Aid to a Serbian Family

On this occasion I would like to send a report from Dortmund, at a time when the whole world is in a state of emergency due to the Corona virus. The concerts I was supposed to conduct were suddenly all canceled! Over the last 20 years I have always been on the road because of my work, and now I have unexpectedly found myself at home.

During the first several days I was very happy because I was able to devote myself fully to my family. But after about two weeks and in the days ahead, I thought – what now, how do I work without an orchestra? All of a sudden I have found myself in a situation where I cannot conduct.

I miss both my Belgrade and my Dortmund Philharmonic; I miss Belgrade and all my colleagues there. But I want to be and I have to be optimistic and I have realized that I want to work by helping other people. The Dortmund Volunteer Society asked me to help and provide food and other supplies for a family and I gave my consent. And then, when I saw the name of the family – Riđić – I thought right away… well, well, that is a Serbian family!

Now, every Friday I obtain provisions for Valentina Riđić, who lives about 20 kilometers from Dortmund. She is at home 24 hours a day because one of her sons is in a wheelchair. Violeta is from Croatia and her husband is from Serbia. He works in the Audi factory in Dortmund. The best part is that we can speak in Serbian and their son Filip is a big fan of classical music. I even prepared a present for him – a CD with Beethoven’s Third and Fifth, which I conducted.