Through the performance of the Victoria String Orchestra, the young Bosnian musicians, including our scholarship holder Nejla Komar, had a chance to present their knowledge and skill in the field of classical music to the global public through the unique musical project Red Bull Symphonic, which was supported by the Goethe Institute.
The Victoria String Orchestra is made up of eighteen classically educated young musicians – string instrument players, with six first-order violins, five second-order violins, four violas, two violoncellos (Nejla Komar – cello), and one double bass. A part of this orchestra is also our ex-scholarship holder, the violinist Larisa Horić.
Mirza Rahmanović – Indigo is a well-known music producer from Sarajevo and DJ of the group FM Jam who amazes our region and the entire world with his music mixes. During this performance, the tracks from his first solo album “Victoria” were presented, and, for the needs of this album where electronic and classical music were both required, the aforementioned orchestra was formed. The realization of this project in Bosnia and Herzegovina presents only its second edition in the world after the Viennese concert last year where the concert of the drum’n’bass Camo & Krooked duo was held in the Wiener Konzerthaus with the orchestra of Max Steiner.
Nejla’s work quality excellent skills of playing the violoncello were recognized earlier by several domestic and foreign institutions and individuals due to her activities on the musical scene in BiH, the surrounding region, and also in Spain. Nejla also gave her own opinion on the Red Bull Symphonic project:
Indigo and the FM Jam crew are professionals full of positive energy, and working with such individuals is a remarkable experience. Personally, this project is the first contact I had on the scene with this type of conceptual music, which some people might associate with sci-fi movies, and it will certainly not leave them indifferent. The whole performance was followed by excellent lighting and great visualization by the Sarajevo artist Enis Čišić, whose futuristic animations were a great guide through the world of Indigo’s compositions.
The compositions from Indigo’s album were conducted by the young composer from Sarajevo, Toni Toplan, who, for the needs of this project, adapted the electronic beats to the classical form for the string instruments. The Red Bull Symphonic project offers the possibility to implement new musical experiences and creative ideas and it also gives the young musicians like Nejla, a possibility to present their musical abilities in an event of global proportions, which, for classical musicians especially in smaller countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, is very difficult.
This project was a new challenge for classically educated musicians like us, but also to the crew from Tuzla, FM Jam. This was the first time we have met “half-way” with these genres and I believe that this project turned out better than we intended at the start. The live concert was enjoyed by people from the whole world, through the official channel of Red Bull Music. I think that this is a great promotion for our country, which was a hotspot of potential in the field of arts for generations. I hope that the quality will be recognized and valued in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are the words of Nejla Komar who plans to become a professional in the music and art scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The author’s rights on the photographs belong to Sulejman Omerbašić.
Prepared by: Una Karabeg
Translated by: Mehanović Ešref
