Ivana Vujic, director and Professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, is one of the most controversial and the most successful directors of the contemporary Serbian theatre. Always on the verge of extravagance, in a permanent search of modernness, and always being alert to the world trends, this director has become on Belgrade stages a synonym of theatre modernness, a new and unconventional dramatic expression. Ivana Vujic is the founder of BETON HALA THEATRE and she has staged over 60 performances of many authors: Shakespeare, Webster, Sartre, Jeunet, Becket, Ionesco, Brecht, Euripides, Wilde, Schimmelpfenig, and Coltes. She directed in Slovenia, Germany and Italy. 

IVAN BOSILJCIC 

He was born on 15th January, 1979. He graduated in the class of Professor Vida Ognjenovic from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in 2001. He had important and main roles in the theatrical performances: The Twelfth Night (Award for the best young actor at the Joakim Vujic Gathering), Hamlet, Mileva Einstein and The Speed of Darkness. Ivan Bosiljcic also played in the following musicals: Brilliantine, Kiss Me Kate, The Gypsy Camp Disappears in the Skies, A Chorus Line and Chicago. He also played in the films: Spleen, Fear of Flying, Monet and On the Beautiful Blue Danube.

Goran Strgar, tenor, graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad at General Music Pedagogies Department in 2004 and a year later at the Department for solo singing in the class of Professor Vera Kovac-Vitkai. He won a master’s degree at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, playing a role of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Since the 2004/2005 season, he has appeared on the stage as a soloist of the Serbian National Theatre. Up till now he has realized numerous roles: Arturo and Normano in Donizetti’s opera Lucia of Lammermoor, Belini’s Norma, Flavio, a drunk peasant in Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera Katarina Ismailova, Vasil in Johan Strauss’s opera Apple, Boni in Kalman’s opera Princess of Chardash, Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Alfred in Verdi’s La Traviata. Since 2009/2010 season, he has been a member of Madlenianum Theatre and Opera where he made his debut in the role of Ligurio in Ivan Jevtic’s Mandragola. He is a winner of a great number of awards and recognitions. He is a soloist of the Opera in Novi Sad and of Madlenianum Opera and Theatre in Zemun and also occupies himself with pedagogical work at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad.

GEROSLAV ZARIC 

He was born at  Milutovac on 9th May, 1951. He graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade in 1976. He has been a member of ULUPUDUS (Association of the Artists of Applied Arts of Serbia) since 1976, and there since he has been in the status of a freelance artist. He was granted a distinguished artist status in 1996. He is a full-time professor of the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. He is active in painting and set design. He is one of the founders of the groups Act and New Sensitivity. He is the author of over two hundred set designs for theatrical productions. He collaborated with the most distinguished Serbian theatre directors, as well as with many others from the ex-Yugoslav region. He also realized set design productions on numerous festivals: BELEF, Budva City Theatre and Ohrid Summer Festival.

Geroslav Zaric created many set designs for television, in dramatic and series shows. As designer and graphic artist, he took part in numerous exhibitions in the country and abroad, on May Salon, October Salon, Prague Quadrennial... He was awarded some fifty awards, among which seven Sterija Awards. Some of the important performances for which Geroslav Zaric created set designs were: Saint George Kills the Dragon, Kir Janja, Liar and Superliar, Muster Station, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rabies, A Stuck-Up Woman, Yegor’s Path ... Geroslav Zaric already worked for Madlenianum, in the performance Tesla.

FABIO ARMILIATO  

Fabio Armiliato is one of the most important tenors on the international opera scene, acclaimed for his voice, his high register and connate musicality, further his dramatic performances and the charisma which defines his characters.

Mr. Armiliato was born in Genoa where he graduated at the Niccolò Paganini Conservatoire. His debut in Simon Boccanegra of Verdi made an early and quick beginning to his career quickly and took him to take on the most important roles in several famous theatre''''''''s in the world, as the Metropolitan Opera House of New York, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, L’Opéra de Paris, the San Francisco Opera House, Teatro Real in Madrid and the Wiener Staatsoper.

As Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, he is noted for his impassioned and exciting interpretation with which he had great success at the Arena of Verona, Teatro Real in Madrid, the Fenice of Venice and during a very important Japanese tour with the Opera of Rome. Cavaradossi is the role of his return at La Scala, conducted by Lorin Maazel, and to the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden in London, under Antonio Pappano''''s baton.

Among several successes during these last seasons, mostly important is his debut in La forza del destino at the Opéra of Monte Carlo, La Fanciulla del West in Rome (notable his encore of Ch’ella mi creda during the 1st performance) and Tosca at Caracalla, where he celebrates 20 years from his debut in Caracalla.

Between, 2009-2010 he started with Turandot, at the completely re-built Petruzzelli-Theatre in Bari. He performed also with enormous success and unanimous ovation the role of Rodolfo in Luisa Miller at the Opernhaus in Zürich. Then, he was in the main male character in a new production of La Fanciulla del West, at Puccini Festival, for the 100th anniversary of this opera together with Daniela Dessì.

The 2011 season began with the expected and successful debut in Otello at the Opera Royal de Wallonie in Liége. After this, he received the 1st Tito Schipa International Award on August 3rd in Ostuni as well as the honorary citizenship of Recanati, in the name of Beniamino Gigli.

Fabio Armiliato made a recent debut in film with a featured role opposite Woody Allen in the director’s latest movie, “To Rome with Love”, which was released in 2012 for which Armiliato garnered raves for his interpretation.

Dr Branka Radovic was born in Cetinje. At the beginning, she graduated from the Department for Yugoslav and World Literature from Philology Faculty in Belgrade in 1973 and then also from The Faculty of Music Art in Belgrade in 1974. She won her master’s degree from the Department for Serbian History of Music in 1988 and then got her doctor’s degree from Philology Faculty at the Department for Serbian Literature in 1999.

She carried out her long-lasting pedagogical activity at Music school „Mokranjac“ in Belgrade and she was its headmaster since 1995 till 1999. She worked at several different faculties as a Professor of music history. Now, she is a Full Professor of FILUM in Kragujevac. She was the Dean of this university institution since 2004-2006. She started critic activity very early for the Third Program of Radio Belgrade, and then in daily newspapers „Borba“ and „Politika“. More than twenty years, she is the music critic for „Politika“, specially dedicating her attention to the opera. For ten years, she was The Editor-in-Chief in „Pro Musica“ review (1989-1999), a collaborator of numerous music reviews, a text writer and a scientific writer and these works are presented in this country and abroad.

Her first book is „A Short History of Music“ (Association of Music Pedagogists of Serbia, 1992), then follows „Music Stage Works of Nikola Hercigonja“ (Association of Composers of Montenegro, 2000), „The Elegance of Stagger“, Hristic’s “Twilight”, (SNP Novi Sad, 2000), Njegoš and Music Institution for textbooks and teaching aids, 2001), Summa Xeniana, monography on Ksenija Zecevic, (Belef centre, 2007), Monography on the Pianist Tomislav Stanic (Soul Workshop), „Score” a study of Herman Hesse’s music novels.

An intensive social activity in numerous commissions (Special recognitions from Ministry of Culture), juries (October Award, April Award) in governing boards of many institutions (Sava Centre, The National Theatre) run parallel with her professional activities.

She has been a selector for “Mokranjac Days” since 2007 and is considered one of the best experts of opera art with us. She speaks French, Italian and makes good use of English. 

SPEACH OF THE PRESIDENT

Coming to be at the head of Opera and Theatre Madlenianum, I wanted to fulfill a part of my dreams. They are, first of all, opera. Since I have been engaged in opera critic, in opera as genre in all its aspects, music critic, texts, scientific works, from writing about foreign opera, with special reference to our, domestic opera, I have finally an opportunity to become acquainted with the process of creating of stage musical works even from the other side, namely from its very creation and presentation to the audience. That process of a creation of a performance is as innovative, exciting and often dramatic, as might be the real result which is presented to the audience.

I thought that, after decades of experience in watching and listening to operas, on our and foreign scenes, as well as writing about them, the moment of confrontation with all elements of opera art arrived.

On the other hand, my engagement with literature, which has lasted since my diploma examination at the Faculty of Philology, was never really explicated, except in my doctor’s theses in which I occupied myself with the connections of literature and music. Anyhow, that was actually the topic of a great number of my studies and works from the field of musicology and comparative art. Drama art has always been very close to me, as not only is it close to the reader and a theatregoer, but also because of the connection of different arts all of which are also present in an opera.

These are my personal reasons, but let me mention others arising from the aspect of a complex institution such as is Madlenianum. What does a theatre such as this one need, what can it stage and what calls for much more time, funds….?

The first task I would like to set to myself is a creation of entirety of drama and musical-stage events and production. This, first of all, refers to bringing the ballet back to the scene of Madlenianum and the help to keep and develop that fragile and noble art in this country. This is a very susceptible and important task to which, at the first moment, I would like to give my full attention and priority. Two ballet performances, one for the spring and the other for the autumn, have been planned for 2011. Talks with the authors and choreographers are being underway in a very serious and responsible way. The whole current repertoire, Donizetti’s Rita and Ibert’s Angelique, which have been recently staged, together with Ivan Jevtic’s Mandragola, are the whole current opera repertoire. We should add to this the musical Les Miserables which has already charmed the audience. I would like a new opera production during the next year as well as another one that will be performed by young singers with the newly founded Youth Club.

Drama repertoire would be enlarged and enriched by the production of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, envisaged for the spring.

The Society of Madlenianum Opera friends, Belgrade would, during this season, include into their activities the the Youth Club which will receive free young singers, conductors, directors and other protagonists of an opera performance and they would, together with experienced artists, as their tutors and professors, try to show their abilities in concerts and on stage events within the parent house.

A certain number of great ideas is still being considered but they are waiting to be definitely formed.

Dr. Branka Radovic

Dejan Miladinovic, Director   

He was born into a family of opera artists. He graduated in theatre directing and received his MA degree in theatrical arts from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He served as the Principal Stage Director of Opera and Drama, and then as the Artistic Director of the Opera at the Serbian National Theatre of Novi Sad. He has also served as the Artistic Counselor with the "Sava" Center in Belgrade. Soon he has become the Stage Director of Belgrade National Opera and then, at the proposal of the whole opera ensemble, he has accepted the position as Artistic Director of Belgrade National Opera. Dejan Miladinovic is currently holding the position of the Artistic Director of Opera and Theatre Madlenianum. He also was the Associate Professor and Artistic Director of Opera Theatre at Meadows School of Arts in Dallas (USA),  the Associate Professor of acting and operatic study at the Faculty of Music Arts, Belgrade, and Associate Professor of acting and theatre directing at Thornton School, Southern California (USA). He has staged more than 150 productions in former Yugoslavia and the USA: New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, Baltimore, Los Angeles etc.

DEJAN LUTKIC 

He completed the elementary school of music, piano department. He graduated in acting from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He played in the following performances: the musicals Grease and Oliver Twist, the dramas Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Mandragola, The Three Musketeers, The Maids, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bekstvo (“Escape”). He also took part in the films: White Ship, Interethnic Marriage (M(j)ešoviti brak), Do Not Trust A Woman Who Smokes Gitanes Without Filter (in 1995), Red, Yellow, Green... Start (1998), Sex Bomb (2001), Peregrination (1999), Sky Hook (1999), Family Treasure 2 (2001), Labyrinth (2002), Fazoni i Fore 2, Ringeraja (2002), YU (2003), Mansard (2003) and Ferry (2004).

DARKO DJORDJEVIC 

He was born in Belgrade on 10th October, 1969. Since 1996 he has been a member of the opera ensemble of the National Theatre. Among other performances,  he  performed in the roles of Pepe

(Pagliacci), Tesla (Violet Fire), Dr. Blind (Die Fledermaus), Judas I, II, III, IV (Salome), Ruiz (Il Trovatore). Darko Djordjevic also performed the roles of Andreas, Cochenille, Pitichinaccio and Franz in Madlenianum production of The Tales of Hoffmann,  and the role of Goro in Madlenianum’s Madam Butterfly.

DANIELA DESSÌ, soprano

With a wide repertoire spanning more than seventy operas, Daniela Dessì is confirmed as one of the greatest sopranos on the current opera scene. Thanks to a remarkable international career, her performances and recordings are a reference for the whole repertoire of Verdi, Puccini and the whole Verismo repertoire. Born in Genoa, she graduated in singing and piano from the Conservatory “Arrigo Boito” in Parma, later specialising in chamber singing at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. In 1980 she won first prize at the Concorso Internazionale RAI “Auditorium”.

Since her debut with La serva padrona by Pergolesi, she started a great career: requested in the major theatres and festivals of the world, her repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Prokofiev, without forgetting her great interpretations of Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte by Mozart, under the conduction of Riccardo Muti.

Daniela Dessì has a flawless technique and an extraordinary dramatic instinct, that brought her on the most important stages, collaborating with such authoritative conductors as Riccardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Daniele Gatti, Zubin Mehta, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Bruno Campanella, Bruno Bartoletti, Nicolas Harnoncourt, Gustav Kuhn, Riccardo Chailly, Lorin Maazel, Carlos Kleiber; she has worked also with the most famous directors, including Franco Zeffirelli, Luca Ronconi, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Roberto De Simone, Giorgio Strehler. Among her recent greatest successes, it is worth mentioning the debut of Norma in Bologna (2008, for which she received the prestigious prize “Abbiati”), Andrea Chénier in Barcelona, Tosca in Florence (where she granted an encore of “Vissi d''''''''arte”, 52 years after the last encore by Renata Tebaldi), La fanciulla del West in Torre del Lago for the centenary of the work (2010), Aida in Tokyo, Andrea Chénier in Madrid, Tosca in New York and Genoa, I vespri siciliani in Parma, Madama Butterfly in San Francisco and Francesca da Rimini in Salerno. In 2011 she made her importart debut in La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, where this opera had not been performed for 41 years; she was also Desdemona in Otello and Leonora in Il trovatore in Liège with the tenor Fabio Armiliato, her partner in life and art (both operas were recorded for the label SoloVoce); she sang in Madama Butterfly in Vienna, and then in the duo recitals with Fabio Armiliato at the Tokyo Opera House City Hall / Takemitsu Memorial. The year 2011 ended with another important debut that will be soon a record product: the Vier letzte Lieder by Richard Strauss, for the Symphonic Season of Rome.

In 2012 she performed in Madama Butterfly at Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, in La Gioconda at the National Theatre in Mannheim, in Adriana Lecouvrer at the Gran Teatre de Liceu in Barcelona, with Fabio Armiliato. At the 55th edition of the Festival dei 2 Mondi in Spoleto she performed as protagonist of a recital entitled Novecento Italiano Rarities. She was also Tosca at the Herodion Theatre in Athens – a role for which she is internationally recognised as a reference singer – followed by a series of concerts in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in duo recitals with Fabio Armiliato.

After singing in two different productions of Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and in Gozo, Malta, at the end of 2012 she gained a great success performing two outstanding debuts in the role of Pauline in Poliuto by Donizetti at the Théâtre National in Marseille, and in the title role in Turandot by Puccini at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. She started 2013 with Tosca at Staatsoper in Berlin, and in March she performed her recital Novecento Italiano Rarities at Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, followed by La forza del destino in Liège with Fabio Armiliato. Upcoming engagements include Aida at Arena in Verona and another important debut in the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Taormina Festival.

Daniela Dessì is credited with a very large discography. Her passion for singing has allowed her to dedicate part of her time to teaching. She has also starred in several television programs devoted to the popularization of opera. She has received many awards including the prestigious prize “Abbiati” in 2008, the prize “Giacomo Puccini”, Torre del Lago (2011), prize “Zenatello” Arena di Verona in 2000. In 2011 she received the prestigious prize “Belcanto Rodolfo Celletti” in Martina Franca as “absolute soprano”.