Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, the Mokranjac Foundation organised several concerts named "The Echoes of the Mokranjac Days" in Belgrade, Kragujevac and Novi Sad on September 2012. Chamber Choir Salutaris from Minsk (Belarus) performed as a winner of the Choir Festival "The Mokranjac Days", 2011.
For the first time "The Echoes of the Mokranjac Days" have been expanded further even out of Belgrade. The concerts were realised in cooperation with the Centre of Culture "Stevan Mokranjac"from Negotin, the City Department of Culture of Belgrade, the Music Centre of Kragujevac and the Music Youth of Novi Sad.
Chamber Choir Salutaris was founded in 2007. Repertoire of this mixed vocal ensemble (members are teachers, economists, artists, choir conductors and singers), is wide ranged: from renaissance sacral music to contemporary sacral pieces, from traditional Russian and Belarus songs to original arrangements of folk and pop music. A high professional level of interpretation of a demanding programme was confirmed at concerts in Slovenia (The Festival Orfest, 2007), Spain (Torevjeha, 2008), Belarus (2007 - 2012), Italy (2009), Poland and Bulgaria (2010), Germany and Lithuania (2011 - 2012), Russia, Ukraine and Serbia (2012). On May 2009 the choir was awarded the diploma of the first degree at the 10th Festival of Orthodox Music in Minsk. On November Salutaris with cooperation of the Operatic Studio of the State Belarus Academy, performed the opera "Dido and Aeneas" by Henry Purcell. On May 2010 the choir was victorious at the International Festival of Orthodox Church Music in Hajnovka, Poland. On September 2011, Salutaris won the first prize at the Choir Competition "The Mokranjac Days" in Negotin, Serbia. The choir has recorded 3 CDs and a DVD up till now.
The chief conductor and an artistic leader of Chamber Choir Salutaris is Ms. Olga Yanum. An experienced pedagogue and a charismatic leader, Ms. Yanum is an endless source of new ideas and a very specific musical vision. She graduated from the State Music Academy, at the Conducting and the Voice Department, in Belarus in 1994. Currently, apart from Salutaris, a choir of Orthodox Church in Minsk is under her guidance.
An imposing, very rich concert activity and its conductor, as well, is reflected in numerous concerts, more than 50, performed in Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus in the most prestigious concert halls, in 2012. More than 10.000 listeners attended the concerts of Salutaris, last year.
The choir Salutaris performed the same and very carefully chosen repertoire at all three concerts held in Serbia, so that the choir’s potential could be completely shown. The concert held in Kragujevac (at the First Grammar Hall) on September 17th 2012, was a big success. The choir gave a recital at the Kolarac Foundation Hall in Belgrade, on September 18th 2012, and a number of distinguished people from cultural life in Serbia and diplomats from a few Embassies were present. The Belarus Embassy presented a cocktail after the concert. The concert held in Novi Sad, occurred in an extraordinary atmosphere in Synagogue on September 19th 2012.
Having been performing in attractive costumes – copies of the old folk costumes, with the programme consisted of sacral songs at the first part of the concert (pieces by Martinov, Dilecki, Denisova, Ljanovic, Bondarenko, Eshenvalds, Bulgarian and Greek songs) and Belarus folk songs arranged by a young composer Andrey Savritsky, at the second part, the audience was very impressed with such a wonderful performance of the choir in all three cities. The crystal voices, a clean intonation, a very good diction and the excellent soloists gave impression about a very profound attitude towards music, including each tone, a phrase, even a movement on the stage. With the conductor Olga Yanum, her sophisticated sense for dynamics and skilful transformation from very light, transparent vocal sound to extremely strong and full, the choir Salutaris presented very interesting pieces to the audience in Serbia. The original choreography at the second part of the concert with the sound of folk instruments, imitating the sounds of nature (a storm and wind), with the movements, ritual dance and an extraordinary performance of the Garland II byMokranjac, have resulted in ovation at all three concerts. The choir Salutaris presented long encores to the audience. The most interesting one, performed in Novi Sad, in contemporary arrangement, was a famous Russian song "In Moscow, in the evening".
The Mokranjac Foundation, under the impression of very satisfied audience with an outstanding and a very attractive performance of the choir Salutaris, in all three cities, has decided to bring the choir again and present it to the other cities in Serbia.