A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

The audience rewarded the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra with several minutes of standing ovations for the final concert of its American tour, held in preeminent Carnegie Hall in New York. This historic concert marks the beginning of the new era of the orchestra’s international success.

In a concert hall that represents the artistic dream of any musician, the Belgrade Philharmonic was breathlessly listened to by more than 1500 people. Taking a firm step, the orchestra opened the grand finale of its first American tour with Tchaikovsky’s Slavonic March. The voice of Željko Lučić, who joined the Belgrade Philharmonic by courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera, raised a storm of delight in the audience. The unity and closeness felt in his appearance with the Belgrade Philharmonic brought them back on the stage for encore, in which they performed the aria Eri tu from Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.

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The concert at the Strathmore Music Center in Washington D.C was the third performance on the U.S. tour and, once again, the audience was completely enchanted. They first stood up for the American and Serbian national anthems at the beginning of the concert, but as the orchestra’s last tones reverberated in the hall they were on their feet again, calling for encore.

The Belgrade Philharmonic’s orchestra not only connected the Serbian and American audiences, but it also gathered members of the U.S. diplomatic corps. Beside the US Ambassador to Serbia Michael Kirby, the concert was also attended by his predecessor Mary Warlick.

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The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ohio National Guard’s Army Band together performed the American and Serbian national anthems at the beginning of the concert at Cleveland’s Severance Hall. As a symbol of American-Serbian friendship, the musicians joined forces and played the two anthems in ceremonious fashion.

The Belgrade-based orchestra brought two programmes on the U.S tour and Cleveland got Khachaturian’s Masquerade and The Legend of Ohrid written by Stevan Hristić, a founder and the first Chief Conductor of the orchestra. Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 is common to both programmes. The special performance, which the audience rewarded with ecstatic applause, was augmented by the acoustics of this dazzling concert hall, for which it is well-known around the world.

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Београдска филхармонија је величанственим наступом у Чикагу отворила своју прву турнеју по САД-у. Под управом маестра Мухаја Танга, уз чувеног баритона Жељка Лучића, изазвала је овације у пуној сали раскошне дворане Симфонијског центра у Чикагу.

Енергичним тактовима Словенског марша Чајковског, Београдска филхармонија је закорачала у своје музичке победе на најелитнијој међународној сцени. Одломци из  Вердијевих опера Магбет и Риголето, у маестралном извођењу Жељка Лучића, подариле су публици дух европске традиције, а Филхармоничарима ужитак да се представе са својим омиљеним солистом.

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Свет је ових дана обишла вест да је Ричард Ли Норис (39) из Мериленда, човек коме је пре две године урађена најкомпликованија трансплантација лица на свету поново ужива у животу и да је успео готово у потпуности да поврати некадашњи изглед. Више се не стиди да се слика, научио је поново да једе и говори и нашао је девојку. Захвалан је лекарима што су му вратили веру у живот, извевши једну од најкомпликованијих трансплантација у историји медицине.

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The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra arrived in windy Chicago, where they will start their American tour on Monday, 6 October.

The 108 members of the orchestra and support staff used their free time to rest and have fun in the USA's third largest city. The photo taken in the Millennium Park, with the Belgrade Philharmonic members reflecting in the symbol of modern Chicago, is the orchestra's first document created in North America. Cloud Gate, the mirror-like object seen in the photograph, is the first public sculpture of Anish Kapoor in this continent. It was designed to reflect the sights of the Millennium Park, celebrating the beginning of the new millennium, which is why it was symbolically chosen as the place of the Philharmonic's new success.

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For the first time in their 91-year history, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, will tour the U.S., visiting four major markets in October 2014.

The Orchestra, under the direction of its Chief Conductor Muhai Tang, will appear first at Symphony Hall in Chicago on October 6th, then at Severance Hall in Cleveland on October 7th, at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda, MD on October 8th, and at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in New York City on October 9th. Serbian baritone Zeljko Lucic, a Met Opera sensation, will perform as a soloist.

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SA

 

People Directory

Vladimir Djordjevic

Vladimir Mr.V Djordjevic, US citizen of Serbian descent, born January 23, 1973 in Belgrade, Serbia, live and work in Miami, Florida, USA. Vladimir is a 5 time US Martial Arts Hall of Fame'r and a WorldWide known Hand to Hand Combat Instructor. Mr.V is an edged weapon combat specialist who also designs some of the world's deadliest blades known as " Mr.V® - Made in USA". He is founder and chief instructor of Odbrana, Tactical Defense System. As highly skilled combat instructor, he has taught classes and seminars in weapon awareness and use for military, law enforcement, and security organizations. Mr.V is known as martial artist, producer, stuntman, writer and talk show host with an expertise in fight choreography.

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Publishing

Holy Emperor Constantine and the Edict of Milan

by Bishop Athanasius (Yevtich)

In 2013 Christian world celebrates 1700 years since the day when the Providence of God spoke through the holy Emperor Constantine and freedom was given to the Christian faith. Commemorating the 1700 years since the Edict of Milan of 313, Sebastian Press of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church published a book by Bishop Athanasius Yevtich, Holy Emperor Constantine and the Edict of Milan. The book has 72 pages and was translated by Popadija Aleksandra Petrovich. This excellent overview of the historical circumstances that lead to the conversion of the first Christian emperor and to the publication of a document that was called "Edict of Milan", was originally published in Serbian by the Brotherhood of St. Simeon the Myrrh-gusher, Vrnjci 2013. “The Edict of Milan” is calling on civil authorities everywhere to respect the right of believers to worship freely and to express their faith publicly.

The publication of this beautiful pocket-size, full-color, English-language book, has been compiled and designed by Bishop Athanasius Yevtich, a disciple of the great twentieth-century theologian Archimandrite Justin Popovich. Bishop Athanasius' thought combines adherence to the teachings of the Church Fathers with a vibrant faith, knowledge of history, and a profound experience of Christ in the Church.

In the conclusion of the book, the author states:"The era of St. Constantine and his mother St. Helena, marks the beginning of what history refers to as Roman, Christian Empire, which was named Byzantium only in recent times in the West. In fact, this was the conception of a Christian Europe. Christian Byzantine culture had a critical effect on Europe; Europe was its heir, and then consciously forgot it. Europe inherited many Byzantine treasures, but unfortunately, also robbed and plundered many others for its own treasuries and museums – not only during the Crusades, but during colonial rule in the Byzantine lands as well. We, the Orthodox Slavs, received a great heritage of the Orthodox Christian East from Byzantium. Primarily, Christ’s Gospel, His faith and His Church, and then, among other things, the Cyrillic alphabet, too."