The Belgrade Philharmonic String Quartet will visit the Cultural Centre in Gračanica on Thursday, 17 December. In the morning, they will play the programme intended for students of music schools in Kosovo and Metohija, while the concert at 6 PM will include pieces by Despić, Mozart and Ravel.
 
In its third visit to Gračanica, the Belgrade Philharmonic will introduce its String Quartet, consisting of Jelena Dragnić (first violin), Vladan Lončar (second violin), Boris Brezovac (viola) and Aleksandar Latković (violoncello). To ensure that as many people as possible learn about the Belgrade Philharmonic, all its guest appearances in Gračanica included programmes for both children and adults. As part of the institution’s learning programme, the String Quartet will dedicate their time to their younger fellow musicians from the “Stevan Hristić” Music School from Gnjilane, which has been relocated to Stanišor, and the “Stevan Mokranjac” Music School from Gračanica. In the evening concert, the ensemble will play Dejan Despić’s Homage to Mokranjac, Mozart’s String quartet in D minor and Ravel’s meditative String Quartet.
 
“The arrival of the Belgrade Philharmonic is a unique cultural phenomenon for two reasons: one refers to the comeback of urban culture to our rural ghettos, while the other is the moment and the opportunity in which our current top-notch classical artistic creation meets our medieval classical heritage, embodied in Gračanica. The packed concert hall of the Cultural Centre speaks for itself about the need for events like this, and people are travelling up to 30 km from Kosovska Mitrovica, Gnjilane and other places to enjoy these performances”, said Živojin Rakočević, Director of the Gračanica Cultural Centre.
 
The Belgrade Philharmonic has already collaborated with the “Stevan Hristić” Music School, as part of the effort to provide musical instruments for this school, while the BPO String Quartet gave a concert at the celebration of the school’s anniversary in 2011 and donated an upright piano to its students.
 
In its previous visits to Gračanica, the Belgrade Philharmonic introduced its string ensemble and the Wind Quintet. The Thursday’s concert is organised by the National Theatre Priština and the Gračanica Cultural Centre. In this way, the Belgrade Philharmonic affirms that it does not belong only to Belgrade and shows its intention to reach out to audiences who do not often have a chance to enjoy art.