Youth Orchestra and National Children's Choir of Sodre.

Conductor: Milena Injac. Choir director-preparation: Víctor Medeiros. Soloist: Agustín Morales (clarinet). Program: Works by Orff, Weber, Benajmi Britten, Khachaturian, Hamilton, Offenbach, Rameau, Coulais, Bizet and Johann Strauss (son). Auditorio Nacional del Sodre, April 10.

"The concert began with "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana of Carl Orff. From this work to the end of the show the Serbian director Milena Injac achieved a perfect communication with the children and the young instrumentalists who faithfully responded to her indications. We have rarely seen as much affinity with a director as the one that occurred in this concert. "

"In the" Suite Masquerade "as well as in the beautiful "Adagio"of the ballet Spartacus (Khachaturian) the director showed her lordship and musicality. In her, we admire the perfect and elegant movements of her hands, her precision and clarity in the entrances, the infinite colorful accents and effects of sonority that she gets from the orchestra. Everything in her is intelligence, emotion and finesse. "

ON THE CONCERT FLOOR

MILENA INJAC, conductor
EVERY ARTIST MUST HAVE A BALANCED INNER LIFE

From the angle of the questions that have been asked lately: "Need a Niš opera?" With its capacity, Nis can form an opera theater that can represent it and open a new cultural offering. The large artistic team was led by conductor Milena Injac.

To what extent do you, as conductor, have the setting of the opera "The Barber of Seville" and the successful premiere answer to the question of whether it is necessary to open an opera theater in Nis?
The city definitely needs opera and this has been noticeable for a long time. The same amount of time is being spent on how to get to a stable opera scene that will not go off in a short time. We now have a historical responsibility, because we have started the wheel of history and started something, to maintain it first and foremost with a quality and offer that will appeal to a new younger generation of audiences. It is also important that we intrigue the professionals themselves in the city to get together and wish to be part of a large opera family. For now, it is comprised of three institutions. These are the National Theater, the Faculty of Arts and the Nis Symphony Orchestra.

What does cooperation with them look like?
It is wonderful to work in a large ensemble, a conglomerate that is made up of so many different people, their characters, desires, interests, and again to bring it all together into one common interest that defines our inner spiritual need to renew the Nis opera.

Are you satisfied with the show and what is its future?
As a conductor I participated in her creation from beginning to end and I am completely satisfied with what we have done. It is a show that can very successfully represent Niš wherever it is needed, and I think it will come true soon. We were honored to have v.d. the director of the National Theater in Belgrade, Dejan Savic, a fellow conductor, who was once engaged to us when we were doing the previous play, Strauss's "The Bat" I expect we also have some calls from abroad. In the region, we have first and foremost Sofia and Skopje, cities that have their own theaters, and this should be used for cultural cooperation.

You are a full professor at the Faculty of Arts in Niš. How much work with students and insight into the potential of young people who one day become part of Serbian music and culture is a huge responsibility for you as a professor?
It is a great responsibility to direct them properly. Of course, I'm not the only professor here. As a conductor, I am involved in connecting students from different departments, which is necessary for us now when we think about the development of opera. These contacts are important between them as well, because they will be the generation that will one day take over our places. It is important to guide the youth, to give them a second world view. To tell them that energy is necessary for art, the potential that youth carries with them, as well as the desire to realize what they have designed. We live in a time that is not culture-friendly, so our internal strengths and inventions must be fought to overcome it. At the Faculty of Arts, it is also interesting that professors from different departments collaborate, that they are directed to each other. We are quite united and connected in a vision called "Nis opera".

Your international career is also active. How difficult is it for one artist in our country to find his way to actively collaborate with orchestras in other countries? How to impose yourself?
Only in the individual quality you show at the moment when you get a chance to host at is essential abroad. This is a decisive step forward.

НА КОНЦЕРТНОМ ПОДИЈУМУ

МИЛЕНА ИЊАЦ, диригенткиња
СВАКИ УМЕТНИК МОРА ДА ИМА УРАВНОТЕЖЕН УНУТРАШЊИ ЖИВОТ

      

Из угла питања које се у последње време често поставља: „Треба ли Нишу опера?“  које је заинтригирало културну јавност у нашој земљи, премијера опере „Севиљски берберин“ , која је одржана 23. фебруара ове године, недвосмислено је ставила тачку и показала да Ниш својим капацитетима може да формира оперски театар који може да га репрезентује и отвори нову културну понуду. Велику уметничку екипу предводила је диригенткиња Милена Ињац.

Колико Вама као диригенту поставка опере „Севиљски берберин“ и успешна премијера већ дају одговор на питање да ли је потребно отворити оперски театар у Нишу?
Нишу дефинитивно треба опера и то је приметно већ дуже време. Исто толико времена се ради на томе како доћи до стабилне оперске сцене која се неће за неко краће време свог постављања и угасити. Ми сада имамо историјску одговорност, јер смо покренули точак историје и нешто започели, да то и одржимо пре свега квалитетом и понудом која ће привући и нову млађу генерацију публике. Такође, важно је да заинтригирамо и саме професионалце у граду да се удружују и да пожеле да буду део једне велике оперске породице. Њу, за сада, чине три институције. То су Народно позориште, Факултет уметности и Нишки симфонијски оркестар.

Како изгледа сарадња са њима?
Предивно је радити у великом ансамблу, конгломерату који се састоји од толико различитих људи, њихових карактера, жеља, интереса, а да се опет све то споји у један заједнички интерес који дефинише нашу унутрашњу духовну потребу да обновимо нишку оперу.

Да ли сте задовољни представом и каква је њена будућност?
Као диригент учествовала са у њеном стварању од почетка до краја и потпуно сам задовољна оним што смо урадили. То је представа која врло успешно може да репрезентује Ниш где год је то потребно, а мислим да ће се то убрзо и остварити. Имали смо част да на премијери буде и в.д. управник Народног позоришта у Београду, Дејан Савић, иначе колега диригент, који је својевремено био и ангажован код нас када смо радили претходну представу, Штраусовог „Слепог миша“. Очекујем да имамо и неке позиве из иностранства. У региону имамо пре свега Софију и Скопље, градове који имају своје театре, и то треба искористити за културну сарадњу.

Ви сте редовни професор на Факултету уметности у Нишу. Колико рад са студентима и увид у потенцијал младих људи који једног дана постају део српске музике и културе јесте велика одговорност за Вас као професора?
Велика је одговорност правилно их усмеравати. Наравно, ја нисам ту једини професор. Као диригент упућена сам у повезивање студената са различитих одсека, што нам је неопходно сада када размишљамо о развоју опере. Ти контакти су важни и између њих самих, јер ће они бити генерација која ће једног дана преузети наша места. Важно је младе усмеравати, дати им други поглед на свет. Указати им да је за уметност неоходна енергија, потенцијал који са собом младост и носи, као и жељу да реализују оно што су осмислили. Ми живимо у времену које није наклоњено култури, тако да се нашим унутрашњим снагама и инвенцијом морамо борити да то превладамо. На Факултету уметности је интересантно и то да професори са различитих одсека сарађују, да су упућени једни на друге. Ми смо прилично сложни и повезани у визији која се зове „нишка опера“.

Активна је и Ваша инострана каријера. Колико је једном уметнику из наше земље тешко да пронађе свој пут за активну сарадњу са оркестрима у другим земљама? Како се наметнути?
Искључиво квалитетом. Ми немамо професионалне менаџере нити велику могућност да дођемо до иностраних менаџера. То све изискује много новца, много експериментисања. Дешава се чак и да морате годинама да тражите погодног менаџера, и питање је да ли ћете у томе успети. Зато је неопходан индивидуални квалитет који покажете у тренутку када сте добили шансу за гостовање у
иностранству. Тo пресуђује даљи ток каријере.

SOME "NEW WORLD"
IN THE SIGN OF JUBILEE - ORCHESTRA OF THE FACULTY OF ARTS GALA CONCERT 

Prof. Dr. Danijela Zdravić-Mihailović wrote for Narodne Novine, Nis, Serbia, published on 16th June, 2018.

On Monday, June 11, 2018 The Gala Concert entitled "From the New World" was held at the Officer Hall in Niš, starting at 20:00. This great concert in the performance of the Orchestra  of the Faculty of Arts was held on the occasion of the Day of the University of Niš and fifteen years after the founding of the Faculty of Arts. The organizers of the concert were the University of Niš, the Faculty of Arts and the City of Niš, with the support of the Student Cultural Center and the Niš Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to the program of the concert that was announced, the audience also had the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest audio edition of the Vivamus Musica I Faculty of Arts, in the performance of the Orchestra of the Faculty of Arts and Chamber Orchestra Concertante, led by maestra prof. Dr. Milena Injac. About this edition, which resulted from the successful cooperation of the mentioned orchestras and soloists, Ana Veličković Igić - flute and Hane Paraušić - harp, as well as Matilde Valevik, mecosoprano, spoke the editor of audio editions prof. Zoran Stanisavljević and prof. Dr. Suzana Kostic, who was one of the reviewers. They expressed great satisfaction for the successful realization of this project and presented its content - Edward Elgar: Greetings to Love, Mozart: The Flute and Harp Concert in C Major K299 / 297s and Frederick Magle: The Seahorse Aria. One of the soloists of this edition,  prof. Ana Velickovic Igic, said she is grateful to the University for excellent cooperation with the orchestra, soloists, as well as the publishing center of the Faculty of Arts. Prof. Dr Milena Injac, the conductor, pointing out that cooperation with the orchestra and soloists was a great pleasure for her, and she hopes that this is only the first in a series of editions of the Orchestra of the Faculty of Arts.
...

The famous Dvorak's Symphony "From the New World" marked the end of the program. This famous symphony was created during the composer's three-year stay in America, and it reflects his touch with the music of American indigenous people - Indians and American Blacks. It was premiered in 1893 in New York. The composer did not use the finished melodies here as quotes, but created them in their spirit. The famous Largo (Largo) was created under the impression that Dvorjak had by reading the famous "Song of Hiyavat" by American poet Longfellow (Longfellow). On the other hand, this symphony testifies that Dvorak, while staying in New York, often thought of a distant country. After being tormented by nostalgia, the themes of the Czech folk music are another source of melodic themes of this piece. First of all, one should praise the efforts of the conductor, maestro Milena Injac, to find such a demanding work on the program. Bearing in mind the composition of the ensemble (young forces, as well as former students - alumni of the Faculty of Arts, several musicians of the Military Orchestra and the Music School Niš, as well as members of the Symphony Orchestra), it can be said that the conductor was a great challenge to harmonize the composition of the orchestra then artificially shape the selected work.

The general impression is that the audience was obviously very interested in Dvorak's symphony. The powerful sound of the orchestra, led by the impressive, clear and inspirative hands of maestra Milena Injac successfully sounded various moods that dominate the symphony - the second movement sounded brilliantly, while in the in famous Finale orchestra  lead by maestra Injac, showed reach colours and all suggestive interpretation.
Having in mind not only the extraordinary performance, but also the multi-minute standing ovation of the audience, it is necessary to emphasize the essential importance of such manifestations - fostering quality art music in parallel with the education of professional staff, young musicians, who will experience their experience through numerous performances in their city, but also wider. In that sense, we should consider a larger space, like the 3000 seats Open Air stage in the famous Nis Fortress.