Music School ‘Zivorad Grbic’ Valjevo has the honour to invite you to participate in

7th VALJEVO CHOIR FESTIVAL

’HorFest’

from 18 to 21 April 2024

The idea initiated by our teachers Nikolina Ninic and Vanja Urosevic was to refresh and improve the choral singing in our city, but also in the region through a festival dedicated to choral singing. This idea is gathering choirs from the country and abroad in April again. Last year our festival was described as a high-quality program, both in organizational and artistic sense. From the very beginning it was supported by the greatest conductors and music pedagogues: PhD Dragana Jovanovic, Vesna Souc, Tamara Adamov Petijevic, PhD Jelena Cvetkovic, Aljosa Novakovic, Danijela Soskic, Jelena Crvenica. Through the HORFEST program we hosted more than 90 choirs of different ages and categories, proving that culture and tradition of vocal expression are significantly present in Valjevo and in cities throughout the country and region.

This year the jury consists of our eminent professors: 

• Vesna Souc, conductor, professor of Conducting, Faculty of Music, Belgrade, president of the jury
• Rade Radovic, composer, professor, The Academy of Music, East Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Bozidar Crnjanski, conductor, professor, Academy of Arts, Novi Sad
• Vanja Urosevic, professor, Music School ‘Zivorad Grbic’ Valjevo, Art director of the festival
• Bojana Nikolic, ethnomusicologist, member of the jury in the folklore music category

This year's ‘HorFest’ is going to continue nurturing the genres and categories that showed to be necessary and essential during the previous years, all with the aim of constant improving the choir interpretative expression and the presence of this type of musical expression in the current image of artistic music in our country. All children's, youth, mixed, chamber, single-sex choirs and vocal groups, as well as folklore groups operating at all state or private institutions, have the opportunity to participate.

As every year, the leaders of the ensembles can be present at the discussion Round table and they will have the opportunity to discuss with the jury, to hear observations and opinion on their performance, get advice, guidelines and inspiration for further work and development. In addition, the leaders of the ensembles will have the opportunity to make contacts with their colleagues!

It is our great pleasure to inform you that during the 7th HorFest the masterclass will be held. It will consist of two parts. Prof. Ph.D. Agota Vitkai Kucera will speak about voice setting, vocal technique, vocal exercises and the problems faced by singers and conductors. Prof. Bozidar Crnjanski will speak about basics of conducting, as well as about the most common problems that conductors face, and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in practical work with demonstration choir.

Along with the invitation letter, we are sending you regulations and a form that needs to be filled in for the application. You should also send us a short biography of the choir and the conductor, as well as an audio recording of one composition performed in the last 6 months.

In order to organize the festival as well as possible, we kindly ask you to confirm your participation by sending applications and payment of registration fee no later than March 15, 2024.

The registration fee is 8,000.00 RSD (80 euros for participants from abroad). In case of applying the same ensemble in several categories, please contact the organizer in order to make agreement on the amount of the registration fee.

The music sheet partituras should be sent when registering for HorFest, but it is also required to deliver 3 printed copies of partituras on the day of performance.

The jury will mark in the following way:

• First Prize from 91.00 to 100.00 points
• Second Prize from 81.00 to 90.00 points
• Third Prize from 71.00 to 80.00 points
• Honorable Mention from 61.00 to 70.00 points.

The jury will award the winner of the category, the absolute winner of the festival and the best conductor. According to the opinion of the jury, the other prizes can also be awarded. 

The best choir of the festival will be awarded cash prize.

At the end of every competition day there will be a discussion Round table with the jury where all the leaders of the ensembles that took part in the competitive part of the festival can be present.

At the end of every competition day the best ensembles according to the jury’s opinion will be awarded and there will be a gala concert where they will perform.

If you have the opportunity to stay longer after the announcing or if you want to spend the night in our city, please let us know by 15 March so that we can organize an evening get-together and thus continue the informal exchange of experiences gained.

In the attachment, we are sending you an application form that must be filled out and submitted by:

• е-mail: Ova adresa el. pošte zaštićena je od spam napada, treba omogućiti JavaSkript da biste je videli or
• by post/ in person: MS Zivorad Grbic, Karadjordjeva Street 122, 14 000 Valjevo
  

For all additional information, you can contact an Art director of the festival:

• prof. Vanja Urosevic, phone number 060 60 21 986, e-mail: Ova adresa el. pošte zaštićena je od spam napada, treba omogućiti JavaSkript da biste je videli  

Believing that we will all together improve choral singing in our city, country and region and with the wish that high-quality music will come alive fully during Valjevo Choir Festival HORFEST, we are inviting you to join us.

Welcome!

MS Zivorad Grbic Headteacher Suzana Rdovanovic Peric

Festival Art director Vanja Urosevic