The Sky Glory Accordion Orchestra from Prijedor will perform this weekend at one of the world’s most prestigious artistic accordion competitions in Castelfidardo, Italy.
For the young musicians from Prijedor, the appearance represents the culmination of years of work and an opportunity to present both the city of Prijedor and Republika Srpska on a major international stage.
Orchestra director and conductor Miloš Zec said that participating in the competition in Castelfidardo had been a long-standing dream for Sky Glory, one that is finally being realized after a year of intensive preparations.
“This is one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for artistic accordion. Castelfidardo is where it all began – from accordion manufacturing itself to the culture of playing the instrument. This year marks the 51st edition of this major competition,” Zec said.
Regardless of the final result, simply qualifying for a competition of this level represents a major achievement for the young musicians and recognition of years of work promoting the accordion and musical culture in Prijedor, he added.
Zec recalled that accordionists from Prijedor have won numerous awards over the years at competitions in Prijedor, Banja Luka, Pula, Graz and Sarajevo, but performing in Italy had remained an unfulfilled ambition.
“Although generations have changed, the dream of going to this major competition in Italy remained. After extensive preparations – I can freely say a year of intensive work, sacrifice and dedication – we hope to justify all the effort we have invested,” Zec said.
Seventeen musicians will travel to the competition, with Zec appearing as conductor. Although the orchestra currently has 24 members, selection for the performance required a high level of musicianship and serious preparation.
One of the particular challenges has been harmonizing the sound of a large number of accordions.
“Every accordion has its own tuning frequency, and there are also different registers, meaning different tone colors. For this competition, I took every accordion to a specialist to have it retuned and checked so that we could bring everything into harmony. It is a major challenge,” Zec explained.
The appearance in Castelfidardo will be historic for the Prijedor orchestra. According to Zec, it may even be the first time an orchestra from Prijedor, Republika Srpska, and possibly BiH has participated in a world competition of this kind.
“This is truly a major achievement. We are making history. To go through school, Republika Srpska, international, national and European competitions and then reach the world level is a great honor, but also a great responsibility,” Zec emphasized.
Accordion as a school for life
Beyond competitive results, one of Sky Glory’s most important goals is to promote music and encourage children to become involved in the arts.
A total of 61 members have passed through the orchestra so far, with young accordionists performing at numerous concerts in Prijedor, across Republika Srpska and beyond its borders.
“It is important that we spread culture. So far, 61 children have been part of this orchestra, and in some way we have enriched their lives. That is something these children will carry with them throughout their lives,” Zec said.
Particularly important is the work with students of the Savo Balaban Elementary Music School in Prijedor, where around ten to twelve new students enroll in the accordion department each year.
According to Zec, learning to play the accordion requires not only musical talent but also hard work, discipline and daily practice.
“It is difficult to develop a good accordionist and a good performer. It requires daily sacrifice and work. But that is precisely one of the values of music – every day you solve small problems so that later in life, solving problems becomes something natural,” Zec said.
He added that the accordion is a particularly demanding instrument because it requires the performer to simultaneously coordinate both hands, the bellows and numerous keys, while playing in an orchestra provides an additional lesson in listening and cooperation.
“When children join an orchestra, they begin listening to one another. It is not only about listening to the accordion, but also to the person next to you. The role of an orchestra can be transferred to life itself,” Zec explained.
The Prijedor orchestra is also increasingly inspiring children who have yet to choose which musical instrument they would like to learn.
Zec said he frequently receives calls from parents and children interested in learning the accordion after seeing Sky Glory perform in Prijedor’s public squares.
Source: RTRS
