1 Report
SARAJEVO CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
August 24 – September 1, 2012
www.sarajevochambermusicfestival.org
2 INTRODUCTION:
From August 24 until September 1, 2012, the most ambitious chamber
music festival in the South East European area took place in Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina – The Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival. The
Festival was developed in cooperation between the Manhattan String
Quartet from New York and Sarajevo’s Academy of Music.
Army Hall, before the concert
One of the most renowned American chamber music ensembles, the Manhattan String
Quartet, called a "national treasure" by the U.S. media, began its collaboration with the
Sarajevo Music Academy in 2010. Inspired by the extraordinary reception they received in
Bosnia’s capital, MSQ embraced the initiative to become a partner of the Academy in
organizing an international festival of chamber music. Because of the tremendous initial
enthusiasm for this project, 2011 saw the first season of the Sarajevo Chamber Music
Festival and featured a program based on the performance of the 15 quartets of Dmitri
Shostakovich by the Manhattan String Quartet. On that occasion the concept of this festival
was presented - a long-term vision with the highest artistic ambitions.
The second season of the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival in 2012 saw performances by
many distinguished artists, among them David Finckel and Wu Han, who were proclaimed
Musical America’s Musicians of the Year in 2012. In addition to the Manhattan Quartet as its
resident ensemble, brilliant performances were given by baritone Benjamin Bloomfield
(USA), pianist Christopher Taylor (USA).), pianist Sangmi Lim (South Korea / USA), pianist
Dino Mulic (BH / USA), clarinetist Boris Rener (Slovenia), in addition to MAS faculty
members violinist Yeonju Jeong (South Korea / BH) and guitarist Alexander Swete (Austria).
Their performances were dedicated to celebrating the lives and works of two of the great
3 masters of chamber music, Franz Schubert and Antonín Dvořák, who were the focus of the
festival. Other composers performed included the works of Beethoven, Mozart, Debussy,
Stravinsky and the world premiere of a SCMF commission by American composer Eric Moe.
The uniqueness of the festival is in its very ambitious educational component. The Sarajevo
Chamber Music Institute offered a comprehensive program of daily masterclasses involving
all participants of the concert program. The Institute was open to domestic and international
students of college age and above. The program Sarajevo Chamber Music Institute was
directed by the Manhattan String Quartet members themselves, in collaboration with the
professional staff of the Academy of Music in Sarajevo.
Granting the Letter of Thanks to the Manhattan String Quartet by the Mayor of Sarajevo
But their cooperation was not only program-related. MSQ’s Chris Finckel, together with
Bosnian pianist Dino Mulić have taken on the role of co-directors of the Festival and have
invested great energies in bringing together numerous supporters in the United States of
America, who have shared their enthusiasm and provided part of funding of its activities. On
the other hand the Sarajevo directorate, as headed by the Music Academy Dean Ivan
Cavlovic and professor Amila Ramovic, have secured substantial funding from Bosnia and
Herzegovina and have co-ordinated the entire organizational aspect in Sarajevo, together
with the operative team of teachers and students who have worked on the preparation of
the Festival.
4 Festival preparations
The Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival is an artistic, educational and nonprofit
intercontinental initiative based on the belief that music is a language that connects people
and a language that everyone understands. For the duration of the festival, Sarajevo’s Army
Hall becomes a home of art because of the dedication of hundreds of artists, educators,
students, sponsors and audiences alike, as well as a home of friendship and faith in the
cooperative production of beauty.
Students’ organization team of the Academy of Music
5 CONCERTS AND ARTISTS
Manhattan String Quartet, founding ensemble in residence (USA)
Benjamin Bloomfield, baritone (USA)
David Finckel, cello (USA)
Wu Han, piano (USA)
Yeonju Jeong, violin (S. Korea)
Sangmi Lim, piano (S. Korea / USA)
Dino Mulić, piano (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Boris Rener, clarinet (Slovenia)
Alexander Swete, guitar (Austria)
Christopher Taylor, piano (USA)
David Finckel & Wu Han
Through the interpretations of its dedicated musicians, the SCMF concert programs gave a
fascinating insight into the works of two giants of chamber music, Franz Schubert and
Antonín Dvořák. Festival audiences will long remember the committed performances of the
Manhattan String Quartet, who performed five of the eight Festival concerts and gave iconic
performances of representative works. These performances will remain an indelible memory
in the history of this ensemble. Particularly memorable were the opening night concert
dedicated to Schubert, as well as the final concert, dedicated to Dvořák, as well as the
MSQ’s energetic and inspired performance of Debussy's Quartet in G minor, which was
followed by a long round of applause that echoed in the concert hall.
6 The recital by virtuoso pianist Christopher Taylor, gave an insight into the currents of the
world’s supreme pianism, which was exemplified by his profoundly constructed
interpretation of Schubert’s Piano Sonata in B flat major. The festival will also be
remembered by a rare and very successful performance of the entire cycle of Schubert’s
"Die Winterreise" performed by the American baritone Benjamin Bloomfield. Sangmi Lim
proved to be a sophisticated and highly capable pianist performing a very demanding
program playing Mozart with Dino Mulić, the Schubert “Die Winterreise” with Ben
Bloomfield and a virtuoso performance of Schubert‘s Fantasy in C Major with violinist
Yeonju Jeong. Memorable performances were also given by the guitarist Alexander Swete,
playing Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Guitar Quintet and clarinetist Boris Rener performing
Mozart's Clarinet Quintet in A Major. The audience was particularly interested in the
appearance of Dino Mulić, once Sarajevo's famous student and young talent, and today an
American professor, whose artistic growth and maturation was particularly identified in the
performance of Mozart’s Piano Quartet in Eflat Major with the Manhattan String Quartet.
Unexpected was the success of the marathon concert of all participants and ensembles of
the SCMF Institute, which showed that focused work even in a short time can create very
successful musical solutions, and this was especially evident in the collective orchestral
performance of Dvořák ‘s Serenade for Strings with Deborah Wong as the conductor.
The highlight of the Festival was, however, the extraordinary music making that was given to
the Sarajevo audience by David Finckel and Wu Han, musicians whose reputation of musical
genius’ was once again justified by their impressive performance. Only in rare situations are
we privileged to hear artists such as these who are able to build a bridge through the spirit
and time to the greatest musical moments of our past.
Alexander Swete & Manhattan String Quartet
7 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
CONCERT PROGRAMME
SARAJEVO CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Army Hall, Sarajevo
Friday, August 24, 2012, 7:30 PM
SCHUBERT, CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO, BOCCHERINI
Alexander Swete, guitar
Manhattan String Quartet
Saturday, August 25, 2012, 7:30 PM
BEETHOVEN, DVOŘÁK, ARENSKY
Wu Han, piano
David Finckel, cello
Manhattan String Quartet
Dino Mulić & Manhattan String Quartet
Monday, August 27, 2012, 7:30 PM
ALL SCHUBERT PROGRAM
Sangmi Lim, piano
Dino Mulić, piano
Yeonju Jeong, violin
Benjamin Bloomfield, baritone
8 Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 7:30 PM
ALL MOZART PROGRAM
Boris Rener, clarinet
Dino Mulić, piano
Manhattan String Quartet
Wednesday, August 29, 2012, 7:30 PM
DEBUSSY, DUTILLEUX, MOE, STRAVINSKY
Manhattan String Quartet
Thursday, August 30, 2012, 7:30 PM
BACH, BRAHMS, RZEWSKI, SCHUBERT
Recital
Christopher Taylor, piano
Friday, August 31, 2012, 7:30 PM
Participants of the Sarajevo Chamber Music Institute
Yeonju Jeong & Sangmi Lim
Saturday, September 1, 2012, 7:30 PM
ALL DVOŘÁK PROGRAM
Christopher Taylor, piano
Manhattan String Quartet
All concerts were free and open to the public.
9 SARAJEVO CHAMBER MUSIC INSTITUTE
In addition to performing chamber music concerts, the artists of the Sarajevo Chamber
Music Festival conducted the parallel program of the Sarajevo Chamber Music Institute. This
program was designed for the most talented young musicians from all countries of the
Balkan Region and from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The educational program
activities of the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival are gathered under the title of the Sarajevo
Chamber Music Institute, which is directed by the Manhattan String Quartet. These
prestigious musicians invited all participants of the concert program to participate in ten-days
of master classes with selected students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region at the
Academy of Music. After two months of an open call, fifty students were selected from
music academies from Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Zagreb, Split, Ljubljana, Belgrade,
Graz and Skopje,. The students were grouped in ensembles to rehearse and be coached by
SCMF artists. Their efforts and achievements were crowned with a special concert held on
the penultimate night of the festival at the Army Hall, in which all 50 students performed,
finalizing their ten-day stay in Sarajevo with the long applause.
The Manhattan String Quartet has shown great dedication to this project, one they see as
their gift to Sarajevo. Cellist and Festival co-director Chris Finckel emphasizes that the aims
of this festival include the uncompromising revival of the highest artistic standards: “Our
primary goals are to strive to produce concerts of the very highest caliber and to uphold the
ideals that make our art as vital and expressive as possible. And to attempt to demonstrate
the pertinence of classical music in today’s society and the necessity and benefits of a
rigorous, complete musical education. We hope to help the Sarajevo Academy of Music gain
more visibility in their country and to give the students a sense of Bosnia as a place where
positive international attention, collaboration and recognition is possible.”
The Chamber Music Festival aims to raise awareness for reflecting upon musical art and its
highest achievements. This is particularly important not only in the current context of
populist attitude towards art in Bosnia, but also internationally, in which music is measured
solely by its ability to be pleasant and attractive, while increasingly ignoring the value and
weight of the artistic creation. The goal of the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival is to
present the most important works of musical literature that define music as art, with this
year's focus directing light to the masters of chamber music, Antonín Dvořák and Franz
Schubert. At the same time, SCMF has prepared a series of programs so that this music will
be analyzed on an educational level – lectures and masterclasses for young musicians, and
talks in the concerts themselves, with the performers providing a structure to listen and
understand the works in question. The presentation and understanding of musical art and its
sophistication does not come by itself, the effort of creation must be accompanied by the
effort of the process of understanding,
10 Masterclass with Wu Han
Calvin Wiersma, coordinator of the Sarajevo Chamber Music Institute stated, “The Sarajevo
Chamber Music Institute is dedicated to the belief that when people make music together,
wonderful things can happen, lives can change, misconceptions can disappear, bridges can be built,
bonds can form. We have devoted our lives to this principle, and to make it happen here we expect
nothing but all of your effort, energy, intellect, and passion in the next ten days. The music, the idea,
the principle deserves nothing less. We are very excited to be working with such a talented and
diverse group of students, to share with you our love of chamber music, and to work with you on this
great repertoire. It is our hope that, with our hard work together, we may learn from each other how
to more convincingly speak the universal language of music.“
Diploma for the SCMF 2012 participants
Criteria for participation in the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival and Institute program were
announced on the www.sarajevochambermusicfestival.org and www.mas.unsa.ba websites in
May 2012. The deadline for applications to participate in masterclasses was June 1, 2012,
followed by a selection of fifty finest young musicians in the region who participated in the
SCMF Institute programs.
11 SARAJEVO CHAMBER MUSIC INSTITUTE PARTICIPANTS Violin
Jelena Aleksijadis, Academy of Music, East Sarajevo
Tamara Arsovski, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Džana Begović, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Nikola Ćuković, Academy of Music, East Sarajevo
Alma Dizdar, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Asja Draganović, Academy of Music, East Sarajevo
Marina Drmić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Adnan Handanagić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Ilma Hodović, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Kajetan Kamenjašević, Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Graz
Maja Kurevija, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Eva Mach, Academy of Music, Zagreb
Svjetlana Mandić, Academy of Art, Split
Anamarija Marić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Marija Marković, Academy of Music, East Sarajevo
Dragan Petaković, Faculty of Music Art, Belgrade
Jovana Raljić, Academy of Art, Banja Luka
Samra Svraka, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Ariana Škrinjar, Academy of Music, Zagreb
Sanja Tavić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Amra Vojvodić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Sonja Vojvodić, Academy of Art, Banja Luka
Viola
Aida Dajić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Muhamed Hrustanović, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Ivor Ivančić, Academy of Art, Split
Aleksandra Kijanović, Faculty of Music Art, Belgrade
Aleksandra Mirnić, Music High School, Sarajevo
Amila Muharemović, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Petar Obradović, Faculty of Music Art, Belgrade
Ana-Maria Pilj, Music High School, Sarajevo
Nerimana Prguda, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Mersiha Teskeredžić, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Lazar Vinković, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
12 Concert of the SCMF 2012 participants
Cello
Sara Andrić, Faculty of Music Art, Belgrade
Paola Bralić, Academy of Music, Zagreb
Lucija Gregov, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Anthony Havelka, Academy of Art, Split
Adrian Ivičević, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Vanda Janković, Academy of Art, Split
Jelena Marković, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Lidija Paulin, Academy of Art, Banja Luka
Dijana Pelidija, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Naida Solak, Music High School, Sarajevo
Josipa Tikvicki, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Luka Tikvicki, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Emil Zubčević, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
13 Concert of the SCMF 2012 participants
Piano
Maša Babić, Faculty of Music Art, Belgrade
Marija Bajo, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Sanela Džudža, Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Dejan Janković, Academy of Art, Banja Luka
Concert of the SCMF 2012 participants, conductor Deborah Wong
14 MASTERCLASSES AND LECTURES PROGRAM
SARAJEVO CHAMBER MUSIC INSTITUTE
Academy of Music, Sarajevo
Thursday, August 23, 15:00
Introduction into Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival programs
Dr. Ivan Čavlović, Dean, Manhattan String Quartet
Saturday, August 25, 15:00
Masterclass
David Finckel, cello & Wu Han, piano
Sunday, August 26, 15:00
Lecture: Franz Schubert, Winterreise cycle
Benjamin Bloomfield, baritone
Monday, August 27, 18:00
Lecture: Franz Schubert
Dr. Ivan Čavlović, musicologist
Masterclass David Finckel
15 Tuesday, August 28, 16:00
Lecture: W. A. Mozart’s chamber works in the SCMF program
Dr. Ivan Čavlović, musicologist
Wednesday, August 29, 15:00
Masterclass
Christopher Taylor, piano
Wednesday, August 29, 15:00
Lecture: Some aspects of Debussy’s and Stravinski’s chamber works
M. Sc. Amila Ramović, musicologist
Thursday, August 30, 16:00
Lecture: Antonín Dvořák
Dr. Ivan Čavlović, musicologist
Every day except Sunday, August 24-30, 10.00
Masterclass
Manhattan String Quartet
Chris Finckel & SCMI 2012 participants
16 INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION
Christopher Taylor
The Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival, a joint project of the Music Academy in Sarajevo and
the Manhattan String Quartet, has in many ways exceeded all expectations in 2012, as it was
assessed by the public, but also by the artists and the organizers themselves. The eight
concerts in the Army Hall were always preceded by a search for an extra chair, proof that
art music in Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina has a large audience, who particularly
appreciated the fact that the organizers enabled the entrance to all concerts to be free. All
artists merged their own energy with the endless energy of the audience in the capital of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, who showed a great thirst for music, for excellent performances,
and received ones that will surely be remembered for a long time.
Manhattan String Quartet
17 This year we made a new step to raise the standard of the festival organization, which
contributed to the excellent impression that the festival programs left on the audience and
the students-participants. However, more than technically polished detail, what remained
was the omnipresent sense of an undeniable exchange of energy, a positive charge and a
friendly atmosphere, which could occur only in the atmosphere which, in every way and in
any form, was the celebration of music. Therefore, the Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival
2012 was a meeting place for youth and experience, forming beautiful friendships, with
everyone learning a great deal about music and learning everything needed to make the 2013
Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival even better.
SCMF 2012 participants
18 Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival 2012
Sarajevo, August 24 – September 1, 2012
Production
Academy of Music in Sarajevo
Manhattan String Quartet
Co-directors
Chris Finckel
Dino Mulić
Artistic Advisor
Dr. Ivan Čavlović, Dean of the Academy of Music in Sarajevo
Operations Director
Amila Ramović
Sarajevo Chamber Music Institute, Co-ordination
Calvin Wiersma, artistic co-ordinator
Deborah Wong, artistic advisor
Manhattan String Quartet, teachers
Marija Bajo, co-ordination assistant
Expert Advisors
Yevgeny Xaviereff
Belma Alić
Senad Kazić
Mirjana Papić-Hrkaš
Mersiha Teskeredžić
Tatjana Romanić-Piralić
Studnets’ Organisation Team
Dženana Aganspahić
Senka Hodžić
Miron Konjević
Mateja Milićević
Esma Sulejmanagić
Ivana Vučićević
Visual identity and Communications Design
Ideologija Sarajevo
Anur Hadžiomerspahić, Art Director
Tarik Zahirović, Co-ordinator
19 Print Co-ordinator
Esad Šuman
Photographer
Almin Zrno
Audio-Video Production
Admir Đulančić
Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival
Headquarters
Sarajevo
Muzička akademija
Josipa Stadlera 1
71000 Sarajevo
BiH
T/F: +387 33 444 896
E: scmf@mas.unsa.ba
www.mas.unsa.ba
New York
18 Boulder Place
Yonkers, NY 10705
USA
T/F: +1 914 772 8531
E: info@sarajevochambermusicfestival.org
www.sarajevochambermusicfestival.org
Facebook page: Sarajevo Chamber Music Festival
Facebook profile: Scmf Sarajevo
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