POLICE ORCHESTRA TO PARTICIPATE IN MILITARY BANDS FESTIVAL IN MOSCOW

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 15 /SRNA/ - The Police Orchestra of the Ministry of the Interior /MUP/ of Republika Srpska will perform next week at the "Spasskaya Tower" Military Bands Festival in Moscow, which will gather 33 orchestras and around 70,000 visitors.

The head of the MUP Police Orchestra of Republika Srpska Jelena Atlagić told SRNA that it is a great honor to be part of this festival, one of the three most important in the field of military music, but also a tremendous challenge. "The performance is a major professional challenge," Atlagić said. This requires great effort and dedication to ensure that the orchestra's instrumental and performance quality is at least close to that of the much larger and more experienced ensembles with long-standing traditions. Atlagić said that the visit to Russia will last more than 10 days and that the orchestra from Republika Srpska will perform every evening on Red Square. "Each performance is an opportunity to present ourselves in the best possible way. We chose to perform two pieces - March of the Kozara Proletarians and March on the Drina, within the six minutes allotted for our performance, and we have also prepared choreography, which is something new for us," Atlagić explained. Preparations have been underway daily since the beginning of July, when the invitation from Moscow arrived. "In addition to the performances on Red Square, we will also take part in a parade in one of their parks, as well as a 40-minute concert presenting our regular repertoire," Atlagić announced. The conductor of the MUP Police Orchestra of Republika Srpska Dušan Pokrajčić, emphasized the significance of participating in the Festival, noting that it will be an opportunity to introduce the audience to the work of Serbian composers. "We will present a domestic musical style, performing works by Serbian composers. The main part will be the nightly performances on Red Square. Although each one lasts only about six minutes, it is a major challenge because we will, for the first time, incorporate choreography while playing," Pokrajčić said. He stressed that participation in the Festival is a great honor, as it is one of the largest in the field of military music. "Moreover, the very fact that we will perform in Moscow, a center of culture and history, fills us with great excitement," Pokrajčić said. He added that the orchestra's communication with the audience is always good at concerts and that he expects the same in Moscow. "From our very first concert, we designed a concept that includes a varied repertoire - from classical music and marches to ethno, traditional, pop, and film music that everyone knows," Pokrajčić noted. The Festival will be held from August 22 to 31, and Pokrajčić expressed gratitude to the Cabinet of the President of Republika Srpska for supporting the Orchestra's participation in such a significant event.