Tivat Music Festival
2024

June 28 2024, 9 p.m.

Partner of the program:

Opening of the Festival: ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WORLD OF OPERA

Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
Nikolina Pinko Behrends, soprano
Valentina Elizabeta Šilje, soprano
Joanna Dobrakowska, mezzosoprano
Tomislav Jukić, tenor
Georg Lehner, baritone
Samra Gulamović, conductor

Guests of the concert:
Petra Radulović, soprano
Sava Vemić, bass

PROGRAM

Jacques Ofenbach (1819–1880)
Orphée aux Enfer – Overture

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Fin ch’han dal vino, Don Giovanni’s aria from the opera Don Giovanni
Solo: Georg Lehner

Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
Che mai vegg’io ! … infelice ! e tuo credivi, Don Ruy Gomez de Silva’s aria from the opera Ernani
Solo: Sava Vemić

Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
Chanson bohème, Carmen’s aria from the opera Carmen
Solo: Joanna Dobrakowska

Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
Quel guardo il cavaliere … So anch’io la virtu magica, Norina’s aria from the opera Don Pasquale
Solo: Nikolina Pinko Behrends

Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
O mio babbino caro, Laureta’s aria from the opera Gianni Schicci
Solo: Petra Radulović

Alfredo Catalani (1854–1893)
Ebben? Ne andrò lontana, Wally’s aria from the opera La Wally
Solo: Valentina Elizabeta Šilje

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovski (1840–1893)
Kuda, kuda vy udalili’, vesny moej zlatye dni, Lensky’s aria from the opera Eugene Onegin
Solo: Tomislav Jukić

Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835)
Ah! No credea mirarti, Amina’s aria from the opera La Sonnambula
Solo: Petra Radulović

Vincenzo Bellini
Oh! Quante volte, Giulietta’s aria from the opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Solo: Valentina Elizabeta Šilje

Pietro Mascagni (1863–1945)
Voi lo sapete o mamma, Santuza’s aria from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana
Solo: Joanna Dobrakowska

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovski
Gremin’s aria from the opera Eugene Onegin
Solo: Sava Vemić

Giuseppe Verdi
Lunge da lei per me non v’ha diletto, Alfredo’s aria from the opera La Traviata
Solo: Tomislav Jukić

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Là ci darem la mano, Don Giovanni and Zerlina’s duet from the opera Don Giovanni
Solo: Sava Vemić and Petra Radulović

Giuseppe Verdi
O don fatale, op don crudel!, Eboli’s aria from the opera Don Carlos
Solo: Joanna Dovrakowska

Ambrois Thomas (1811–1896)
Ȏ vin dissipe le tristesse, Hamlet’s aria from the opera Hamlet
Solo: Georg Lehner

Partner of the program:

Artists

Nikolina Pinko, soprano, after studying Vocal Arts and obtaining degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies, as well as numerous trainings abroad, engages in opera, concert, and pedagogical activities. She has performed numerous opera roles in Croatian national theaters and abroad. As a soloist, Nikolina Pinko performs at concerts with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Croatian Radio and Television Orchestra, as well as with the globally renowned Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the Thuringian Philharmonie. She approaches the preparation of recitals with special attention, with notable performances in the Dubrovnik Rector’s Palace, the Wagner Palace, and the concert hall of the La Fenice Opera House in Venice. She is successful in performing contemporary and experimental music, having premiered numerous works by various composers. Nikolina Pinko is the recipient of the Croatian Theater Award for best young singer, the Belcanto Award, the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall Award in Zagreb, and is a scholarship holder of the Richard Wagner Association of Venice in Bayreuth. She is a finalist in the prestigious Wagner Voices competition and the winner of the Gabriela Beňačková and the Bruna Špiler international singing competitions.

Valentina Elizabeta Šilje, soprano, obtained her secondary music education at the Luka Sorkočević Art School in Dubrovnik under Professor Dubravka Hilje, and continued her studies at the Music Academy in Pula under Professor Sofija Cingula. During her studies, she performed in numerous concerts, including several appearances with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, Valentina Elizabeta Šilje won the Second Prize at the Lav Mirski International Competition. Her professional operatic debut was as Euridice (C. W. Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice) at the Istrian National Theater in Pula in 2023. She has interpreted roles such as Suor Dolcina (G. Puccini, Suor Angelica), Bastienne (W. A. Mozart, Bastien und Bastienne), and Norina (G. Donizetti, Don Pasquale). Valentina Elizabeta Šilje participated in the performance of Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice in front of the Temple of Apollo in Corinth, marking the first time this production was ever realized at this location. As the youngest member of the Diva ensemble, she performed in Dubrovnik and the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. Her repertoire encompasses numerous lyric and spinto works from various epochs. In her young career, she has collaborated with renowned opera singers, directors, and conductors such as Krešimir Špicer, Nelli Manuilenko, Kristina Beck-Kukavčić, Martina Mikelić, Akiko Nakajima, Fabrizio Melano, Leopold Hager, and Tomislav Fačini.

Joanna Dobrakowska, mezzosoprano, earned her degree in Vocal Studies from the Music Academy in Wrocław under Professor Bogdan Makal and went on to pursued further studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, studying with Professor Helena Łazarska. Her core education was also complemented by numerous courses focusing on German and Spanish vocal lyricism, opera, and baroque music. Joanna Dobrakowska performs a diverse repertoire of compositions both in Poland and internationally. She has performed at the Kraków Opera, Podlasie Opera, and Grand Theater – National Opera, while also taking on various roles in theater productions. Some of her notable roles include the Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Don Ramiro (La finta giardiniera), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Miss Evelin Huck (Lottery for Husbands), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly). In addition to her opera repertoire, Joanna Dobrakowska is dedicated to promoting the premieres of works by both Polish and foreign composers, such as Johanna Doderer, Karol Szymanowski, Ella Milch-Sherif, and David Gains. She has recorded several compact discs, including All-Night Vigil Op. 37 by S. Rachmaninoff, with the Accentus Ensemble, the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, and conductor Laurence Equilbey, and La decollazione di San Giovanni Battista, with the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra and conductor Andrzej Kosendiak, as well as works by Polish composers from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Tomislav Jukić, tenor, has developed a standout reputation with victories at distinguished International vocal competitions, including the Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský and Antonín Dvořák competitions in 2023. Recently he has had the opportunity to perform Goro in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the SNG Opera in Ballet Ljubljana. Noteworthy among his performaces is his role as the solo tenor in C. Monteverdi’s Vespro Della Beata Vergine, where he shared the stage with the Croatian Radio and Television Choir and the Ensemble Concerto dei Venti. These performances, held at esteemed venues including the Croatian House in Split, the Theatre I. pl. Zajc in Rijeka, and the Lauba Hall in Zagreb, were broadcast live on Croatian Radio and television. Additionally, Tomislav made his debut at the National Theatre Zagreb in the Zagreb Music Academy production, conducted by maestro Matija Fortuna, of the opera Amfitrion by B. Papandopulo, in which he portrayed Mercury. As he continues to explore and grow as a young tenor, Tomislav Jukić eagerly anticipates his upcoming engagements, including solo recitals at the Allegretto Festival in Žilina and Humpolc, and performances with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is also expected to perform at concerts with the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra at the International Opera Festival Tino Pattiera in Dubrovnik. Moreover, his acceptance into the International Opera Studio in Zurich starting next season represents a significant step forward in his commitment to his craft in the opera world.

Georg Lehner, baritone, graduated in Oboe, and then pursued studies in Vocal Arts at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna under Professors Hilde Rössel-Majdan and Walter Berry. He has appeared in prestigious opera houses in Vienna, Tokyo, Geneva, and Rome, among others. His lyrical baritone has been lauded by audiences in Japan, the United States, North America, and across Europe. Georg Lehner has performed at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the Mozart Week in Salzburg, and the Salzburg Festival, and has regular engagements at the Tino Pattiera International Opera Arias Festival in Dubrovnik. Since 2008, he has been performing at the Vienna State Opera. In 2012, Georg Lehner inaugurated the Schubertiade im Achten concert series, paying homage to Franz Schubert, and in 2014, embarked on a tour of the East Coast of the USA with pianist Viktor Rozenbaum, presenting Schubert’s Winterreise song cycle. This year, his schedule includes a solo role in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Vienna State Opera, recitals with pianist Schaghajegh Nosrati, and a performance with the Baroque Ensemble of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the Bregenz Festival. Since 2015, George Lehner has been serving as a Professor of Opera, Lieder, and Oratorio at the Richard Wagner Conservatory in Vienna.

Samra Gulamović, conductor, graduated and obtained her master’s degree from the Music Academy in Sarajevo, specializing in Composition and Conducting under the mentorship of Academician Teodor Romanić and Professor Julije Marić. As the founder of the Women’s Allegro Vocal Ensemble, she has achieved significant concert success, winning the Silver Medal at the Choir Olympics. During her studies, Samra Gulamović led the Choir of the Sarajevo National Theater Opera and worked as a Collaborator at Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has also served as the Conductor and Director of the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra and as the Conceptual Creator and Editor of the monograph about this institution. Dedicated to classical repertoire, Samra Gulamović has successfully collaborated with numerous soloists such as Ivo Pogorelić, Sergei Krylov, Vadim Gluzman, Alena Baeva, Andreas Ottensamer, Anne Gastinel, and Alexander Buzlov. She has performed extensively in Italy, Croatia, Austria, Slovenia, France, Turkey, and Montenegro. Since 2009, Samra Gulamović has been engaged as the Conductor of the Sarajevo National Theater Ballet. She also holds the position of Resident Conductor of the largest classical music festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sarajevo Evenings of Music. Samra Gulamović is the recipient of the Freedom Award from the Sarajevo Center for Peace and a member of the Bosnian-American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra continues a long and significant musical tradition that originally developed during the period of the Dubrovnik Republic (1358–1808). The current orchestra has been operating continuously since 1924, during which time it has changed names several times. Under the baton of renowned conductors such as Tadeusz Sigietinski and Josef Vlach- Vrutický, it has premiered works by the Polish-Dubrovnik composer Ludomir Michal Rogowski. With its former chief conductor, maestro Nikola Debelić, the Orchestra embarked on extensive tours in the 1970s, performing not only across Europe but also in the United States, Canada, and Indonesia, in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. The Orchestra has collaborated with famous names such as Lovro von Matačić, Antonio Janigro, Zubin Mehta, Kirill Kondrashin, Ernst Märzendorfer, Milan Horvat, Nikola Debelić, Pavle Dešpalj, Anton Nanut, David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Svjatoslav Richter, Stefan Milenkovich, Ivo Pogorelić, Dubravka Tomšič, Monika Leskovar, Radovan Vlatković, Mischa Maisky, Yuri Bashmet, Julian Rachlin, Michel Legrand, Maxim Vengerov, and Gordan Nikolić, among others. The Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra organizes a series of music festivals and cycles throughout the year and has received numerous awards and recognitions for its artistic contributions.