At the 27th competition intended for young musical talents living in the Gulf countries, “Young Musicians of the Gulf,” held in Bahrain, the string orchestra BSAK Strings, led by Niš native Milan Dragan Janković, won first place in the ensemble category with the pieces “Niška Banja” and “Rasti, rasti, moj zeleni bore.” His student became the first cellist to ever win at this competition, making the success of this Niš native even greater.
Music knows no borders, and this was confirmed by Milan Dragan Janković, who moved from Niš to Abu Dhabi nine years ago. He is a cello teacher at “The British School Al Khubairat” and also leads the school’s string orchestra called “BSAK Strings.”
His students took part last week in the 27th competition intended for young musical talents living in the Gulf countries (Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman). The host was “St Christopher’s School” from Bahrain.
“The ensemble I lead, which has 12 members, presented itself with a medley of the compositions ‘Niška Banja’ and ‘Rasti, rasti, moj zeleni bore,’ winning first place in the ensemble category. None of the ensemble members are from Serbia or neighboring countries; the children are between 11 and 18 years old and come from Great Britain, China, Sri Lanka, South Korea, France, Lebanon, …,” Janković says.
YMOG (Young Musicians of the Gulf) is a competition that was first held in 1998 as a small internal event in Bahrain and has grown into a grand manifestation that attracts hundreds of participants from top international schools across the Gulf.
“The competition also had a solo category, and my student Kenodh from Sri Lanka won it, becoming the first cellist to win a competition with a tradition of nearly 30 years,” Janković adds.
Milan Dragan Janković completed music school and the Faculty of Arts in Niš, and has been living in the United Arab Emirates since 2017.
What sets YMOG apart from ordinary school performances is the jury, made up of top experts from prestigious academies, who not only evaluate the performances but also hold master workshops for the participants.
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Source: Južne vesti, Foto: Privatna arhiva