The sixth Congress of the World Tamburitza Association
The sixth Congress of the World Tamburitza Association was held in the amphitheater of the Rectorate of the University of Novi Sad
THE TAMBURITZA TOOK UNDER ITS WING THE MANDOLIN, BALALAIKA, BOUZOUKI, GUITAR…
The most eminent experts in the field of tamburitza practice presented 12 new research papers
At the three-day Congress of the World Tamburitza Association (WTA), the sixth in a row, held from 26 to 28 November in the amphitheater of the Rectorate of the University of Novi Sad, it was decided that the organization should unite all related plucked string instruments and contribute to the development of the balalaika, bouzouki, guitar, mandolin… According to Jovan Pejčić, Ph.D., President of the WTA, the bar was also raised by the fact that 12 scientific research papers of the most eminent experts from Serbia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia dealing with different segments of tamburitza music were presented at the expert meeting.
– With the new works, the library of the World Tamburitza Association now has almost 70 professional works created in the previous six years, since we started the Congress. All this is at the service of those interested in tamburitza practice, guardians of cultural heritage, and especially the youngest, who are just starting to get acquainted with the instruments and our folk tradition. Furthermore, with tamburitza-associated plucked string instruments, we are expanding our activities without borders, embracing all continents and all nations and making an additional contribution to world culture – Pejčić said.
At this year’s Congress, lectures were given by university professor Wilfried Scharf, a zither player, and Zoran Šijaković, an art historian, musician, the Secretary for Culture of the City of Braunau in Austria, Vladimir Vladimirov, professor of the Academy of Arts and Culture, Antun Grahek, conductor, Branko Uvodić, television presenter, Prof. Agota Vitkai Kučera, Ph.D., and Ira Prodanov Krajišnik, Ph.D., professors of the Academy of Arts, Danilo Vuksanović, MA, Program Director of the Matica Srpska Gallery, Stipan Jaramazović, the founder of the Subotica Tamburitza Orchestra, Bojan Trenkić, President of the Association of Tamburitza Societies of Vojvodina, Prof. Ivan Sabo, the leader of the “Vila” ensemble, and Julijana Baštić, Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology.
Their specialized professional topics united everything that makes up an event within the framework of tamburitza practice.
– My work was about the use of voice in tamburitza players who play and sing at the same time. For that purpose, I made an anonymous questionnaire by which tamburitza players themselves assessed and evaluated their vocal abilities, having in mind that they play music under various conditions and circumstances. Of course, there was also talk of talent, training… The whole congress was very rich and meaningful, especially interesting, and I think that it is up to us artists to preserve and nurture our tradition for future generations, which is very important – says Prof. Agota Vitkai Kučera, Ph.D., our famous opera diva and lecturer at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad.
EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS FROM THE ART COLONY “TAMBURICA FEST 2021” OPENED
As part of the sixth Congress of the World Tamburitza Association, an exhibition of works by 12 artists from Serbia from this year’s art colony “Tamburica Fest 2021” held this summer at the “Ethno Eco House” in Čerević, was opened in the Hall of the Rectorate Building. The audience was presented with 17 works created at the gathering of artists and selected by academic painter Danilo Vuksanović, Program Director of the Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad. Opening the exhibition, he emphasized that the works were made on the topic of ethnomusicology, art, and tamburitza, and that, in addition to good company and exchange of experiences, the painters were inspired by tamburitza music, which permeated this year’s painting workshop.
One of the authors of this year’s colony was academic painter Radule Bošković, who has left several paintings from art colonies as a legacy to “Tamburica Fest” in recent years. This year, he presented the painting titled “Interweaving”, which sends the message of universality and timeless dimensions of music.
– The tamburitza is a primordial instrument that has taken root in our country, especially in Vojvodina, as part of the ethnos. It has marked our music for the past hundred years and has become a fine musical and spiritual foundation of the people in this region – Bošković said.
The President of the World Tamburitza Association, Jovan Pejčić, Ph.D., confirmed that the festival “Tamburica Fest” nurtures all kinds of art and that painters inspired by tamburitza and ethnomusicology had been creating paintings for 14 years and thus connecting tamburitza music and art.
– All paintings will remain in our holdings. We currently have about 220 paintings in the legacy, and we plan to organize a large exhibition of paintings created in the previous colonies after the 15th art colony next year when Novi Sad will be the European Capital of Culture. We are faced with the dilemma of what to do with these paintings. We have an idea to make a museum of “Tamburica Fest” where paintings, art photographs, and instruments would be exhibited, and now we are working on that. After all, this is a legacy, a cultural treasure that we have acquired in the past 14 years – Pejčić said.