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Cultural Intertwining at the Music Academy of the West

by | Dec 8, 2022 | Announcements, Homepage | 0 comments

Entertaining, informative, and a look to the future was what everyone experienced who attended the Santa Barbara – Kotor Sister City event at the Music Academy of the West, on Sunday October 2nd. 

Guests enjoyed original music created and performed by musicians from the department of music UCSB and Montenegro, along with performances by celebrated guitarist MILOŠ and the Crown Prince of Montenegro, Nicholas Petrovich-Njegoš.  A documentary exploring the history of the U.S. and Montenegro and an emotional look back at 13 years of Sister City exchanges between Santa Barbara and Kotor were the highlights of the evening.  

ME&US 2022

ME&US 2022

Dignitaries from both Sister Cities were on hand as Santa Barbara’s, Dr. Ichak K. Adizes, was awarded the newly established American Montenegro – USA Friendship Award under the patronage of the President of Montenegro, Mr. Milo Djukanović.

Ratimir Martinović, along with Helene Schnieder, presented the ME&US Fund (Montenegro & United States) a project initiated by Santa Barbara – Kotor Sister Cities, KotorArt, the SJL Foundation and the Don Branko Sbutega Foundation. With its mission to strengthen the civil and cultural ties between the two countries and their citizens. 

To view the documentary or to make a tax-deductible donation to help continue cultural exchanges between Santa Barbara and Kotor, click on the buttons below.

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UCSB musicians perform at the KotorArt International Music Festival

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Oct 20, 2022

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro, composers from Santa Barbara and Kotor created original music, representative of their home countries, which was performed by young musicians from each of our Sister Cities. The performance was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro, Judy Rising Reinke, and Sister City Committee liaison, Vickie Williams.

As an encore, these young musicians will perform this program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara on October 2, 2022. Also performing will be Montenegrin guitarist, Miloš Karadaglić, together with Nicholas Petrovic Njegoš, the Crown Prince of Montenegro, on flute. Other dignitaries from both Sister Cities will be on hand as Santa Barbara’s Dr. Ichak K. Adizes is awarded the newly established American Montenegro – USA Friendship Award under the patronage of the President of Montenegro, Mr. Milo Djukanović.

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Strengthening Montenegro & United States ties

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Dear Friends of Kotor,

KotorArt was invited by the U.S. Ambassador in Podgorica to apply for a small grant with a project that would strengthen the connections between the United States and Montenegro. We see no better basis for a project like this, than our established collaboration with the Santa Barbara-Kotor Sister City Committee and the University of California Santa Barbara Music Department!

Receiving this grant will allow us to commission four original pieces, from two composers, one from Montenegro and one from Santa Barbara, inspired by Montenegrin and United States heritage (local melodies, jazz standards, etc.).

To perform these pieces, we will create a small ensemble of four young musicians (two from each country). They will collaborate and prepare online, and finally meet in person, to rehearse and perform the pieces at the KotorArt International Music Festival, the University of California Santa Barbara and the Music Academy of the West in 2022.

Regards,
Ratimir Martinović
Founder and Executive Director of KotorArt

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