26th Jan – 3rd March 2018
London, Reading, Birmingham, Halifax, Corby, Bedford, Leicester, Peterborough, Tunbridge Wells
We are very proud of the journey we have been on over the last decade especially when we look back to the beginning of that journey the first Serbian Week in Great Britain held in Leeds and London in 2008.
What started with a few events in 2008, has grown from year to year to become Serbian Month with over thirty impressive events held in numerous towns around Britain. Over the last decade Serbian Month has taken place in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Reading, Birmingham, Norwich, Halifax, York, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Brighton, Tunbridge Wells, Forest Row, Maidenhead, Leamington Spa, Bedford, Corby, Leicester and Peterborough.
Serbian Month was initiated by three organisations (Serbian Council of Great Britain, Serbian City Club and Serbian Society) and over time it has caught the imagination of over thirty organisations, numerous individuals, and the Serbian government, all of whom joined this celebration of Serbian culture, heritage and its contribution to British society. Now Serbian Month is viewed as the biggest Serbian festival of its kind worldwide. This is a great achievement of the Serbian Diaspora in Britain and is proof of our creativity and our ability to work together for the good of the community.
The Serbian Council of Great Britain has published a special publication to celebrate and commemorate the tenth anniversary of Serbian Month in Great Britain. It not only lists this year’s full schedule of events but also contains information about Serbian organisations in Britain, those working with Serbia, online communities, publications for British Serbs and artists of Serbian origin living and working in Britain. We know that we have only scratched the surface and we hope to build on this publication in future years.
The opening of the tenth Serbian Month is taking place at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia with Holocaust Memorial Day organised by the Jasenovac and Holocaust Memorial Foundation and will include a lecture and exhibition. The Serbian Embassy has given its full support to Serbian Month over the last ten years and there are two more events which will be held on its premises: on the 9th February an evening with author Maja Herman Sekulić organised by the Association of Serbian Writers and Artists Abroad followed by concert by harpists from the Mokranjac Music School in Belgrade: Marija Zoroja, Minja Stojanović and Marko Brkić and on the 22nd February the artist Marko Ilić will be in conversation with Ana Russell-Omaljev, a Contemporary Balkan Art event.
The first week of the Serbian Month is dedicated to celebration of St Sava that takes place in nine towns around UK: London, Reading, Birmingham, Halifax, Bedford, Corby, Leicester, Peterborough and Tunbridge Wells. The programme follows with the launch of the ‘Around the Globe Music & Arts’ which continues with its mission to showcase contemporary composers. Star guests include the composers Vera Milanković and Lola Perrin, the renowned pianist Olga Dudnik performing Aleksandar’s Vujić ‘Jewish Suite’ and the actress Vesna Stanojević. The Serbian actors Milan Gutović, Nebojsa Dugalić and Miljan Prljeta will perform the play ‘Art’, while vocal ensemble ‘Constantine’ from Niš is touring the UK with concerts in Leicester, Birmingham, London and Corby. Later in the month music events include classical concerts by the pianist Mina Miletić as well as an evening of Serbian, Armenian and Bulgarian music with the pianist Nataša Sarcević, violinists Madlen Stokić-Vasiljević and Tatvik Khachatryan and the cellist Joseph Spooner. A dance theatre HILT directed and choreographed by Miliça (Mil) Vuković Smart will form part of the Resolution 2018 festival, while the Folklore Ensamble St Eliah from Corby will make sure that we celebrate our tradition of folk dancing.
Apart from the regular meeting of the Serbian City Club, there will be a special evening ‘Belgrade Party’ dedicated to the memory of the pioneers of the cultural life of the Serbian Community in Britain, Gordana Miller, Miki Stoiljković and Pale Brozicević. The Circle of Serbian Sisters ’Kosovo Maiden’ in London will treat us to a Bake Sale, while book lovers will have their own treat at Mini Book Fair organised by the Serbian Library and Istros Booksat which several authors will be present. Marko Gasic will present the guest author John Zametica’s book Folly and Malice about role of Serbia in WW1 The other book launch, Death’s Sting: Duplicity and Deceit in the Balkans by Ewen Southby-Tailyour, co-hosted by the St Sava Parish and the Serbian Council of Great Britain, will take place at Serbian Church in London where Zvezdana Popović will also hold a Memorial Service and lecture for women in foreign medical missions in Serbia during WW1. The St Sava Parish will also host an exhibition of Artography by Svetislav Savić organised by the Serbian Society, while an event to discuss the book An Introduction to Serbian performing Arts Education: Critical Insight will be held at UCL with the authors Evangelos Himonides and Vera Milanković.
The biggest event will definitely be final celebration of the 10th anniversary, The Round Table Serbian Fair sponsored by Alletsons Solicitors and organised by the Serbian Council of Great Britain. This one day event will be the culmination of the celebrations of Serbian Month 2018, an opportunity for all Serbian organisations or those working with Serbia to present their work to the Serbian community and the wider British public. It will show the talent, diversity and richness of our community and the positive contribution we make to British society. The event will include Round Table Meeting, various music performances and a British Serbs Have Talent contest. This important anniversary will be celebrated with a rousing concert by Paprika performing Balkan music.
Apart from Alletsons Solicitors, Serbian Month is sponsored by Bozholidays, SOKOJ and VECO.
For further details on programme and catalogue please visit:
http://www.serbiancouncil.org.uk/projects/serbian-month/
For further information please contact: info@serbiancouncil.org.uk
Welcome!
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