Prosvjeta Vienna organized a Serbian traditional and spiritual music concert on 30 November in the Viennese Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The guests and main performers were Libero vocal group from Leskovac and Prosvjeta’s Mali Hor.

This special musical evening was dedicated to Serbian musical heritage. This was a humanitarian concert, and the contributions were intended for the youngest – the children of Serbian supplementary schools in Austria, founded by Prosvjeta in 2012/13.

A large audience filled the space of the church, and inspired musicians performed song after song: Bogorodice djevo by K. Manojlović and Mokranjac’s Tebe Boga hvalim, Bajić’s Srpkinja, old Kosovo and Metohija tunes, in particular Žali Zare and Pećka kandila, southern rhythms of Niška devojka, and a musical journey across Serbia through a medley of Serbian songs.

At the beginning, Father Petar Pantić, the elder of the temple, greeted the audience recalling the decade-long cooperation between Prosvjeta and our church in Austria, and the service provided by this society to our people and church for years by maintaining Serbian supplementary schools, cultural, educational and spiritual programs but also by active participation in church life in Austria.

The guests were greeted by the president of Prosvjeta, Marko Sarić, and addressed by the initiator of the concert, prof. Srđan Mijalković: ‘As the founder and manager of Serbian supplementary schools in Austria, I remind those present that for the maintenance and organization of classes, our children need and deserve all the support. We are fighting for them, their future and for our beautiful language that we must preserve and nurture. I am grateful to our churches and clergy for having recognized the importance of those schools and for opening their doors to Prosvjeta and its students, which now number more than a thousand in over thirty schools throughout Austrian territory. I am also happy that my fellow citizens from Leskovac, the guys from the great octet Libero, responded to our invitation, held such a successful concert and showed great musical knowledge and undoubted talent.’

Source and photo: Serbian Educational and Cultural Society PROSVJETA AUSTRIA