Bojana Vunturišević, one of our most popular singer-songwriters, held two sold-out concerts in the Belgrade Youth Center. The audience had the opportunity to listen live to songs from the newly released album “Ljubav”, as well as Bojana’s famous hits “Mission”, “Label Bags”, “Distance”.
The album “Ljubav” saw the light of day in the middle of February of this year, and in just one month it acquired the status of a cult domestic release. Bojana’s new songs quickly attracted attention both on social networks and on regional charts that follow events on the pop scene. “Gde si ti” on which Ivana Peters also appears as a backing vocalist, “Sama”, “Dom”, “Madrina” caused great reactions from the audience, which resulted in Bojana’s concert in Belgrade’s Youth Center being sold out in record time.
– See you at the favorite Youth Center, at the concert promotion of the album “Ljubav”. Everything will happen! There will be distance, there will be closeness, Susanna, tears, dance, backing vocals, the most beautiful vocals… – Bojana previously wrote on her Instagram profile when announcing the date of the concert.
In the meantime, Bojana also released the video song “Care”, the lyrics of which she wrote herself, while she made the music with producers from the Bassivity “jata”, the legendary Coby and the young Luxoni.
Funk Shui (North Macedonia)
FUNK SHUI is an eclectic collective based in North Macedonia, driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore new avenues of musical expression. Since their first album Aether, released in 2012, through R.E.M., from 2015, and the EP Impuls, from 2018, FUNK SHUI have been constantly evolving, refining their vision and their sound. Their escape from categorization can best be understood as an experience that encompasses different emotions, styles and influences.
With each new release, FUNK SHUI push the boundaries of the modern music scene, paving a unique path in redefining what it means to be a truly talented and expressive band in the region. Their exceptional work has not gone unnoticed, and the band have been invited to perform at some of the most prestigious music festivals across Europe, including Eurosonic ESNS, Mondo.NYC, MENT Ljubljana, Athens Music Week, PIN Music Conference and Liverpool Sound City.
FUNK SHUI’s achievements are numerous, but perhaps none is as significant as the success of their single “METEORI”, which was voted “Single of the Year 2020” by the regional audience of the music portal “Balkanrock”. Their latest releases, “VETER”, “NE VREME” and “MAGLA”, accompanied by fascinating videos, are just a fraction of what awaits us on their new album Nikogash Pak, released on March 31st, 2023. FUNK SHUI were nominated for the HEMI Music Awards 2021 and INES Talents, cementing their status as one of Europe’s most exciting new bands.
As FUNK SHUI look towards 2023, the band are focusing on touring and delivering unforgettable live performances. They have already toured a wide range of countries, including Great Britain, Poland, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, and have done several tours in the Balkans. They have recently released their third, long-awaited album Nikogash Pak, which contains all the well-known previous singles: “Meteori”, “Veter”, “Ne Vreme”, “Krik” etc.
The excitement surrounding the highly anticipated release of their third album culminated in two consecutive sold-out shows in Skopje, a testament to the band’s growing importance and cultural influence.
With their unwavering commitment to musical excellence and innovation, FUNK SHUI is a band that will garner attention for years to come.
Dolores
Dolores is a female pop duo consisting of Ana Srećković and Marija Vukčević, philologists by profession, musicians by passion.
The project was created in the first half of 2020, as a means of creative expression during the pandemic and restrictive measures. It takes its defined and final form through cooperation with one of the most talented young producers in our region, Petar Wagner, better known as Fantom. He recognizes the musical expression of this original duo and uses his production magic to make it exactly the way it should be.
Dolores find inspiration for their music in new wave music, in the bands of the eighties and nineties of the last century, but also in the music of contemporary alternative bands from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. In their songs, Dolores devote themselves to the topics of everyday life, mostly dealing with real problems and feelings of imaginary characters.
The name of the project alludes to the Spanish revolutionary Dolores Ibárruri, better known as La Pasionaria, as well as to the Irish musician Dolores O’Riordan. As well as being a tribute to female strength, Dolores is also a reminder of the philological background these two authors share. Their first single “Šta te radi” is an electro pop story about the search for answers, regret over missed opportunities, and uncertainty brought by the unknown. The single is also an announcement for their EP that will be released in the foreseeable future.
Filip Baloš
Filip Baloš, born in 2001 in Novi Sad, comes from a family with interest in music and theater, where he developed a love for art from an early age. At the age of four, he began to show interest in painting and music.
As a child, he performed with his brother Boško at various music festivals and took part in numerous plays. Since 2017, he has been engaged in songwriting and music production. In a very short period of time, he managed to build his signature style. In 2019, he won a singing competition organized by Play Radio and the label Mascom Records. He released three singles for the aforementioned label, two of which being “Idemo do mene” and “Nema kraja”. In the summer of 2022, after the expiration of his music contract, he was noticed by the group Zemlja gruva. They invited him to join them in making an official cover of Konstrakta’s song “Mekano”, which was later released through the label Gruvland.
Filip participated in the Song for Eurovision 2023, where he stood out as one of the favorites. This competition brought him a large number of invitations to perform both in Serbia and throughout Europe, at events such as the Swedish and Polish Eurovision Pre-Parties.
Oxajo
Oxajo is a new pop-rock band from Belgrade that brought together talented musicians who were already well-known on the music scene: Dukat Strajnić and Ana Janković from the band Stray Dogg, Marko Ajković from the band Artan Lili, and Dario Vuksanović from the band Savana. Their unique blend of pop and rock and roll that combines different genres brings a new and authentic sound to the audience.
The band introduced itself to the audiences with the single “Put”, a lively song that is characterized by a strong bass line and dynamic guitars, and, according to the band, the single gave the best insight into the already mentioned sound that combines the energy of rock and roll with emotional elements of pop, but also into everything that we are yet to hear from this band.
Oxajo is currently working on recording their first album, which will be released in the coming months. They had their first mini-performance on July 28th this year, at the Uzlet Festival in Čačak.
Broodmen
Broodmen was created as a combination of two creative souls who grew up in Novi Sad, Dragan Alimpijević Pik and Zoltan Šimon.
Originating from two completely different musical milieus, they played and created as long-term collaborators in the group Grate and participated in numerous albums and recordings throughout the region.
They founded Broodmen with the desire to create a haven open to the most diverse ideas, guided by pure emotions and sincerity. After two years of work, they recorded their first album Secondary Emotions, which they released independently in 2017. Since 2019, Zoltan has lived and worked in Amsterdam, so the band continue to write new songs remotely. In the summer of 2021, Pik and Zoltan reunited and recorded 5 songs live in a live session at the Road studio. Renowned Novi Sad artist Lazar Novkov played the harmonica as a guest in the song “Clown life”. During the recording, the idea of future cooperation was born. After the session, they continued to write songs and recorded a new album between the Netherlands and Serbia at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, this time in an expanded form, with Lazar Novkov joining them. The release of the album is planned for the fall of this year.
Since spring 2021, they have been active in concerts, and in addition to the songs from the released album, they perform compositions they wrote in the last two years, as well as Lazar Novkov’s songs in new Broodmen arrangements. At concerts, these songs take on new forms every time, in spontaneous unrepeatable moments, enriched by the experiences of the three musicians.
MKDSL
Marko Milošević MKDSL, which is an acronym for “Mom says I’m beautiful”, is a Belgrade electronic music composer, whose sets blur the differences between DJing and a real gig.
His eclectic approach to music combines the seemingly incompatible sounds of techno, disco, punk and ethnic, and he successfully conveys positive energy to the audience with his performances. He has been involved in music for over two decades and has collaborated with a large number of artists.
Camerata Novi Sad
Camerata Novi Sad, “is one of the most exciting ensembles in our region, a collection of exceptional soloists, individuals who, with their dedication to music, mutual friendship and discipline, create a unique shared energy and sound” (A. Vrebalov). Ove is an ensemble that can “match renowned European orchestras” (I. Žebeljan), “extremely flexible, professional with a noble and expressive sound” (K. Janković).
Camerata Novi Sad grew out of an ensemble that first performed in 1988 under the name Camerata Academica. We are talking about the composition that operated within the Academy of Arts of the University of Novi Sad and from the very beginning was synonymous with professionalism and success in music making. In the first stage of its activity, under the artistic direction of the cellist Ištvan Varga, it was considered one of the best ensembles in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The orchestra regularly performed in all major cities of the region and at festivals such as NOMUS, BEMUS, Ohrid summer. He also made successful guest appearances in Germany and the Netherlands, as well as a large number of permanent radio and television recordings. This orchestra operated with success until the end of 1999, when – due to the political circumstances in the country – it ceased to exist.
At the end of 2007, cellist Marko Miletić (artistic director of the orchestra) decided to renew the work of this ensemble, with the idea of continuing the tradition started by Ištvan Varga. The orchestra consists of the best young musicians of the Academy of Arts – professors, assistants, docents and the most talented students. The repertoire of this ensemble always includes very demanding works of the classical repertoire, but also works by contemporary authors, especially domestic ones. The concerts are realized through engaged projects that promote ecology, gender equality, national and supranational values, multiculturalism, assistance to marginalized groups, and special affection for the cultural upliftment of children and young people.
Camerata Academica played a very important role in the campaign for Novi Sad to obtain the title of European Capital of Culture and was extremely active in the promotion of the city through various programs organized by the Novi Sad 2022 Foundation.
VOADO (Croatia)
The story begins in Portugal at the very end of 2020.
“Snooze” is the first single and music video that marked his entry into the new year and new musical expressions. After that, “All after all” was released, followed by “Let it go”. The songs resonated well with listeners in Portugal and Spain, where his first live performances were held. Sofar Sounds in Madrid stands out as one of the special ones.
In the winter of 2022, three new songs were created, released in June 2023 along with the three mentioned above. After positive reactions to his album Terra Madre, tours and concerts began. The recipe has so far been tested in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Berlin, Croatia, Serbia.
Recently, the first single “Nije” was released on domestic market, and the plan is to release a complete EP with lyrics in our language in 2023 and continue playing and touring around the region and abroad. In addition to his solo performances, VOADO is also a member of the bands From Another Mother, and Đutko i Plodovi zemlje.
Pop Hor Radio
Pop Hor Radio was founded in October 2016. It consists of a large number (currently 77) of male and female singers of different generations, professions, and interests. So far, they have had numerous performances in Novi Sad and its surroundings, including mini-tours in Slovenia in December 2019 and June 2022, and in Ohrid in 2022. They participated in the ceremonial opening of the Eđšeg European Capital of Culture EPK 2021 cultural station, they have sang at events such as “Novosadsko proleće” (“Novi Sad Spring”), “Noćni bazar” (“Night Bazaar”), “Fruškogorski maraton” (“Fruška gora Marathon”), “Pikanterije” (“Picanteries”), “Noć Biologije” (“Biology Night”), “Noć istraživača” (“Researchers Night”), “Novosadska kultura sećanja” (“Novi Sad Culture of Memory”), the Vremeplov Festival, Nišville Jazz Festival 2021, the Ohrid Kostoski Festival 2022, Days of the Danube and Banoštor Days of Grapes 2021, and many others. They proudly point out that they have organized and participated in a large number of humanitarian events, of which they single out events for collecting money to help the work of the organizations “Živeti uspravno” (“Live Upright”) and “Srce” (“Heart”), as well as many concerts for people who needed help.
The choir is amateur, and the choir members are aged 18+. Their performances are energetic, and their repertoire includes pop, jazzy, funky, rock, film and electronic music. The choir was founded and is conducted by Dušica Stojković (teacher at the music school “Čarobna Frula”, conductor of the children’s choir “Čarobna Frula”, singer and keyboard player in the band Drum n Zez, ex member of the bands GBB and Lutke).
Aleksa Danić
Aleksa Danić, guitarist and author from Belgrade.
He has been actively performing since the age of 11. He has participated in many festivals, among which I would single out his performances at the Guitar Art Festival, the Artavlija Festival and the Velikogradištanska gitarijada Guitar Festival. As a guest, he has shared the stage with many local musicians such as Vlado Georgiev, the bands YU grupa, Negativ, and Alisa.
He had a solo concert in the Kragujevac Youth Center in 2021. His first album Prva ljubav was published by Jugoton in March of this year. It contains ten original instrumental compositions that he wrote between the age of 11 and 15.
Kreativni pogon
Kreativni Pogon is an association of citizens whose field of activities encompasses culture, inclusion and education, and whose main goal is the improvement of culture and art as well as the development, support and improvement of the position of young people and children through the artistic, pedagogical and social values of the circus.
The circus school is a place where every child is equally important and everyone is given the opportunity to progress according to their abilities. The group directed their work towards the development of social and societal values, through projects throughout Serbia and abroad, as well as through education at contemporary circus workshops.
Tankman
And this year, rock music is an integral part of the program of this year’s Gradić Fest!
Tankman is a singer-songwriter project from Belgrade led by Goran Štrbo. The music varies between Americana, traces of punk rock and alternative.
He collaborated and shared the stage with musicians and bands such as Went, Wooden Ambulance, Stroberiz, Sofie from Seattle, Ika, Rogi, Nadja, Olivera Popović, Benjd, Kralj Čačka, Ana Ćurčin, The End is Near, Butch Cassidy, Koi Koi , as well as Department of Forgotten Songs and Dirigible.
After several years of working on music, the first Tankman release was released in September 2018 in the form of an EP called “Opportunities on Hold” containing six original songs, signed by Pop Despresija and Kišobran.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQEiPAYpb_A
The Bad Week
The music group The Bad Week was founded in July 2020 in Novi Sad as a street band that started performing on the sidewalks in the city center, contributing to its atmosphere and energy, and later expanded their art by performing in clubs and at festivals throughout Serbia and the surrounding region.
Its members are: Strahinja Jajić – vocals and guitar, Stefan Stefanović Gile (a.k.a. Gileta Slim) – harmonica, Danijel Seethaler – drums/cajon.
They also sometimes invite guest musicians to their performances (as well as to the studio), who make a quality contribution with their music.
In addition to cover music, which is mostly oriented towards the American country blues style, this unique trio has also created an original repertoire through their performances, which led them in 2021 to record their album So it Was, which was released in 2022.
In 2021, at the acoustic music festival FAMUS in Sivac (Serbia), the band won the first place with the song “So it Was”, both according to the opinion of the audience and the expert jury.
They are currently working on new material and preparing songs for their next album.
Swingsi
“Swingsi” bring together true fans of Django, Grapeli and the sound of the earliest blues with inevitable jazz motifs.
The concept of the sound itself is intended to preserve and return to the time that marked the emergence of the gypsy jazz era, with original improvisation in a distinctive way.
This quartet has 2 guitars, bass, clarinet (saxophone and vocals).
Andrija Gavrilović is a 27-year-old music producer, trumpet player, composer and arranger from Belgrade. He entered the music world via classical music, and then his further travels led him to jazz and later to electronic music. As a teenager, this versatile musician was recognized as an extraordinary talent for the classical trumpet, according to the opinion of many world-famous classical trumpeters such as: Stanko Arnold, Matthias Höfs, Pacho Flores.
He has released two instrumental albums –Cafuneé(2019), an author’s jazz creation that celebrates his life divided between Belgrade and Boston, and Only Classical Trumpets (2022), which represents his personal trumpet homage to the top classical music works that formed him as a musical being. After graduating from Berkeley, Andrija lived in New York for a year, where he performed, worked and created with his collegemates as well as with fresh names on the New York jazz scene. Coronavirus pandemic brought him back to the studio, and during the period of lockdowns he returned to production and recording. Shortly after completing the tapes, he donned his new persona –A.N.D.R. – and enthusiastically returned in 2021 as a producer to the domestic Serbian scene, to Belgrade, where he currently wants to create and develop as a music professional. His debut album U Krug, featuring his new musical persona A.N.D.R.,was released on June 10th. The album highlights his genre fluidity, his thoughtfulness concerning arrangements, his knowledge of the language of pop and excellent mastery of the craft of production.
Andrija was also seen by a wider audience in the green room of “Pesma Za Euroviziju” (“Serbian Song Contest for Eurovision”) with Tijana Dapčević. Together with the musicians Zoe Kida and Tijana Dapčević, A.N.D.R. created the song “Mamim” that Tijana presented at this year’s “Serbian Song Contest for Eurovision”. They are also preparing another summer track called “Šta Ja Imam S tim”. His vision is to encourage other music artists from our country and region to create and release contemporary music in our language, in order to participate in the process of changing the mainstream sound of our society.
Tri mrske trske
The woodwind trio Tri mrske trske (Three Hateful Reeds) has been playing classical music for many years, gaining experience in various orchestras and ensembles in the country and abroad (Italy, Austria and Belgium). As close friends who spend their free time hanging out and who share the same passion for chamber music, they decided to form this unusual trio.
In the style of the renaissance troubadours, they want to bring the music of the past closer to the audiences living in today’s busy modern age.
The trio consists of: Nevena Majdevac – oboe, Luka Bošković – clarinet, and Nikola Goločevac – bassoon.
Nikola Ulemek
Ulemek Nikola was born in 1989. He finished high school under the tutelage of the professor Ljubiša Jovanović, and he obtained his master’s degree in clarinet in 2013, at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade.
He worked at the “Vatroslav Lisinski” High School of Music for eight years, also as a part-time collaborator in the RTS Symphony Orchestra for five years, and in the Orchestra of the Ministry of Internal Affaira for two years. He played in the Nevsky Clarinet Quartet. He also performs as a collaborator in Artish:Lab concerts for babies and children.
He currently lives and performs as a freelance artist, mostly supporting himself by street performances. He has played on the streets of Vienna (Austria), Prague (Czech Republic), Barcelona (Spain), Kotor (Montenegro), Dubrovnik (Croatia), and he recently returned from Japan, where he performed in Kyoto, Tokyo, Kamakura and Osaka.
For the last five years he has been a Santa Claus with a saxophone.
Bobi and Robi
The audio-visual multi-instrumental cabaret punk performance Bobi and Robi was created in November 2021 as a consequence of the fight against stress and depression caused by the Coronavirus on the one hand and the idea to use masks and costumes from the Halloween masquerade on the other.
The band mainly plays covers of domestic and foreign punk and rock bands, as well as punk covers of classical music pieces, from Bach to Beethoven. During their performances, they use a wide variety of musical instruments, from acoustic guitars as the main instruments, ukulele bass and guitar and electric double bass, to wind instruments such as kazoo, melodica, etc.
Of course, along with the musical part of the program, costumes are a must, which are usually thematically related to the current location or specific event.
The band has played in a couple of clubs in Novi Sad, and at Fruškogorski Neuranak near the Freedom Monument, organized by the radio duo “Daško and Mlađa”.
Dejanie (North Macedonia)
Dejanie comes to us from Bitola (North Macedonia). He has been playing music for 13 years, during 4 of which he has been performing as a street performer, traveling around Europe.
He was a member of several cover bands and two original ones (Nine weeks and KULI). He has been working as a solo artist for several years now and has recently recorded his first live solo album. The songs on the album are the result of experimentation and improvisation with relatively abstract lyrics.
La La
La La is a band from Kikinda founded in 2015 by musicians Vladimir Vukša (bass) and Aleksandar Lipovan (guitar) with the idea of presenting a cross-section of jazz music to the audience through live music with elements of the greatest jazz compositions.
By continuously developing and a gaining a deeper understanding of jazz as a way of musical expression, the band entered the realm of composition as a form of maturation, reacquaintance and constant recreation of creative aspirations. Since La La band is in a constant process of learning the jazz language that is reshaping their way of musical expression, they have never de facto declared themselves as a jazz band, given that the music evolution of the band members has flowed from rock and blues to funk, Latin American music, fusion and lastly jazz itself, which is the biggest inspiration for their work.
The band usually performs as a trio: Aleksandar Lipovan – guitar, Vladimir Vukša – bass guitar, and Stanko Đukić – drums.
Marko Kaćanski
Marko Kaćanskihas been producing audio and video content for more than 20 years. So far, he has released 400 tracks, mostly of modern electro and techno sound.
The magical sound of electronic music, deep basses, hypnotic rhythms and psychedelic sounds resonate in his performances. After 15 years devoted to the passionate study of new forms, he has created a unique formula that combines melodies with deep and energetic rhythms.
The project he has been working on for several years represents a combination of audio and video experiences. The material has been constantly created over the last 10 years during his video performances where the audience also participates via chat. The sound is prepared on state-of-the-art electronic instruments, mostly live. The sound and projections are constantly changing and improving. Every note, every sound, every effect is thought out and placed in its place to create a perfect harmony. His productions are layered and deep, creating an atmosphere that draws you into his play world.
Recording music is not Marko᾿s only passion. What also led him to this program and project are films, game design, classical theater, visual effects and many other things .
A real feast for the eyes and ears.
Monohrom
Monohrom is a band from Novi Sad founded in 2016. Inspired by the British alternative scene of the 90s, indie rock of the 2000s and rock and roll of the 60s, the band creates an authentic sound that fuses different musical influences.
The group released their debut album called simply Monohrom in 2016, with which they introduced themselves to the audience and attracted attention with their original style. The album received positive reviews and was a springboard for the further rise of the band. The second album, called Urbana usamljenost (Urban loneliness), was released in 2021. Although the recording and promotion of the album were limited due to the situation with the pandemic, the band managed to express their creativity and transmit their energy first through videos and then through live concerts in the region.
Monohrom has had the opportunity to perform at prestigious venues and events since 2016. Some of them are: the Festival of Street Musicians, Exit, Novi Sad clubs Dom B-612, CK13 and Absolut, as well as clubs in Rijeka, Zagreb and some larger cities in Serbia. The band also gave a notable performance at the Zastava Festival, as well as on the New Year’s Eve, when they shared the stage with the bands Objeni program and Repetitor.
Monohrom is known for their exciting performances, and since the beginning of this year they have already had almost 20 concerts. Their third album is currently being recorded, for which the band has already prepared 11 new songs about urban loneliness and the uninspiring pretentiousness of the 21st century.
Perkakšns (Slovenia)
Perkakšns was founded in 2001 as a percussion group, and they performed as such for about 10 years. They performed traditional percussion music from different parts of the world. They mainly focused on West African traditional music and they also recorded the CD Perkakšns.
In the last few years, their focus shifted from traditional African music to Cuban and Oriental music and has finally settled on creating their own music on various instruments. The group was expanded with the addition of two guitars, a bass, a flute, and vocals.
ZAR (Dmitry Globa-Mikhaylenko)
Dmitry Globa-Mikhaylenko, alias Dimitry El Demerdashi, is a Russian multi-instrumentalist and composer.
His specialties also include sound design: extreme vocal techniques, throat singing, exotic instruments, Arabic and Turkish lutes, traditional and ancient music, electroacoustic and experimental sound art.
He was involved in the work of the bands Lungta (2000-2005), Musica Radicum (2006-2011), Phurpa (2003-2011). He is currently involved in the music project ZAR.
Quartet Pneuma
The Pneuma Quartet was created in 2019 with the aim of promoting contemporary chamber music by both domestic and international authors. It consists of academically educated musicians Dimitrije Beljanski (piano), Nina Henig (cello), Stefan Milović (clarinet), and Katarina Badnjar (violin).
In the short time of its existence, the quartet has performed at numerous attractive but also innovative and unusual venues in the area of Novi Sad and its surroundings. Some of the places where they have performed are: Intercity Bus Station, Homeless Shelter and Home for the Elderly in Futog, the market Limanska Pijaca, and the market Satelitska Pijaca.
As part of the Kaleidoscope of Culture, EPK 2022, they organized a public call for composers, as well as a concert as part of the “Contemporary Serbian Composers – New Scene” project. The concert was held at KS Svilara in Novi Sad, and the concert premiered the works of young composers of Vojvodina: Jovana Filipović, Kristijan Pavlović, Dimitrije Beljanski, as well as an older piece in a new arrangement by Olga Janković. The guest at the concert was Aleksandra Ušumović (soprano).
As part of the “Zrna” (“Seeds”) concert tour, they performed in the villages of Rastina, Velebit, Pivnice and Savino Selo. The project was conceived as a promotion of contemporary classical music in villages where a classical music concert had never been held before, thus symbolically “sowing the seeds of culture” across the country. The project was organized by the Danube Sonata Association.
Rišan Dorna
Zoran Šandorov from Novi Sad began his professional musical solo career in 1996. On the recommendation of Bogica Mijatović, he went to the audition of Kornelije Kovač for the song “Oranica”, which he then performed at Mesam. What started then was a successful collaboration with the respected composer, resulting in many performances in the country and abroad. He has been giving concerts since 1997.
In 1997, he participated in the Budva Festival with the song “Pesma o moru” (“Song of the Sea”). In 2000, he won at the Festival Beogradsko proleće with his composition “Ljubav je došla na svet” (“Love Came to the World”). The following year, he won the Zrenjanin Sunflower Festival with the song “Očajna pesma” (“Desperate Song”) by Kornelije Kovač.
After the victory at this festival, his collaboration with Kovač continued through the “Šandorov sings Kovač” concerts on the territory of Serbia. In the same year, he won second place for interpretation at the Slavic Bazaar in Belarus and first prize for interpretation at Eurofest in Skopje as well as first prize at the festival in Bjeljina. In 2002, he won the Grand Prix of the Golden Skiff festival in Donetsk, Ukraine. At the festival in Mogilev in 2003, he won third prize for interpretation.
Since 2005, he has been a permanent member of the Serbian National Theater. He recorded and released two albums with the German rock band Devicious (2018, 2019). In 2021, he recorded his second album with original music, titled Tattoo, with Novi Sad Big Band.
RitmOS (Croatia)
RitmOS is a percussion group from Osijek (Croatia) that has been playing continuously since September 2008. The group currently consists of six members, who were brought together by their love for the West African instrument called djembe.
The music program and style of the RitmOS group can best be described as “European Djembe Sound”. The group does not follow any traditional patterns and works systematically to create an authentic RitmOS program which, in addition to djembe, also features dundun drums, darbuka drums, ngoni, and balafon.
Performances are held in open spaces in the summer months, and the absence of the need for additional sound reinforcement makes their organization even easier. The RitmOS percussion group has performed publicly on various occasions: Špancirfest, Biograd Steet Music Festival, Osijek Ferivi Half Marathon, Vukovar Film Festival, Osijek Summer of Culture, Slama Land Art Festival, SlavonicaArt Erdut Fest, Arla Festival, Museum Night, World Music Day, Euro Show Dance Challenge, and Panona Fest.
Also, the group continuously visit kindergartens and schools with interesting educational content and workshops, but also organize drumming workshops as part of other events.
The White Feathers
The White Feathers – Nikola Dimitrijević is a singer-songwriter from Novi Sad, whose original work is inspired by Americana music.
His music is intimate, touching, melancholic, yet imbued with optimism. In addition to his original songs, he also performs covers of his favorite modern and classic American artists, from Bruce Springsteen to Jason Isbell and Sufjan Stevens.
So far, he has had several performances in Novi Sad, and is currently working on recording his first single.
Transendance
Transendance is a duo from Belgrade that combines “bucket drumming” and a heavy synth sound, which makes them one of, if not the first, organic outgrowths of the electronic street scene in Serbia.
This project consists of Ilija Babić aka Rabbit Drummer, drummer and participant of last year’s Croatian “Supertalent” show program, and Andrija Hadžić, frontman of the band Funkier Project, who started his musical career right on the streets of Novi Sad more than 8 years ago.
This combination of Ilija’s almost electronic precision and Andrija’s software synth sound and striking vocals makes the new Transendance, which aims to shake up the monotonous streets of cities in our country and abroad.
Divna Forest
Divna Forest represents the wonderful side of all of us in the form of a forest.
The representative of this group is Čedana Đokić and her accordion Monika. Her repertoire includes chansons, covers of well-known songs and songs in the style of Vojvodinian Lala swing.
She has been playing on the streets for 12 years, both in very low and very high temperatures, which have been the most difficult tests, and numerous different personality profiles that have given her a sincere smile in passing, have inspired her singer-songwriter works. Melody carries the sound that we sculpt with emotions, while the word remains the strongest weapon.
She became a student of electrical engineering after finishing Secondary Music School and grammar school Jovina Gimnazija, the department for mathematics. She has performed at Francophonie (2010-2017), Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Nishville, EXIT, FAMUS, Vinkvačke jeseni Festival, as well as in numerous cities as a street musician (Vienna, Guča, Leskovac, Šabac, Subotica, Iđoš, Senta, Čačak).
VIS Delfini
The group was founded at the end of 2021 and consists of: Milan Milanović – violin, MišelZorić – guitar, Aleksa Kljajić – guitar, and Danijel Gecin – guitar.
Apart from playing in the streets of Novi Sad and entertaining the people of Novi Sad, they also play in Novi Sad clubs, cafes, birthday parties, parties…
They will give their first festival performance at this year’s Gradić Fest!
Ivan Jegdić
Ivan Jegdić was born in 1998. He started playing the guitar at the age of 12, and wrote his first original songs at the age of 14. He has participated in numerous singer-songwriter festivals, and presented himself to a wider audience in the show “Ja imam talenat” (“I Have Talent”) with the song “Zalazak sunca” (“Sunset”) in 2016.
After that, he spent two years playing on the streets, and in 2018 he released his first official single “Dezerter” (“Deserter”). The songs “Cezar” (“Cesar”), “Bolji čovek” (“Better Man”) and “Kazaljke” (“Clock Hands”) followed, and his debut album Neka čuju me (Let Them Hear Me) was released in March 2021.
He has performed all over Serbia and the region, as well as at more popular music festivals (Exit 2.0, Arsenal Fest). His second album is on its way.
Ensemble Arodisi
The ensemble Arodisi was founded in July 2020 in Sremska Mitrovica. The founder’s ie. conductor’s goal is to nurture and perform popular and film music, as well as music from different parts of the world. The goal is for the members to relax from everyday tensions through music, singing and joint creation, to reduce the generational gap, to create opportunities for performances and travel.
The ensemble currently consists of 20 female members. The repertoire is diverse. It consists of domestic and foreign popular and film music, music from the Balkans, jazz standards, music from children’s films, as well as music from Africa, China, Sweden, etc.
Their notable performances include:
Concerts: “Pesmom za život” (“Song for Life”), “Pesmom na put oko sveta” (“Trip Around the World With Songs”), “Muzikom za Muzej” (“Music for the Museum”), “New Year’s Concert”, “Muzikom iznad duge” (“Over the Rainbow With Music”), Days of Russian Culture in Sremska Mitrovica and Novi Sad in 2021, musical “Eh, ta ljubav…” (“Ah, that love…”) – three performances at the Theater Dobrica Milutinović in Sremska Mitrovica: January 11th, February 21st and March 14th, 2023.
They have participated in the following competitions: “Majske muzičke svečanosti” (“May Music Festival”) in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2021, 2022 and 2023); Valjevo Choir Festival “5.HorFest” (2022); VII International Choir Festival (2022); 58th Vojvodina Music Societies Festival – festival of choirs and orchestras (2022); online international festival “Melodianum” in Kikinda (2022). They have won gold and silver awards.
Sanja
Sanja Bunjevac is a multidisciplinary artist from Novi Sad. She composes vocal electronic alternative pop music, but also works in the field of visual art and performance. This integrative audiovisual approach is reflected in the videos that accompany her music in such a way that they do not describe but build on and expand the theme that the music initiates. Her performance can have a form of either a performance or of another visual concept in the domain of stage design, while the photos that she publishes are full of meaning and also represent a part of of her artistic activity.
By profession, she is an audio and video technology engineer, as well as an engineer of stage architecture, technique and design, so in this project she combines the strengths of both fields in order to create an author’s multimedia work that deals with the themes of internal transformation and the exploration of psychological and emotional landscapes that we all feel and share, that we all know about, but rarely talk about.
The project is new, but strong, and designed with great self-confidence in an attempt to try to give more.
Her first public appearance including a performance will take place within this year’s Street Musicians Festival!
Michele Roscica is a musician and blues singer born in Naples in 1960.
Since 1994, he has been dedicated to the street art of storytelling, creating his own puppet show wandering the streets of Italy and Europe, bringing the audience ‘guaratelle’ (The Adventure of Pulcinella).
He never leaves his music, and his greatest passion is wandering the streets with his instrument box, which he plays at the same time. He worked with artists such as Zeffirelli, Beppe Barra, Nino D’Angelo, Angela Pagano.
He performed at many domestic and international festivals.
Flairdrum (Germany)
This duo comes from Hamburg and presents their music using a flute and the Flairdrum, an innovative instrument made from ordinary plastic bottles.
The bottles are inflated with air, and the intonation of each of them depends on the pressure in them. The surprisingly clean, almost metallic sound easily captures the audience’s attention.
Teatro Viaggiante – “La Famiglia Mirabella” (Italy)
La Famiglia Mirabella looks like a modern version of the circus of the past, but its true origins lie in the street theater of the twentieth century. Energy, juggling, mime, acrobatics, dance, theater, music are an integral part of this unique event.
In the public squares, empty and lifeless until a moment before, suddenly appears a Dutch bicycle with three wheels, unicycles of various sizes, needles, balls, music and five characters with bright clothes, hats and waistcoats: they are Edoardo Mirabella, Elisabetta Cavanagh and their children , Martin, Matilda and Mael.
The rhythm of the ska music draws the audience towards the special unit/group, the audience slowly gathers around them, children and adults define the stage with the color of the sidewalk. Breathtaking acrobatics on the pain roller, with a lot of hoots and juggling, and dancing that bursts like a whirlwind of joy, accompanied by many stunts and smiles of children, which often turn into collective laughter. Like a musical score, “andante” but not too much/but not too much, the show ends on unicycles and a high unicycle.
The performance is breathtaking. It is an hour of visual comedy, street theater and participation, where virtuosity and humanity come together in a unique atmosphere. and a dance bursting like a whirlwind of joy, accompanied by many stunts and smiles of children, which often turn into collective laughter.
Rusty Brass Band (Italy)
The Rusty Brass Band proposes, with the elegance of a string quartet of the past, polkas, mazurkets and other social dance music. From the street to the concert hall, from the scaled-down Piccolo to the scaled-up Grande, Rusty Brass delights young and old with sweet melodies and bold harmonies.
The experience of this brass formation is withdrawn and focuses its attention on arrangements with hip hop and rock sounds. All rigorously with a rusty hand.
The octet cooperates with a drummer for the reproduction of original and non-original pieces, with the intention of bringing the latest international experiences of this type of formation to the area of Brescia.
El Loren (Spain)
Lorenzo Mena (El Loren) is a percussionist, DJ and composer born in Madrid. He began his career as a drummer for multiple bands on the Madrid underground circuit. El Loren was born as a project in the streets of downtown Madrid in 2011.
Unique instruments, designed and created by hand by El Loren:
Set in constant evolution made up of PVC pipes, paint buckets, pans, bicycle bells, oven trays, ashtrays…everything is possible. Always recycled items. Inspiration that comes from electronic music, creating a hypnotic atmosphere, based on organic rhythms that make audiences around the world dance. Styles like Techno, Electro, Dub, Hip-Hop and Funk.
The Novi Sad Tango Quintet
The Novi Sad Tango Quintet brought together musicians who had previously collaborated on various musical projects, with the desire to create a tango ensemble modeled after the famous Piazzolla ensemble. The cause for founding the ensemble was the 100th anniversary of the birth of the internationally popular Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, which was celebrated in 2021 throughout the world.
In just two years of their existence, the quintet won the hearts of the audiences with their sensitive and passionate interpretation of Piazzolla’s music, performing several times in their native Novi Sad, in Belgrade, Kragujevac, Šabac, Banja Luka.
The ensemble consists of: Vladimir Ćuković (1976, Novi Sad) One of the most active violinists in Novi Sad. Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Serbian National Theater, the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, the Zrenjanin Philharmonic, and Camerata Academica. He is a member of numerous chamber ensembles in Novi Sad. His talent is characterized by an exceptional ability to transform and by an understanding of the music language of various genres to which he adapts with complete ease, so in addition to classic ensembles, he is also a welcome member of ethno and jazz ensembles.
Vladimir Jakovljević (1978, Novi Sad) Guitarist. Member of Novi Sad Big Band. For the past 20 years, he has collaborated with Boris Kovač, Aleksandar Dujin, and the Novi Sad band Milaćopezo, on numerous studio recordings, projects and concerts. He is active on the music scene, where he performs with various performers, as well as in various musical formats and stylistically diverse ensembles.
Fedor Ruškuc (1980, Novi Sad) Graduated jazz double bass player. He is the recipient of numerous international awards, and the one that stands out is the award for the best jazz double bass player at the “Jimmy Woody Award” competition in 2008. He performs throughout Europe as well as in Russia and Asia and can be heard on dozens of releases with various lineups.
David Klem (1982, Novi Sad) Graduated pianist, composer and accompanist. In addition to classical music, he is interested in theater music. He cooperates with the Novi Sad Theater as an external associate musical performer, composer, accompanist, arranger. He has participated in over 40 theater projects, with directors including Kokan Mladenović, Urban Andraš, Zoltan Puškaš, Đerđ Hernak, Robert Lenard, Žanko Tomić, Atila Bereš (Hungary), Anka Bradu (Romania), Jaka Ivanc (Slovenia) and others.
Dragana Kuzmanović (1982, Novi Sad) Graduated accordion musician. Leader of the ensemble Novi Sad Tango Quintet. Through her engagement, as the director of the Euphonia International Festival of Accordion and Chamber Music, she works to promote the accordion as an artistic instrument. Chamber and theater musician. Freelance associate of the Serbian National Theater, and the Youth Theatre.
Duo Fuego
Duo Fuego consists of Kristina Lakić (violin) and Aleksandar Krstić (guitar).
They have been performing together since they were seven years old. They are best friends, who began their musical and life journey in Novi Sad. After finishing Music High School “Isidor Bajić”, they continued their education at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and Niš.
They have a dynamic repertoire full of passionate compositions by Latin American composers. Aleksandar is also an excellent tambourine player, while Kristina is also interested in production. The fiery duo has over 20 concerts in the country behind them, and these two twenty-year-olds are slowly conquering the audiences throughout the region.
Dojo
Dunja Dačić, known under the stage name Dojo, is a talented singer-songwriter from Novi Sad whose music is characterized by the specific atmosphere of film music combined with traditional singing. So far, she has released the solo releases “Endings” (EP), the album “Solstice” from 2015 and the new album TWINS released in 2021.
PJ Duo
Katarina PinterJovanović and Bogdan Jovanović completed their master studies at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. They have a large number of recorded solo, chamber and orchestral performances in the country and abroad. They have been performing together as the PJ duo since 2017 with the goal of doing chamber performances and discovering new joint paths of classical music.
They have been busking since they founded the duo, so you can find them on the streets of Belgrade and Novi Sad, but also Kotor and Tivat. They performed as special guests at the Festival KotorArt – Don Branko’s Days of Music in 2019. It was basking that took them onto the Holland America cruise ship, and with the sounds of classical, popular, tango and film music, they had the opportunity to introduce themselves to people from all over the world.
Uroš Marjanović
Uroš Marjanović, born in 2007, is a young clarinetist from Novi Sad. Uroš attends the second grade of the secondary music school “Isidor Bajić” in Novi Sad in the class of professor Željko Bodor.
TDJ Anchi
Ana Nauparac Despotović represents a new wave of Argentinian tango players and DJs in Europe, and at the same time a pioneer in spreading the culture of this sensual dance in Vojvodina and Novi Sad, trying to combine newer trends in this dance with classic melody and style. Parallel to her dance work, she is also engaged in TDJ and studying the “tango music of the golden age” 1935-55.
Since 2007, she has been leading dance workshops, classes and organizing weekly milongas (specific tango evenings), where she is a regular TDJ with her colleague Dejan Lukić. her work is based on twenty years of experience and long-term cooperation with her mentors in style and pedagogy. She participates as a DJ and dancer in international events such as tango festivals BTA in Belgrade, tango festivals in Vrnjačka Banja, Niš, Bor, Skopje, Sarajevo, Poreč, Trieste, Timisoara, Vienna, Budapest, Istanbul as well as at numerous seminars of tango techniques, representing her city and country.
The proudest projects are the ones at home. Since the founding of the Todo Tango association, she has participated in the organization of over a hundred dance evenings and 12 tango music concerts, the most prominent of which is “LJubavna priča” in collaboration with the piano duo “Majrina”, a tango performance with Stefan Milenkovic’s orchestra, “Tango Compass”. , several mini-concerts with the “New Ritual Quartet” by Boris Kovač and with the most recognized tango orchestra from this area, the “Beltango Quintet” and the Great Tambura Orchestra of RTV Vojvodina. She was part of the “Concert of Contemporary Dance” of the Novi Sad Ballet School as a guest lecturer-choreographer As at the 6th Vojvodina Guitar Fest in 2012, with the Italian duo Bandini Chiacchiaretta, she brings tango dance and music closer to those who do not recognize him in these spheres of artistic expression.
The classical composers of the more melodic orchestras of the golden age of tango music stand out in their TDJ style. Her inspiration lies in the traditional beginnings of tango music. She predominantly combines more melodic authors such as Di Sarli, Calo and D’Agostino and constantly discovers new layers of classic tango authors D’Arienza and Troil, thus bringing a new experience to the audience and dancers on the podium.
rosh
This year, the already established party in Štrosmajerova street will be led by rosh, who will present the audience with a set with a combination of funk, house music, alternative R&B and rap.
rosh is a music producer/dj who has been performing at the Exit festival since 2019, as well as several other well-known events. This year’s Festival of Street Musicians will be counted among those locations!
Workshop for children
A workshop where we imagine creatures that play. With the help of collages, felt-tip pens and a few hotplates, we bring them to life and make their moving paper dolls! Age 8+
Asja Komadina – Graduated journalist and graphic design student at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. She is interested in drawing for fun and exploration, and cats.
Kostantinos Petrović – Graduated visual artist. He works as an art teacher, in his spare time he holds workshops for children and friends
Gathering and Procession (MKDSL and Rusty Brass Band)
The opening of this year’s Festival of Street Musicians – Gradić Fest with an artistic parade will once again enliven the city’s streets. “Space Tractor” andDJ MKDSL will lead the parade on Thursday, August 24 from 19:30 from the intersection of Bulevar Mihajlo Pupin and Žarka Zrenjanine street to Gradić.
The procession will be accompanied by performers, dancers and the dynamic Rusty Brass Band from Italy, who will perform their performance in an old “Londonac” bus.
