Journey to the Centre of Sound: an Interview with Vladimir Korać

Branka  Popović

Branka Popović University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Music, Department of Composition

Abstract

Conversation with a composer

Author Biography

Branka Popović, University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Music, Department of Composition

(1977, Belgrade) graduated from the Department of Musicology and the Department of Composition (composition studies with Zoran Erić) at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. She obtained her Masters in Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (composition studies with Judith Bingham), and she worked for a year at the Guildhall as the Composition Fellow. She finished her doctoral studies in composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade (composition studies with Zoran Erić). Her pieces were performed by many prominent artists, including: Austrian Ensemble for New Music, ARTéfacts Ensemble (Greece), Ansamblul devotio Moderna (Romania), Stephen Gutman (UK), Ellen Ugelvik (Norway), The Construction Site, Ensemble Metamorphosis, Studio 6, St. George Strings, LP Duo. Her works have been presented at many events, such as: World New Music Days (Bratislava, 2013), Reims Scenes d’Europe (2016), Átlátszó Hang (Budapest, 2017), International Spring Orchestra Festival (Malta, 2016), Festivalul International Meridian 2014 (Romania), 4^th International Biennial of Contemporary Music in Koper 2014 (Slovenia), International Review of Composers, City of London Festival, Sir Harrison Birtwistle Festival and International Rostrum of Composers. She won a prize for the trio Dream (I. S. o. F) for clarinet, violoncello and piano at the Summer Music Academy Budapest-Prague-Vienna 2002 and was awarded Best Music for her work in the film The Breaking Point (directed by Igor M. Toholj) at the 56^th Belgrade Short and Documentary Film Festival in 2009. Her piece Lines & circles... for recorder, trumpet, harp and accordion was elected among ten recommended works at the International Rostrum of Composers 2015 in Tallinn. From 2016-18 she was one of selected participants at the CEEC Composers Fieldtrip to China. Her piece Stardust for viola and string orchestra was awarded 2^nd prize at the London Music Society 2017 International Composer’s Competition and her Concerto for accordion and symphony orchestra was elected among ten recommended works at the International Rostrum of Composers 2024 in Vilnius. Branka Popović is Associate Professor of Composition at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. Since 2016 she is a programme selector of the International Review of Composers.