July 11, 2018 - The “International KotorArt Festival”, the association of most of the summer festivals taking place in Kotor, continuously and consistently keeps the idea that Kotor, a city belonging to the world's cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO, is an ideal place for overflowing every street and square with art.
The “XVII Don Branko’s Music Days”, within the framework of this year's edition of KotorArt, will traditionally begin on the National Day, July 13th at 10 PM, in front of the Cathedral of St. Tripun, with musical work composed by multimedia artist and musician Rambo Amadeus. In the role of narrator, Amadeus will also participate in the opening and premiere of the composition entitled "Pasija po Stelli".
Don Branko’s Music Days are the forerunner of today’s KotorArt, which was founded as a music festival by pianist Ratimir Martinović and priest Don Branko Sbutega in 2002, the organizers explain. They mentioned that by joining the major festivals in Kotor into one, the present KotorArt relied on the very name and reputation of the existing music festival, which, as a musical segment of the new KotorArt, has been named Don Branko’s Music Days. One of Montenegrin most successful musicians, the concertmaster of the renowned London Symphonic Orchestra, violinist Roman Simović has the role of the Artistic Director of the Festival. This year, the festival will offer the concerts of great music names in the field of classical music and jazz music, will present KotorArt talents, organize Montenegrin premiere of Chinese children's musical "Bach through time and continents" and offer numerous performances of street artists and other performers and attract the widest range of audiences with its quality and diversity.
The festival was preceded by comprehensive preparations and numerous talks on which the organizers discussed all aspects of the festival organization. Today, the festival enjoys a long list of sponsors, partners and supporters, a recognizable visual identity, a high-quality marketing team, their own video production, and effective organization altogether. KotorArt, being the most complex art festival in Montenegro, carries the sign of the event of national importance, enjoys an international reputation and gathers great and renowned world famous artists.
“XVII Don Branko’s Music Days” will be held from 13 July to 13 August 2018, through 22 main and over 150 accompanying programs, when the town piazzas will be filled with music programs, performed by the renowned artist of our time. According to the organizers, the planned artistic concept of the event strives to maintain a high artistic level of visiting musicians, and explore the ways to connect performed music with non-musical content and broader social context in order to bring the festival's program closer and make it more comprehensible to a diverse audience.
The new segment of the festival program is two program units called ClimateKeys, dedicated to the ecology that will be worked out in cooperation with the Institute of Biology of the University of Montenegro.
