{"id":209506,"date":"2026-05-09T10:52:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T08:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/?p=209506"},"modified":"2026-05-09T10:54:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T08:54:54","slug":"night-to-remember-in-america-serbian-heritage-festival-in-cleveland-combined-childrens-song-folklore-and-film-photo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/night-to-remember-in-america-serbian-heritage-festival-in-cleveland-combined-childrens-song-folklore-and-film-photo\/","title":{"rendered":"A NIGHT TO REMEMBER IN AMERICA: Serbian Heritage Festival in Cleveland combined children’s song, folklore, and film! (PHOTO)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The “Sveti Sava” Children’s Choir combined music, folklore, poetry, and film, while the screening of the movie “Hajduk in Belgrade” included Cleveland (Ohio, USA) on the map of the American tour.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spirit of Serbian culture, tradition, and togetherness came to life at the Serbian Heritage Festival, held in the hall of St. Sava Church on Wallings Road. The festival was organized and hosted by the “Sveti Sava” Children’s Choir under the artistic direction of Dr. Nada Martinovic, as part of the celebration of Eastern European Heritage Month in Ohio, as well as on the occasion of the end of another successful choral season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special significance was given to the event by the fact that the film “Hajduk in Belgrade” was shown as part of an American tour and placed Cleveland on the cultural map of the Serbian diaspora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I am particularly glad that we managed to unite different forms of artistic expression: film, music, folklore, an exhibition, as well as the written and spoken word, and through them to show the richness and breadth of our cultural heritage, as well as the way it lives and is passed on, especially through working with children,” points out Dr. Nada Martinovic, artistic director of the choir and organizer of the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening began solemnly, with a prayer served by Archpriest-Stavrophor Mijoljub Matic and priest Goran Micic, giving the event a special spiritual dimension. Among the distinguished guests was Mrs. Laurel Tombazzi, founder and president of the Eastern European Congress of Ohio, whose presence further highlighted the importance of this cultural event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Celebration of children’s creativity and living tradition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the center of the program was the concert of the “Sveti Sava” Children’s Choir, which presented to the audience the results of its work, dedication, and love for music and tradition. The repertoire reflected the artistic and pedagogical approach of Dr. Martinovic, in which Serbian musical heritage is nurtured through various genres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A special impression was left by the performance in which children danced the kolo while the choir performed the song “Kolo,” an original work by Dr. Nada Martinovic, who authored both the music and the lyrics. This moment symbolically connected music, dance, and togetherness \u2013 the essence of Serbian tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The youngest folklore groups of the “Morava” ensemble also performed on stage, under the leadership of teachers Gordana Kovcic and Mirjana Vidakovic, whose playful performances showed how tradition is successfully passed on to the youngest generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The literary segment of the program was completed by poet Sandra Zecevic, who shared with the audience a personal reflection on the significance of such events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was an honor to participate in the festival of our children’s choir ‘Sveti Sava,’ which is one of the pearls not only of our city, but of the entire diaspora. I thank our Nada Martinovic for the invitation, as well as for the effort and love she invests in her work, the results of which are more than visible. As it is written in the testament of Stefan Nemanja, or Saint Simeon the Myrrh-streaming, song is the soul of the people \u2013 the guardian of history, joy, and sorrow, but also a source of strength for survival. I hope that with my verses, which I wrote a long time ago for my sons \u2013 ‘Go with me, son Marko’ and ‘Son Jovan’ \u2013 I conveyed the emotion of a parent in the diaspora who wants to preserve an unbreakable bond with the homeland for their children, and with the song ‘I remained longing for you,’ dedicated to my native Dalmatia, I expressed the feeling that we always carry our native soil in our hearts, no matter where we are,” said Sandra Zecevic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cultural exhibition and community gathering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the stage program, visitors had the opportunity to view a cultural exhibition of Barbie dolls dressed in Serbian folk costumes (which Danica Martinovic has been “dressing” with her skillful hands for years), which presented the richness of regional tradition and folk art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival was also an opportunity for the community to socialize, gathering families, friends, and culture lovers in a warm and festive atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Film screening as a special cultural event<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After the concert, the program continued with the screening of the film “Hajduk in Belgrade” (Rebel in Belgrade), directed by Milan Todorovic, as part of his American tour. With this screening, Cleveland was included on the map of this significant film tour, which represents a special cultural moment for the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audience had a unique opportunity to establish direct contact with the creators of the film, including actor Todor Jovanovic, through a conversation and exchange of impressions before the screening itself. This dialogue allowed the audience a deeper insight into the creation of the film, its themes, and artistic approach, further enriching the overall experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was particularly valuable that we had the opportunity to talk with the artists before the screening. That gave a completely new dimension to watching the film,” one of the visitors pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Heritage that connects generations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Serbian Heritage Festival was much more than a single event \u2013 it represented a complete cultural experience that united music, dance, poetry, visual art, and film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the leadership of Dr. Nada Martinovic, the festival once again confirmed the importance of working with children as carriers of culture and tradition, showing that through song and togetherness, identity is preserved and bridges are built between generations and cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE TOPICS:<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

TWO YOUNG MEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER IN KRUSEVAC: Aleksandar (22) was stabbed and left on the street, they owed him money!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHOEVER DOES NOT PAY ALIMONY, REMAINS WITHOUT A PASSPORT: State Department announced a new measure for irresponsible parents!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI AM GOING STRAIGHT TO ROLAND GARROS\u201d: Novak revealed that he is skipping the tournament in Geneva, his body is not listening, but the fight continues!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KIDNAPPED ACTIVIST FROM RAKOVICA SHARES HIS STORY: \u201cThey beat me and threatened me, they changed the story when their names were published!\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source<\/strong>: <\/strong>RTS<\/a>,\u00a0Photo:<\/strong> Nada Martinovi\u0107<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The “Sveti Sava” Children’s Choir combined music, folklore, poetry, and film, while the screening of the movie “Hajduk in Belgrade” included Cleveland (Ohio, USA) on the map of the American tour. The spirit of Serbian culture, tradition, and togetherness came to life at the Serbian Heritage Festival, held in the hall of St. Sava Church […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2169,"featured_media":209511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[71,12594,12595,414,8103,12161,2671,2179,119,23,295],"class_list":["post-209506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diaspora","tag-amerika","tag-deciji-hor-sveti-sava","tag-festival-kulturne-bastine","tag-film","tag-folklor","tag-hajduk-u-beogradu","tag-klivlend","tag-ohajo","tag-pesma","tag-sad","tag-srpska-dijaspora","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Serbiantimes.info EN","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209506"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209533,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209506\/revisions\/209533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/serbiantimes.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}