Festival of String Instruments
Banja Luka
From the heart of musicians — for the whole world
The festival was created as the dream of two artists — Milica and Djordje Milovanović, life and professional companions, who wanted to create something that goes beyond the ordinary concert cycle. They dreamed of a space where music is not only played, but also lived, where classical music on string instruments is celebrated in a special, sincere and inspiring way.
This festival is not just an event — it is an encounter, a communion and a celebration of the passion for art. A place where experience and youth intertwine, where tradition meets contemporary expression, and where music becomes a universal language that brings people together.
Created by professionals for professionals, but open to anyone who loves music, the festival is an invitation to enjoy together the timeless beauty of string sound, to learn from each other and to build a musical future together.
CONCERT OPENING OF THE FESTIVAL
“Festival Quartet”
Miloš Petrović, violin (Serbia/Germany)
Ivan Knežević, violin (Serbia/Germany)
Đorđe Milovanović, viola (Serbia/Republika Srpska)
Caroline Busser, cello (Germany)
20 hours
Bansko Dvor Concert Hall
CONCERT FOR BABIES
Piano Trio
Filip Radić, viola
Majda Tumbas, cello
Srđan Đekić, piano
Beethoven: Piano Trio in B major Op.11
String Trio
Kristina Babić, violin
Katarina Babić, cello
Ognjen Babić, double bass
Josef Mysliveček: Trio in G major
10 hours
Bansko Dvor Concert Hall
WORKSHOP “Tomastik-Infeld” - sound optimization
Stojan Jovanović, product manager
9 - 15 hours
House of Milanović
CONCERT
“IC Strings”
Ivan Knežević, violin (Serbia/Germany)
Caroline Busser, cello (Germany)
20 hours
Bansko Dvor Concert Hall
LECTURE/WORKSHOP
Nicolas Brunel (France)
“The Art of Making and Restoring String Instruments”
18 hours
House of Milanović
CONCERT
“Eastern European Bass Ensemble”
Jošt Lampret (Slovenia)
Stevan Jovanovic (Serbia/Slovenia)
Urban Čefarin (Slovenia)
Nejc Klun (Slovenia)
Veljko Stankovic (Serbia/Slovenia)
20 hours
Bansko Dvor Concert Hall
WORKSHOP “Tomastik-Infeld” - sound optimization
Stojan Jovanović, product manager
9 - 14 hours
House of Milanović
MASTERCLASS
Miloš Petrović, violin (Serbia/Germany)
10 - 14 hours
House of Milanović
Milica Milovanović, Festival Director
Milica Milovanović is a violinist, actress and TV producer who combines music, theater and television production with her versatility. She graduated in viola from the Academy of Arts in Banja Luka, where she also completed her acting studies, and is currently further training at the Academy for Human Development in Belgrade in the direction of psychotherapeutic propaedeutics.
From 2015 to 2018 she worked as a professor of viola and chamber music at the Music School in Trebinje, where her students won numerous awards at republican and international competitions. As a violinist, she collaborates with many orchestras and ensembles, including the National Theatre of the Republic of Srpska, the Mostar Symphony Orchestra, the Banja Luka Philharmonic, the Neue Philharmonie Munich and the Rock Symphony. In addition, she performs in the chamber ensemble “Duola” and performs roles in the theater and on television, including a short film”Dust free”, series”Complicated brothers”, the idea”Registrar”and a theatrical monodrama”She”.
From 2018 to 2025, she worked as an executive producer at the Belgrade ETM Production, where she signed the organization and realization of popular shows and series, such as the children's quiz “Learn to be a Man”, the show “My Village Veselo” and the TV series “Složna brća”.
Đorđe Milovanović, artistic director
Djordje Milovanovic, was born in Belgrade where he completed primary and secondary music education, and in 2012 graduated in the class of prof. Ljubomir Milanović at the Faculty of Musical Arts also in Belgrade.
During his studies he attended numerous master classes, of which he worked with professors David Taken, Wilfred Strele, and as a member of the quartet “DelgeSU” he attends ISA - International Summer Academy in Austria.
After completing his undergraduate studies, he continues his studies at the University of the Arts in Essen (Germany) on a master's degree in chamber music in the class of Professor Andreas Reiner.
He also trained privately with professors William Coleman (Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, string quartet “Kuss”), Nathan Braude (leader of the viola orchestra “Gürzenich” Cologne) and Matteo Zuch (former viola leader of the Berlin Philharmonic, professor in Geneva).
He initially gained orchestral experience as a leader of the viola section at the Youth Philharmonic “Borislav Pašćan” in Belgrade, and was a leader in the Youth Orchestras “Bartok Kodalji” — Hungary and “Bandart” — Spain. During his studies he was a part-time member of the RTS Symphony Orchestra, while during his studies in Germany he was a member of a large number of orchestras (Westfälische Kammerphilharmonie Gütersloh, Kammerphilharmonie Rhein-Erft, Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen, Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, Neue Philharmonie München, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen).
In 2019 he is the guest conductor of the Mostar Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra Muzikon - Belgrade, and since 2022 he has been working as a viola leader in the Symphony Orchestra of the National Theatre of the Republic of Srpska in Banja Luka. Since 2022 he has been a guest violist and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra in Podgorica, where in 2024 he had the opportunity to be the leader of the section. He also collaborates with the Sarajevo Philharmonic and Belgrade Chamber Orchestra.
He is also active as a soloist, including recitals in Banja Luka (Banski Dvor), Belgrade (Kolarac, Historical Museum of Serbia), Trebinje (Cultural Center), and has performed as a soloist with the Mostar Symphony Orchestra.
Snežana Ćuruvija, Manager for Strategic Planning and Organization
Snežana Ćuruvija is a producer and manager in culture with extensive experience in festival organization, cultural production and international cooperation. She is the founder and director of the entrepreneurial firm Resultanta.
She is the founder and president of the Citizens' Association Refraction Team — Initiative for Creative Action, through which she implements numerous projects in the field of architecture, visual arts, public space, cultural heritage and youth culture.
Snežana was the local coordinator of the event Night of the Museum in Pancevo in 2008, and in the period 2009—2013 she edited the art program of the Cultural Center Pancevo and realized more than 400 events. She participated in the elaboration of the Strategy for the Development of Culture of the City of Pancevo and is one of the initiators of the Local Action Plan for the Improvement of Cultural Habits of Children in Pancevo (2014).
Since 2014 she has been the program director of the International Festival for Children BUDI, and was also the director of Pancevo Film Festival (2014), as well as its producer and fundraising manager (2015-2018). She worked as program director of the festival Mikser (2016—2017), Šabac Summer Festival (2017), Park Festa (2019, 2023), and the women's production festival Hajde da virimo (2015). She was the producer and coordinator of exhibitions of the Nova Festival (2017—2019).
Since 2018 she has been the executive producer of ETM production, with projects in the field of television shows, series, quizzes, theatrical performances and festivals (TV quiz “Learn man”, TV series “Složna braća — the next generation”, TV series “Moje selo veselo”.
Nada Kolak, PR Festival
Nada Kolak is a graduate journalist with many years of experience in radio journalism and cultural promotion. She began her media career in 1998 at Radio Saint Georgia, where she edited and hosted shows dedicated to culture. From 1999 to 2014 she worked at UNO Radio as a host and author of various radio formats, and from 2014 she was engaged at Radio Republika Srpska.
Since 2014, she is the author and host of the show “Let's grow together”, which deals with parenting, upbringing and upbringing of children, with a special focus on stimulating children's creativity and the importance of music in early development. Through this show, she has been promoting the values of education, empathy and the arts for years, addressing both parents and the professional public.
He is a fan of classical music and currently performs the function of PR of A String Festival, where he contributes with his experience and sensibility to the promotion of string music and the strengthening of the cultural scene.
Duo ICStrings
The ICStrings duo, founded in 2016, combines the eight strings of their instruments, violin and cello, into a harmonious blend. Their goal is to bring the sound of a string quartet as close as possible with only two musicians. Thanks to their international education and artistic creativity, the two soloists cover a wide range of musical styles. The repertoire of the duo includes not only original classical works written for this ensemble, but also works from other eras, up to rock music. Ivan Knežević himself arranges arrangements for the duo in a very virtuoso manner. At this evening, they will interpret works from different eras and regions of Europe.
Eastern European Bass Ensemble
Eastern European Bass Ensemble was founded in 2021 and consists of five double bassists who are current and former students of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. The desire to play music together in such an unusual ensemble came from the idea of their professor Zoran Markovic, who with his former students, under the name Bass Chorus, recorded and presented live the album “Hommage to Stevan Mokranjac”.
Inspired by his work, and by the brilliant arrangements of wonderful music that Mokranjac from the Balkan region collected, recorded and announced in a multi-voice, they developed an additional desire to expand the borders and to include music from Eastern Europe in the repertoire.
The program includes traditional and sacred melodies of peoples that are connected at their roots and threads through them.
EEBE made his debut on 14.01.2023 at ZRC SAZ in Ljubljana, performed at the closing of the Chamber Music Festival in Novi Sad on 15.09.2023 which was later announced as the winner of the “Classical Music” award in the Music Festival category in 2023, and thus opened the 11th BUNT festival in Belgrade on 19.11.2023 and in the opinion of critics of the newspaper “Politika” was one of top ten classical music events in Serbia in the same year.
The members of the ensemble are Jošt Lampret, Stevan Jovanovic, Urban Čefarin, Nejc Klun and Veljko Stanković.
Miloš Petrović
Miloš Petrović was born in Belgrade, where he started his violin studies at the age of 13 with prof. Dejan Mihailović at the Faculty of Musical Arts. He graduated as the best student of the generation in 1999 and continued his training at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London in the class of Prof. David Taken. He completed his master's degree in Belgrade in 2001, and the following year he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree “with First Class Honours” in London.
He is a laureate of several international competitions. He has been a member of the orchestra since 2013. Bamberg Philharmonicas deputy leader of the second violin. He also actively performs as a soloist and chamber musician in the country and abroad.
Nicolas Brunel
Born in 1984 in the Paris region, Nicolas fell in love with music very early, and especially with the violin, an instrument he has been playing since he was five years old.
He graduated from the National School of Instrument Building in Myrecourt in 2006 and gained experience in various areas of Lutheria, working especially with Bernard Sabatier and Friedrich Alber. Nicolas opens his studio in 2018 in Montpellier and dedicates himself daily to the creation and superb restoration of string instruments.
Stojan Jovanovic
Violinist Stojan JovanovicHe has been active in the music world for almost 20 years. He graduated in violin from the Anton Bruckner University in Linz and later completed postgraduate studies Music Managementat the Donau University in Krems. He began his professional career as a sales manager at the Austrian company Brodmann, known for the production of pianos, where he was in charge of the markets of Southeast Europe. Thanks to the combination of musical expertise and international business experience, Stojan joined Thomastik in 2016-Infeld, one of the world's leading manufacturers of strings for strings.As part of its role product Manager at Thomastik-Infeld, Stojan is deeply involved in the development, testing and refinement of strings for string instruments — especially for violin and viola. It works with professional musicians, instrument builders and international partners to ensure that each product meets the highest artistic and technical standards.In addition to working on product development and optimization sound, Stojan is actively involved in marketing and communication, where he contributes to shaping the brand image, collaborating with artists and presenting products within the global music community.
Sponsors
Patron
President of the Republic of Srpska Milorad Dodik
Patron
Government of the Republic of Srpska
Gold Sponsor
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