serbian composers. As a concert soloist, Marko Živković has performed works by Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Rachmaninoff, and Brahms with the Choir and Orchestra of Radio Television of Serbia, the Choir and Orchestra of Croatian Radio Television, and the Zrenjanin, Subotica, and Belgrade Philharmonics.

Vuk Zekić earned his degree in Vocal Studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, studying under Professors Gordana Jevtović and Nikola Kitanovski. He was awarded the Special Prize at the Città di Alcamo International Opera Singers Competition in Sicily. He made his debut at the National Theater in Belgrade in 2011, performing the role of Michele in Puccini’s Il tabarro. Since then, he has taken on numerous roles, including: Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, the title role in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca, Iago in Verdi’s Otello, and Redžep in Binički’s opera At Dawn. He has performed with great success at the Operosa Festival in Montenegro, appearing as Robert in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen. He also appeared as Baron Scarpia in a prestigious production of Tosca at the Summer Festival in Varna. Vuk Zekić has acquired extensive experience performing modern operas and works by contemporary Serbian composers, including: In Hoc Signo by Marco Frisina, The Melancholy Dreams of Count Sava Vladislavić by Svetislav Božić, Sedra and Lazarevo Obretenije by Miroljub Anđelović Rasinski, and Eine Marathon-Familie by Isidora Žebeljan, among others.

Ivana Milinčić graduated in Vocal Studies, under Professor Dunja Simić, in Banja Luka. She has participated in numerous concerts and events, including Treasures of the Opera Treasury, the television show Classics, the operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, and the festival Nei suoni dei luoghi in Italy. She has attended masterclasses with Jennifer Larmore, Đorđe Nešić, and Teresa Berganza and further refined her vocal technique under Stojan Stojanov Gančev. Ivana Milinčić reached the second round of the world vocal competition Belvedere and won first and second prizes at the international competitions Lazar Jovanović in Belgrade and Nikola Cvejić in Ruma. She has collaborated with conductors Branko Radošević Mitrović, Ognjen Bomoštar, Dušan Vere Urošević, Dario Vučić, Stefan Zekić, and Mikica Jevtić. Together with a group of young enthusiasts, she founded the Figaroza Association of Opera Singers, dedicated to the development and promotion of opera music in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has performed roles such as Bastienne in Bastien und Bastienne, Michaela in Carmen, and in the contemporary opera Višnja sa Zlatnom Košticom. As a soloist, Ivana Milinčić has performed in concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theater, the Mostar Symphony Orchestra, the AUBL Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Opera of the National Theater in Novi Sad.