Divna Ljubojević (), sometimes called by just her first name, Divna, is a

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

ian singer and conductor of Orthodox Christian

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ritual. Reli ...

in various languages. She is the conductor and artistic director of the Melodi ensemble (Serbian: ), a "choir and studio for spiritual music". which she founded with a group of her friends. Lykourgos Angelopoulos, professor at the School of Byzantine Chant at the Conservatory of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, and the founder and director of the Greek Byzantine Choir, has described her as having one of the purest voices he has ever heard.

Early life

Ljubojević was born in 1970 in Belgrade, Serbia, then part of the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

. She studied at the Mokranjac Music School and later graduated from the Academy of Arts at the

University of Novi Sad The University of Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Универзитет у Новом Саду, Univerzitet u Novom Sadu; ) is a public university in Novi Sad, Serbia. Alongside nationally prestigious University of Belgrade, University of Novi Sad is ...

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

. From the age of ten, she was trained in singing by the sisters of Vavedenje (Serbian: , Presentation of the Holy Theotokos)

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

, near Belgrade. She developed a unique style derived from ''Karlovatz singing''.

Career

In 1988, the eighteen-year-old Ljubojević began conducting the Mokranjac choir. Between 1989 and 1991 she conducted the

First Belgrade Singing Society First Belgrade Singing Society () was founded in Belgrade on 14 January 1853. It is the second oldest choir in today's Serbia after the choir from Pančevo, a national institution established to perpetuate its rich music traditions. While functioni ...

, founded in 1853, as the youngest conductor in its history. Ljubojević has been also an active teacher of church and choral singing in France, the Netherlands and England. In 1991, she founded the ''Melodi'' ensemble, composed of 10 singers. Today, Ljubojevic and Melodi are popular performers, touring worldwide but mostly in Eastern and Western Europe, where they have given more than 600 concerts.

Selected discography

* Local releases ** – i.e. ''

Axion Estin ''Axion estin'' ( Greek: , Slavonic: Достóйно éсть, ''Dostóino yesť''), or It is Truly Meet, is a pair of hymns to the Virgin Mary used in the Divine Services of the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches, consisting o ...

'', Vavedenje Monastery, 1996 ** – i.e. ''Axion Estin'', Vavedenje Monastery, 1999 ** – i.e. '' Zoodochos Pege'', Vavedenje Monastery, 2000 ** – i.e. ''Melodi'', Vavedenje Monastery, 2001 ** – i.e. ''

Doxology A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , ''doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derives ...

'', Vavedenje Monastery, 2002 ** – i.e. ''Liturgy in Vavedenje Monastery ( Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom), 2004 ** – i.e. ''Concerts'', 2006 ** – i.e. '' Christ has Risen'', 2007 ** – i.e. ''Christ is Born'', Vavedenje Monastery, 2008 ** – i.e. ''The Mirror'', 2008 * International releases ** Mystères Byzantins – i.e. ''

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Mysteries'', 2004 ** La Divine Liturgie de Saint Jean Chrisostome – i.e. ''The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom'', 2005 ** Divna en concert. Théâtre des Abbesses, Paris – i.e. ''Divna in concert. Abbesses Theatre, Paris'', 2006 ** La Gloire de Byzance – i.e. ''The Glory of Byzantium'', with Lykourgos Angelopoulos and the Greek Byzantine Choir, 2006 ** Lumières du Chant Byzantin – i.e. ''Lights of

Byzantine Chant Byzantine music () originally consisted of the songs and hymns composed for the courtly and religious ceremonial of the Byzantine Empire and continued, after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, in the traditions of the sung Byzantine chant of East ...

'', 2008 ** Éternel Byzantin – i.e. ''Eternal Byzantine'', 2009 ** L'âme du chant orthodoxe – i.e. ''The Soul of the Orthodox Chant'', 2011 ** ''In Search of Divine Light'',

Valley Entertainment Valley Entertainment is an American independent record label and music distributor based in New York City, United States. The company was founded in 1994 by Barney Cohen and Jon Birge. In 2001, it acquired the prestigious back catalogue of space, ...

2014 *Third party releases ** FACT 253 – DJ Mix, by

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, founded in 1982 by David Tibet. Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorte ...

– track 5: Agne Parthene, 2011

Notes and references

Notes References

External links

We Sing to You – Divna LjubojevicThe official YouTube channel of Divna Ljubojevic & "The Melodists" ChoirDivna & Melόdi
official profile at Facebook
Artist page
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ljubojevic, Divna 1970 births Living people 21st-century Serbian women singers 20th-century Serbian women singers

Early life

Career

Selected discography

See also

Notes and references

External links