The women’s chamber choir “Banjalučanke” from Banja Luka has won a gold medal in the traditional music category at the prestigious 13th International Choir Competition “Musica eterna Roma” in Italy.
The “Banjalučanke” choir performed as the only representative of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina at this licensed international competition, which included choirs from Italy, Malaysia, China, Bulgaria, Belgium, and Poland in its overall festival and competition program.
Mladen Matović, the conductor of the women’s chamber choir “Banjalučanke,” expressed his pride in maintaining a consistent level of quality performances at yet another significant international competition.
“As we announced before our departure, the primary goal of participating in the competition in Italy was to test our current performance capabilities and prepare for the upcoming, very demanding competition season,” Matović told Srna.
He added that he is especially proud of the new members for whom this was their first participation in an international competition.
“They showed us in the best possible way that the ‘Banjalučanke’ choir does not need to worry about its future,” said Matović.
He noted that they presented selected compositions by contemporary authors of domestic choral literature at the competition, with solo performances by Neđica Mijajlović and Jelena Vulin.
Matović mentioned that, in addition to preparing two full-length gala concerts scheduled for mid-December at Banski Dvor in Banja Luka, the “Banjalučanke” choir is looking forward to participating in a competition in Lisbon and the European Choir Championship in Denmark.
The participation of the “Banjalučanke” choir in the competition in Rome, which began on July 17, was made possible with the support of the office of the President of Republika Srpska and the city of Banja Luka.
The ensemble was judged by an international expert jury composed of renowned global choral music experts, while the artistic director of this year’s competition was the distinguished Italian composer and conductor Michele Josia.
In addition to participating in the traditional music category, the women’s chamber choir “Banjalučanke” also had a highly notable performance at the final concert of the best choirs in the competition, presenting a demanding a cappella program.
Source: RTRS
