Within the exceptional artistic edition "Winners", the Cultural Element proudly presents the solo concert of soprano Olivera Gočanin. This event, held on Saturday, June 8, 2024, in the magnificent, acoustic space of the Atrium of the National Museum in Belgrade, had special significance as it was precisely this concert that ceremoniously opened this year's International Solo Singers Competition "Lazar Jovanović".
The honor of officially opening the competition went to the Principal of the Opera of the National Theatre in Belgrade and the first laureate of this competition, bass Dragoljub Bajić, who addressed the attendees with an inspired speech, reminding them of the importance of supporting young talents at the beginning of their careers.
After the opening ceremony, the stage belonged to Olivera Gočanin, who began her musical education in Odžaci, and perfected her skills at prestigious institutions such as Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade in the class of Prof. Aneta Ilić, and through the international project "Opera: Past, Present, Perfect!". Olivera has rich experience on the stages of the Opera and Theatre Madlenianum (participating in projects such as "Pagliacci", "Les Misérables", "The Merry Widow", "The Secret Marriage"), as well as the "Duško Radović" Little Theatre, along with numerous awards won, including the first prize at the Rossi Fest.
On this occasion, with the excellent and subtle piano collaboration of Dragana Anđelić Bunjac, she performed a demanding opera and solo repertoire. She offered the audience a wide vocal range – from the refined baroque beauty of Henry Purcell, Lieder of Hugo Wolf and Schumann, through the romanticism of Rachmaninoff and Lalo, to the passionate compositions of Puccini, Bizet, and Kálmán.
The concert was further enriched by the participation of special guests – mezzo-soprano Martina Koljenšić and tenor Marko Kostić, who together with Olivera created an extraordinary opera atmosphere under the vaults of our most important national museum.