The Festival Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2022 as a result of the Youngmasters’ support of the group’s musicianship and chamber music over the years. This Orchestra was formed wout of the desire to give participants the opportunity to participate in a larger ensemble at a high playing level. Therefore the young string players who were selected in the evaluation process are excellent. The students will be also  joined by several professionals in the orchestra.

With great success the FCO made its debut at the 2022 Gala concert in the St Leonard Church in Kotari, Samobor. The Orchestra was actually the star of that evening. We had the opportunity to watch the recording of the concert on HTV 1 and HTV 3 as many as 3 times.

In 2023, we continued with the Festival Chamber Orchestra, this time under the artistic direction of maestro Davor Kelić. The Youngmasters Gala 2023 was set in Posavina Museum in Brežice, in their beautiful Knight’s Hall. With this act, we will celebrated Schengen, significant for Samobor, but also for the original idea of Youngmasters and its long lasting. At the Gala Concert ,the FCO performed a diverse and attractive program. It was joined by two outstanding young soloists, chosen from among the long-term participants of the Summer School. The young baritone from Samobor, Martin Rogan, performed two numbers from Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni: the aria Deh vieni alla finestra and the duet La ci darem la mano, which he sang with the soprano Ana Zebić Kostel. The second soloist was a young pianist from Zagreb, Iskra Silvestri Valdevit, who played the second movement of Šostaković’s concerto, op. 102.

 

THE REPERTOIRE OF THE FESTIVAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA 2024:

Antoni Vivaldi (1678 – 1741): Concerto for Mandolin in C Major
                         Marta Faullend Heferer, guitar

Antonio Vivaldi: Motet In fuore iustissimae irae, RV 626
                         Josipa Bilić, soprano

Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809): Keyboard Concerto in D Major, mvt. 1 & 3
                         Paula Dužanec, piano

Ottorino Respighi (1879 – 1936): Ancient Airs and Dances – Italiana, Siciliana

Emmerich Kalman (1882 – 1953): Czardas aria from operetta Gräfin Mariza
                        Josipa Bilić, soprano

 

MEMBERS OF THE 2024 FESTIVAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA:

Violins: Tanja Felja, Ivana Lesinšek, Anja Udovčić, Iskra Jurišić, Elizabeta Peša, Antonija Balija, Filip Kkulj, Ao Okado, Andrea Haber Požar
Violas: Bianka Braim, Marko Otmačić
Violoncellos: Jelena Magdalena Šarić, Lara Novosel
Double bass: Eva Dostal

Harpischord: Andrea Šimić

Soloists:
Marta Faullend Heferer, guitar
Josipa Bilić, soprano
Paula Dužanec, piano

Conducter: maestro Davor Kelić