Rhapsody in Blue at Kolarac Endowment: students enjoy performance by pianist Matija Dedić and Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra

On Sunday, 22 April, Savremena’s students enjoyed a beautiful musical performance at the Kolarac Endowment, given by the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra and the Signum Saxophone Quartet led by the British conductor Timothy Redmond. The students were particularly impressed by the exquisite rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue by the special guest at the concert, the famous pianist Matija Dedić.

Together with their music teacher Tamara Rajinac and other fans and connoisseurs of music, the students shared the pleasure of listening to these contemporary artists perform the best-known pieces by Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin.

Celebration of two anniversaries alongside famous compositions

The overture to the two-hour concert was played by the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, which performed three dance episodes from the musical On the Town by Leonard Bernstein, under the guidance of conductor Timothy Redmond, regular guest conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, which has performed around 100 concerts under the current name since 2011, amazed the audience from the very first bars.

Next to perform on the stage of the Kolarac Endowment was the Signum Saxophone Quartet from Keln, with Rhythm of the Americas. The Belgrade audience brought this extraordinary brass ensemble comprising college-day colleagues Blaž Kemperle, Eric Nestler, Alan Luzar and Guerino Bellarosa back to the stage for two encores. Savremena’s students and the rest of the audience were particularly delighted to hear Alan Luzar thank them for their hospitality and cordiality in fluent Serbian.

In the second part of the concert, the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra and pianist Matija Dedić conveyed the beauty of the composition Rhapsody in Blue. The famous pianist, who comes from a musical family, started playing piano at the age of 5 and subsequently had many musical achievements and performances in the world’s biggest venues. He caught the eye of music aficionados in 2004 when he released the album Tempera, with twelve songs penned by Gibonni, and in the following year after releasing Second Revision, an album containing the most popular compositions of his father Arsen Dedić.

At the end of this unforgettable concert, Savremena’s students enjoyed the orchestra’s final piece, Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture.

Celebrating music and culture at International School Savremena

Although Savremena’s students had already listened to these tunes in music lessons, they were particularly happy to hear them in such an environment and performed by such musicians.

The students were also pleased to hear that, with this visit, they participated in the celebration of two anniversaries: the 100th anniversary of the birth of Leonard Bernstein and the 120th anniversary of the birth of George Gershwin, two American composers who defined the music scene of the 20th century.

The students left the Kolarac Endowment with great impressions, while the vivacious jazz melodies incited them to attend such events on a regular basis in the future.

I am extremely pleased and proud to be the parent of a Savremena student. During my first encounter with the school management, when I asked about my child’s potential enrolment, I saw how much love, enthusiasm and professionalism you put in your work. I was impressed by your approach, ideas and methods. I couldn’t believe something like this existed in our country! It doesn’t take long to realise that this is a school you would recommend to everyone. Creativity, modern technology, top-quality education, and most of all, the humaneness that can be seen throughout the school, make it truly different and worthy of its name – Savremena Gimnazija. With such an approach, the success of this school and, consequently, our children’s success, is unavoidable. Congratulations! Jelena Đorđević, Andrija’s mum
Contemporary in any sense of the word, our school offers functional knowledge and quality preparation for tertiary education in Serbia and abroad. Implementing modern and creative teaching in the classroom, where the teachers’ pedagogy and students’ performance are aligned with the highest academic standards for the high-school finals, our school develops linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, cultural, technical and ICT competence, which is a prerequisite for further education and professional development. Teaching is supported by the interactive whiteboards and educational software, whereas practice exercises research and critical thinking.