The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Sarajevska filharmonija'' / Сарајевска филхармонија) is an orchestra in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

.Can the Sarajevo Philharmonic Hang On? The siege may be over, but a host of post-Communist problems now threaten Bosnia's cultural institutions
March 2010 Its first concert was performed on October 24, 1923, with the program being Lisinski's Overture from the opera '' Porin'';

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...

, Piano Concerto No. 1;

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

: Second Symphony. The conductors were A. Lukinić and J. Rozdalovski. The outbreak of World War II disrupted the activities of the Orchestra, which was reestablished in October 1948. During the Bosnian War, the Orchestra again suffered disruption. During the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then be ...

, seven members of the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra were killed and twelve were wounded. The archive of musical scores was damaged and many instruments were destroyed, damaged or lost. During the war, however, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra continued its work and performed 60 concerts, 20 of them abroad. The rehearsals were performed in hard winter conditions, in basements, and without heating and only by candlelight. The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra performed on June 19, 1994 amongst the ruins of Sarajevo City Hall. Mozart's '' Requiem'' was performed, and maestro

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

conducted the concert with soloists José Carreras, Ruggero Raimondi,

Cecilia Gasdia Cecilia Gasdia (; born 14 August 1960, Verona) is an Italian operatic soprano. Biography Gasdia studied music and piano at the Conservatorio di Verona, graduating in 1980. That same year she won the first prize in the "''New Voices for Opera''" c ...

and Ildikó Komlósi. In September 1994, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra toured in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and subsequently in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

(1995, 1996),

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

(1995), the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

(1995),

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

(1997), Switzerland (1997, 2000), and again in Italy (1995–1997). The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra visited and organized concerts in several cities in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. In October 1996

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...

came to Sarajevo and conducted the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1997, by the invitation of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

's Director-General,

Federico Mayor Zaragoza Federico Mayor Zaragoza (born 27 January 1934 in Barcelona) is a Spanish scientist, scholar, politician, diplomat, and poet. He served as director-general of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999. He is currently the chairman of the Foundation for a Culture of ...

, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra went to Paris and performed a concert there. In 1998 the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra performed in

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

, and in 1999, in the United States and Netherlands; in the summers of 1998 and 1999, the Orchestra collaborated with AIDIMOS and its director, German conductor Ernest Schelle, touring around all the main cities of Bosnia with conductors and additional musicians from amongst others, Albania, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In March 1997, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra recorded its first CD, 'Sarajevo Renaissance'.

References

External links

Sarajevska filharmonija (official website - Bosnian)
Bosnia and Herzegovina orchestras Culture in Sarajevo Musical groups established in 1923 1923 establishments in Yugoslavia {{Orchestra-stub