Isidora Žebeljan (27 September 1967 – 29 September 2020) was a Serbian composer and conductor. She was a professor of composition at the Belgrade Music Academy and a Fellow of the
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS).
The Academy's membership has included Nobel Prize, Nobel la ...
.
She won many national awards for her music, among them the Stevan Mokranjac National Music Award in 2004.
Biography
Isidora Žebeljan studied composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade with Vlastimir Trajković (a student of
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...
). She was Professor of Composition at the same Faculty from 2002. Her work as a composer earned her several significant awards in her country, including the Mokranjac Award in 2004. She won the New York Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship in 2005. In 2006 she was elected to the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (becoming a full member in 2012) and in 2012 she was elected to the
World Academy of Art and Science
The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), founded in 1960, is an international non-governmental scientific organization and global network of more than 800 scientists, artists, and scholars in more than 90 countries.
It serves as a forum for s ...
(WAAS). In 2014 she received a
Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) is an international organization established in 2005 by the national parliaments of the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region. It is the legal successor of the Conference on Security and ...
Award for her achievement in art.
She attracted international attention with her opera ''Zora D''. which was commissioned by the Genesis Foundation in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The opera, directed by
David Pountney
Sir David Willoughby Pountney (born 10 September 1947) is a British-Polish theatre and opera director and libretto, librettist internationally known for his productions of rarely performed operas and new productions of classic works. He has di ...
and Nicola Raab, was premiered in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
in 2003. The same production opened the 50th season of the Vienna Chamber Opera in 2003.
Isidora Žebeljan received commissions from notable institutions and festivals, such as:
*the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...
(''The Horses of Saint Mark'', illumination for orchestra, 2004),
*
Bregenz Festival
Bregenzer Festspiele (; Bregenz Festival) is a performing arts festival which is held every July and August in Bregenz in Vorarlberg (Austria).
It features a large floating stage which is situated on Lake Constance.
History
The Festival becam ...
(opera ''The Marathon''; ''Hum away, hum away'', for String orchestra),
*Genesis Foundation, London (for the opening of
Bill Viola
William John Viola Jr. ( , ; January 25, 1951 – July 12, 2024) was an American video artist whose artistic expression depended upon electronic, sound, and image technology in new media. His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human ...
's exhibition 'The Passion' at the
National Gallery
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
in London in 2003),
*
University of Kent
The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...
,
*Muziektheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen (opera ''Simon the Chosen''),
* International Horn Society,
*Accademia Musicale Chigiana,
Siena
Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...
Octet, Dutch Chamber Choir and London Brass. Her compositions were regularly performed throughout Europe, Israel, USA, and Asia, including the Venice Biennale, Bregenz Festival, Festival RAI Nuova Musica, City of London Festival, ISCM Festivals (Gothenburg, Wrocław), Festival Classique The Hague, Galway Arts Festival, Tallinn Summer Music Festival, WDR-Musikfest, Settembre musica Milano-Torino, Ultima Festival (Oslo), Swaledale Festival, Walled City Music Festival, Dulwich Music Festival (UK), Eilat Festival (Jerusalem), Festival Nous Sons (Barcelona), Festival L' Est (Milano), Crossing Border Festival (The Netherlands), Settimana Musicale Senese, Musical Biennale Zagreb, BEMUS (Belgrade), etc. Among the ensembles and musicians who performed music of Isidora Žebeljan are the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of RAI Torino, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, I Solisti Veneti, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, No Borders Orchestra, Lutosławski Quartet, Nieuw Ensemble (Amsterdam), Zagros Ensemble (Helsinki), ensemble Sentieri Selvaggi (Milan), conductors Paul Daniel,
Claudio Scimone
Claudio Scimone (23 December 1934 – 6 September 2018) was an Italian conductor.
He was born in Padua, Italy and studied conducting with Dimitri Mitropoulos and Franco Ferrara. He established an international reputation as a conductor, as wel ...
, David Porcelijn, Christoph Poppen, Pierre-André Valade, pianists Kyoko Hashimoto and Aleksandar Madžar, hornist Stefan Dohr, clarinetists Joan Enric Lluna and Alessandro Carbonare, violinist Daniel Rowland and others.
Isidora Žebeljan was also one of the most prominent Serbian contemporary composers of theater and film music. She has composed music for more than thirty theater productions in Serbia, Norway, Croatia, and Montenegro. For her work in the field of theater music she was awarded the Sterija Award three times. She was also awarded the Yustat Biennial of Stage Design Award for best theatre music four times. In addition, Isidora Žebeljan worked on a number of film scores, including the orchestration of
Goran Bregović
Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s.
He has competed at the Cannes ...
Patrice Chéreau
Patrice Chéreau (; ; 2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) was a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer. In France he is best known for his work for the theatre, internationally for his films '' La Reine Margot'' and ''I ...
) and '' The Serpent's Kiss'' (directed by Philippe Rousselot). She composed the music for Miloš Radivojević's film ''How I was Stolen by the Germans''. For this score she was awarded the Prize of the Film Festival in Sopot in 2011 (Serbia) and the FIPRESCI Prize of the Serbian Film Association in 2012.
Isidora Žebeljan also regularly appeared as a performer (conductor and pianist) of her own works and the works by other, mainly Serbian composers. She conducted concerts in London (with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields) and in Amsterdam (Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ), and performed as a pianist with the Brodsky Quartet.
In 2017, Isidora Žebeljan signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the
Croats
The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
,
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
,
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
and
Montenegrins
Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro.
Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...
.
She died on 29 September 2020 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra
The Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra (''Janáčkova filharmonie Ostrava'') is a Czech orchestra based in Ostrava. Named after composer Leoš Janáček, the orchestra performs its concerts at the City of Ostrava Cultural Centre.
History
The root ...
, Žebeljan Orchestra and conductor David Porcelijn (CPO 7776702). In 2015 the same label released a CD with her chamber music for strings, played by the Brodsky Quartet (CPO 777994-2). In 2013 the CD label Oboe Classics from London released a CD ''Balkan Bolero'' with her chamber music for winds (11 compositions). Other CD's with music of Isidora Žebeljan were released by the CD labels
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
(''The Horses of Saint Mark'' by No Borders Orchestra),
Chandos Records
Chandos Records is a British independent classical music recording company based in Colchester. It was founded in 1979 by Brian Couzens.Casa Ricordi, Ricordi-Universal.
Compositions
2003–2017
1993–2002
1985–1992
Incidental music
* Erlend Loe: ''Doppler''; Production: Trøndelag Teater, Trondheim (Norwegen), 2016 – for reeds, oboe, cor anglais, ocarina's, tuba, double bass, bass guitar, ukulele, piano, percussion and elektronic. Director: Tomi Janežič.
*Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: ''Seagull''; production of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad, 2012 – for singers, flute/piccolo, oboe, trompet, double bass, percussion and piano. Director: Tomi Janežič.
* Uglješa Šajtinac: ''Banat''; production of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, 2007 – for oboe, English horn, violin, cello and piano. Director: Dejan Mijač. (CD 'Illuminations')
* Thomas Bernhard: ''Heldenplatz''; production of the "Atelje 212" Theatre in Belgrade, 2006 – for string quartet and piano. Director: Dejan Mijač. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: ''Three Sisters''; production of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 2006 – for violin and piano. Director: Vida Ognjenović.
* Peter Shaffer: ''Amadeus''; production of Croatian National Theatre "Ivan pl. Zajc", Rijeka (Croatia), 2006 – for soprano and harpsichord. Director: Tomi Janežič.
*Biljana Srbljanović: ''Locusts''; production of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, 2005 – for soprano and electronic. Director: Dejan Mijač.
*William Shakespeare: ''King Lear''; production of the "Atelje 212" Theatre in Belgrade, 2005 – for prepared piano. Director: Tomi Janežič. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Slobodan Šnajder: ''The Bride of the Wind''; production of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 2003 – for female voice, English horn, violoncello, double bass and keyboards. Director: Boris Miljković. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Martin Crimp: ''The Country''; production of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 2002 – for electronic. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Ljubomir Simović: ''The Miracle in Schargan''; production of the "Atelje 212" Theatre in Belgrade, 2002 – for piano, percussion and chamber orchestra. Director: Dejan Mijač. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Vida Ognjenović: ''Mileva Einstein''; production of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 2001 – for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, double bass and piano. Director: Vida Ognjenović. (CD 'Illuminations')
*William Shakespeare: ''The Tempest''; production of the City Theatre Budva Festival (Montenegro), 2001 – for flute, clarinet, trumpet, soprano voice, violin, violoncello, double bass, keyboards and percussions. Director: Slobodan Unkovski. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Hugo Betti: ''The Crime on the Goat Island''; production of the City Theatre Budva Festival, Montenegro, 2001 – for electronic. Director: Nebojša Bradić.
*Miroslav Krleža: ''Leda''; production of the "Atelje 212" Theatre in Belgrade, 2001 – for violin, soprano and alto saxophone, trumpet, piano, drums and double bass. Director: Dejan Mijač. (CD 'Illuminations')
*Vida Ognjenović: ''Jegor's Road''; production of the City Theatre Budva Festival (Montenegro), 2000 – for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, piano and double bass
*Jean Paul Sartre: ''Dirty Hands''; production of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, 2000 – for trumpet, piano, violin, viola and violoncello
*Radoslav Pavlović: ''Eleven Weeks''; production of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, 2000 – techno music
*Franz Xaver Kroetz: ''The Impuls''; production of the "Atelje 212" Theatre in Belgrade, 2000 – techno music
*Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: ''The Cherry Orchard''; production of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, 2000 – for piano and string quartet (CD 'Illuminations')
*Alexander Dumas / Stevan Koprivica: ''The Three Musketeers''; production of the "Boško Buha" Theatre in Belgrade, 1999 – for flute, trumpet, violin, guitar, piano, female voice, double bass and percussion (CD 'Illuminations')
*Miodrag Karadžić: ''You Just Go and We Will Croak and Howl''; production of the Belgrade Dramatic Theatre, 1999 – for violin, accordion, clarinet, piano and double bass
*Ivo Andrić / Nebojša Bradić: ''The Damned Yard''; production of the National Theatre in Kruševac, 1999 – for female voice, mixed choir, flute, clarinet, violin, piano and double bass
*Mirjana Bobić Mojsilović: ''Tears Are O.K.''; production of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 1999 – for female voice, alto saxophone, violin, piano and double bass (CD 'Illuminations')
*Ljubivoje Ršumović: ''Emperor Trayan Had Goat's Ears''; production of the "Boško Buha" Theatre in Belgrade, 1999 – for female voice, female and mixed choir, pipes, violin, flute, piano, double bass and percussion (CD 'Illuminations')
*Maksim Gorky: ''The Philistines''; production of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, 1998 – for string quartet
*Molière: ''The School for Women''; production of the Montenegro National Theatre, Pogrorica (Montenegro), 1998 – for male voice, violin, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano and double bass (CD 'Illuminations')
*Georg Büchner: ''Leonce and Lena''; co production of the City Theatre Budva Festival (Montenegro) and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, 1998 – for soprano voice, flute, oboe, viola, piano, double bass, tubular bells and tom-toms (CD 'Illuminations')
*Jeremy Brack: ''Oliver Twist''; production of the "Boško Buha" Theatre in Belgrade, 1998 – for violin, clarinet, E flat clarinet, bass clarinet, piano and double bass
*Arthur Miller: ''All My Sons''; production of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, 1998 – for piano and string quartet
*Goran Marković: ''Speech Impediment''; production of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 1997 – for trumpet, piano, double bass and drums
*Richard Brinsley Sheridan: ''The Rivals''; production of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, 1997 – for violin, piano, bassoon and double bass
*Berthold Brecht: ''A Man Is A Man''; production of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, 1996 – for violin, alto saxophone, guitar, accordion, piano, drums and double bass
*Agatha Christie: ''The Mousetrap''; production of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, 1995 – for violin, alto saxophone and piano (CD 'Illuminations')
*Frank Wedekind: ''Spring's Awakening''; production of the National Theatre in Kragujevac, 1990 – for electronic
*Dušan Kovačević: ''Hilarious Tragedy''; production of the National Theatre in Šabac, 1989 – for electronic
*Dušan Kovačević: ''The Professional''; production of the National Theatre in Šabac, 1989 – for electronic
*Dubravka Ugrešić: ''Life is a Fairy Tale''; production of the Student Cultural Centre, Belgrade, 1987 – for electronic
Film scores
*''How I was stolen by the Germans'', directed by Miloš Radivojević, 2010 – for cello and piano
*''Don't Know When or How or Where'', documentary directed by Želimir Gvardiol, 1993 – for violin, alto saxophone, piano and double bass
*''Big Small Graduation'', directed by Mina Stanojević, 1990 – for female and male voices, electric guitar, piano and drums
*''Maria Like You'', directed by Mina Stanojević, 1986 – for female voice, electric guitar, piano and drums
Discography
*CPO, Germany, 777994-2 (2015); Brodsky Quartet plays Isidora Žebeljan; 'Song of a Traveller in the Night', Chamber Music
*DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON, 481 107-3 (2015); Isidora Žebeljan; The Horses of Saint Mark, illumination for orchestra
*COMPOSERS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA (2015); Fieriness, Serbian music for piano trio; Isidora Žebeljan
*MASCOM Records, Serbia, LC 29730, CD 290 (2014); Isidora Žebeljan; Zora D, opera in one act (seven scenes)
*OBOE CLASSICS, UK, CC 2028 (2013); Balkan Bolero; Chamber music by Isidora Žebeljan
*MASCOM Records, Serbia, LC 29730, CD 217 (2013); Isidora Žebeljan; Illuminations, Music for Theatre
*B92, Serbia, CD 116 (2008); Isidora Žebeljan; Illuminations, Music for Theatre
*SANU, Serbia (2011); Muzika kompozitora – akademika SANU
*COMPOSERS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA (2013); Women's Stories, Serbian piano music
*Muzika klasika, Music Magazine for Classical Music, No. 3 (2011)
*Belgrade Strings; Anthology of 20th Century Serbian Music for Strings (noncommercial edition, 2006) (CD No. 2)
*Teatro Comunale di Monfalcone, Italy (2005); Sentieri selvaggi dal vivo; Isidora Žebeljan: A Yawl on the Danube, scene for soprano, piano, percussion and string quartet
*Genesis Foundation, London, UK (noncommercial edition, 2002); The Genesis Prizes for Opera; Work in Progress Presentations 2002; Isidora Žebeljan: an extract from the opera Zora D.
Significant works
*Operas: ''Zora D''; ''The Marathon''; ''Simon, the Chosen''; ''Two Heads and a Girl''; ''Simon the Foundling''
*Orchestral music: ''The Horses of Saint Mark''; ''Hum away, hum away strings''; ''Escenas picaras''; ''Deserted Village''
*Orchestral music with soloists: ''Rukoveti'', five songs for soprano and orchestra; ''New Songs of Lada'', for soprano and string orchestra (or string quartet); ''Dance of the Wooden Sticks'', for French horn (or cor anglais) and *String orchestra (or string quintet); ''Pipe and Flamingos'', concerto for clarinet and orchestra
*Chamber music: ''Song of a Traveller in the Night'', for clarinet and string quartet; ''Polomka quartet'', for string quartet; ''Simon and Anne'', suite for cello (or cor anglais) and piano; ''Needle Soup'', for octet
*Vocal music: ''Latum lalo'', for mixed choir; ''Pep it up'', fantasy for soprano and chamber ensemble; ''When God created Dubrovnik'', song for Mezzo-soprano and string quartet
*Piano music: ''Umbra'', ''Il Circo''
Awards
*Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean Award, in acknowledgement of her artistic achievements in the musical field in the Mediterranean region, 2014.
*Musica Classica Magazine Award for the best composer of the year 2013 (for the opera Two Heads and a Girl), 2014.
*Full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts., 2012.
*Award for the best original score at the 40th Film Festival in Sopot (Serbia), for the movie ''How I was Stolen'' by the Germans, directed by Miloš Radivojevic, 2011.
*Belgrade's daily newspapers Danas has pronounced Isidora Žebeljan The person of the decade in music, 2010.
*Berlin's weekly magazine Der Freitag has listed Isidora Žebeljan for the ten most promising public figures in the world for the year 2009.
*Sterija's award at the 51st 'Sterija' Theatre Festival (Sterijino pozorje), Novi Sad, for the original score for the play Skakavci by Biljana Srbljanovic, production of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Belgrade, 2007.
*Elected the youngest member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 2006.
*Gorki list Creativity Award for creativity in culture and arts, 2005.
*The fellowship of the Civitella Ranineri Foundation, New York, 2005.
*'Stevan Mokranjac' Award – the Serbian Government Music Award, for the opera ''Zora D'', 2004.
*Grand Prix YUSTAT-The Fourth Biennale of Theatre Design for the original score for the play ''The Miracle in Schargan'' by Ljubomir Simovic, production of the "Atelje 212" Theatre, Belgrade, 2002.
*Vasilije Mokranjac's Foundation Award, Belgrade, for the composition ''Rukoveti'', five songs for soprano and orchestra, 2001..
*Sterija's award at the 45th 'Sterija' Theatre Festival (Sterijino pozorje), Novi Sad for the original score for the play ''Jegor's Road'' by Vida Ognjenovic, production of the Budva City Theatre Festival, Montenegro, 2001.
*Grand Prix for the original score for the play The ''Three Musketeers'' by Alexander Dumas/Stevan Koprivica, at the Children Theatre Festival, Kotor, Montenegro, production of the "Boško Buha" Theatre, Belgrade, 2000.
*Grand Prix YUSTAT-The Third Biennale of Theatre Design for the original score for the play ''Leonce and Lena'' by Georg Büchner, production of the Budva City Theatre Festival and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, Belgrade, 2000..
*Sterija's award at the 42nd 'Sterija' Theatre Festival (Sterijino pozorje), Novi Sad, for the original score for the play ''Speech Impediment'' by Goran Markovic, production of the National Theatre, Belgrade, 1998.
*Grand Prix YUSTAT, the Second Biennale of Theatre Design for the original score, 1998.
*Grand Prix YUSTAT, the First Biennale of Theatre Design for the original score for the play ''A Man Is A Man'' by Berthold Brecht, production of the Belgrade Drama Theatre, 1996.