Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in May 2025

The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Sarajevska filharmonija'' / Сарајевска филхармонија) is an orchestra in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

."Can the Sarajevo Philharmonic Hang On? The siege may be over, but a host of post-Communist problems now threaten Bosnia's cultural institutions"
March 2010, boiseweekly.com Its first concert was performed on 24 October 1923, with the program being Lisinski's overture from the opera '' Porin'';

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

's Piano Concerto No. 1;

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's Second Symphony. The conductors were A. Lukinić and J. Rozdalovski. The outbreak of World War II disrupted the activities of the orchestra, which was re-established in October 1948. During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

, the orchestra again suffered disruption. During the

Siege of Sarajevo The siege of Sarajevo () was a prolonged military blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ethnically charged Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by Serbian forces of the Yugoslav People's Arm ...

, seven members of the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra were killed and twelve were wounded. The archive of musical scores was damaged and many instruments were destroyed, damaged or lost. During the war, however, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra continued its work and performed 60 concerts, 20 of them abroad. The rehearsals were performed in hard winter conditions, in basements, and without heating and only by candlelight. The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra performed on 19 June 1994, amongst the ruins of Sarajevo City Hall.

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

was performed, and

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...

conducted the concert with soloists

José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, ...

Ruggero Raimondi Ruggero Raimondi (born 3 October 1941) is an Italian bass-baritone opera singer who has also appeared in motion pictures. Life and career Early training and career Ruggero Raimondi was born in Bologna, Italy, during World War II. His voice matu ...

Cecilia Gasdia Cecilia Gasdia (; born 14 August 1960, Verona) is an Italian operatic soprano. Biography Gasdia studied music and piano at the Conservatorio di Verona, graduating in 1980. That same year she won the first prize in the "''New Voices for Opera''" ...

and Ildikó Komlósi. In September 1994, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra toured in Italy, and subsequently in Austria (1995, 1996), Turkey (1995), the Czech Republic (1995), France (1997), Switzerland (1997, 2000), and again in Italy (1995–1997). The Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra visited and organized concerts in several cities in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. In October 1996,

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin (22 April 191612 March 1999), was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. ...

came to Sarajevo and conducted the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1997, by the invitation of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's Director-General, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra went to Paris and performed a concert there. In 1998 the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra performed in

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, and in 1999, in the United States and Netherlands; in the summers of 1998 and 1999, the orchestra collaborated with the music academy AIDIMOS and its director, German conductor Ernst Schelle, touring around all the main cities of Bosnia with conductors and additional musicians from amongst others, Albania, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In March 1997, the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra recorded its first CD, 'Sarajevo Renaissance'.

References

External links

* Bosnia and Herzegovina orchestras Culture in Sarajevo Musical groups established in 1923 1923 establishments in Yugoslavia {{Orchestra-stub