The female chamber choir Banjalučanke from Banja Luka won a gold medal in the category of traditional music at the renowned World Choral Cup in Spain.

Under the artistic direction of composer and conductor Mladen Matović, the Banjalučanke choir performed as the only representative of the Republic of Srpska and BiH at the significant licensed international competition, which brought together more than 30 choirs from 24 countries of the world in the festival and competition program.

All choirs were assessed by an international expert jury, made up of world-renowned choral music experts from Belgium, Spain, Germany, Turkey and Latvia.

Matović said that he was proud of Banjalučanke maintaining the continuity of top competitive performances on the international choral stage at another important competition, especially considering the fact that this year had brought a kind of generational shift in the ensemble.

– Thus, the first and main goal of our participation in the competition in Spain was to test our current performance capabilities and to prepare for the following very demanding competition season – said Matović.

He also noted that the highest number of choirs had performed in the category in which Banjalučanke had competed, including those from the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Portugal, Romania, Bolivia, Iran, thus adding to the victory’s significance.

– Due to previous results, the female chamber choir Banjalučanke has qualified directly for the highest level of the upcoming World Choir Games, to be held in South Korea at the beginning of July next year – said Matović.

Organized by the World Choir Association Interkultur – Musica Mundi, the international choral competition in Spain started on 12 October and ended yesterday in Barcelona and Calella.

In the previous 10 years, the Banjalučanke choir achieved the most significant results in its history, winning gold medals at competitions in Linz, Amsterdam, Malta, Venice, Budapest, Barcelona, Magdeburg, two silver medals at the choir games in China and the USA.

The greatest success in the choir’s history has been winning three consecutive gold medals at the World Choir Games in Riga, Sochi and South Africa.

Due to these results, the female chamber choir Banjalučanke was included in the World Choir Association’s official world ranking of the fifty best chamber choirs.

Source: RTRS-SRNA

Photo: SRNA