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.
.The orchestra was warmly welcomed at the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia, in a reception kindly organised by Consul-Gérant Dejan Radulović. The reception was attended by Serbian Minister of Culture and Information Ivan Tasovac, BPO Chief Conductor Maestro Muhai Tang, Consul General of the P.R. China Zhao Weiping and the Consul General of Bosnia & Herzegovina Brane Pećanac.
"The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra's tour has historical significance and it is the most potent promoter of Serbia and its culture. This is a historical event both for the orchestra and for all of us in Chicago", Mr Radulović said in the reception.
Chicago Racewalkers
The Belgrade Philharmonic violinist Tamara Živković already visited Chicago in 2006. However, her arrival in the USA with the Belgrade Philharmonic is a completely different experience. She has been a member of the orchestra since 1997 and, quite logically, she has her regular long-term room-mate when she is travelling with the orchestra. She and Svetlana Stančev-Radovanović get along perfectly because they have shared rooms and similar habits on so many tours. When they visit a new city, they like to think of themselves as racewalkers who usually go sightseeing by themselves because, as they jocularly say, nobody is able to keep up with their pace.
When on tour, time needs to be well organised, since there is less than enough of it for relaxed city sightseeing. The orchestra musicians are, however, prepared to quickly adapt to the new environment and make the most of it. The second day of the U.S tour is intended for adaptation to a different time zone and, believe it or not, the musicians found it very unusual to have some free time.
“We walked across the entire city, magnificent for its dynamic architecture and friendly people, and every few meters we met up with our fellow musicians. This is not unusual; although not all of us share the same habits, we move around the same places, so we run into each other wherever we go”, says Tamara Živković. “I was completely fascinated by the observatory in the John Hancock Center, popularly nicknamed Big John. It is a 100-story building and the view from the 94th floor is breath-taking. The fact that I was enjoying it so much was actually quite surprising to me, given my extreme fear of heights. You can see the entire city from up there!“
The most beautiful moment of the day was the taking of the group photograph in the Millennium Park. The Belgrade Philharmonic was reflecting in the symbol of modern Chicago, and the photo was the orchestra’s first document made in North America. Designed to mirror the sights of the park celebrating the beginning of the new millennium, the Cloud Gate sculpture was symbolically chosen as the place marking the start of the Philharmonic’s new success. The orchestra immortalised its American debut in front of the acclaimed artist Anish Kapoor’s first public sculpture in the USA. Sunny weather and good atmosphere are an excellent omen for a good start, which is especially important on tours where concerts are played in succession, since the BPO musicians believe that the first concert is always an indication of what the rest of them will look like.
Violinist Svetlana Stančev-Radovanović said: “We are all proud and aware that we are representing our entire country on this tour. We are aiming at a 4:0 score. The Belgrade Philharmonic is like a second home to me, it is an institution I have always wanted to be a part of. I can feel that we are representing Serbia and that is very important to us. In today’s reception at the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia, the diplomats were proud of our 96 musical ambassadors. I have no stage fright ahead of the concert tomorrow, although it is the most important one on tour since there will not be any second chances to improve the first impression.”
The BPO musicians are always in good form and the fact that the sounds of trombones, clarinets and violins could be heard from hotel rooms immediately after the long transatlantic flight indicates that this U.S. tour is something special. We are not leaving anything to chance, not even a smallest detail.
Source: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra
