INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION “CIAO” IN BELGRADE
Today, July 24th, the semi-finals of the first International music competition CIAO were held at the Josip Slavenski music school in Belgrade. This competition represents a collaborative music project between Chinese and European cultural organizations.
The opening of the inaugural International music competition CIAO was attended by Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević (Honorary Jury), Hua Tianren (Jury President), and Dean Prof. Dr. Vladimir Tomašević (President of the Organizing Committee).
The competition includes various categories in which young musicians from Serbia and China compete. Around 50 musicians have come to Belgrade for this event, and they will head to Kotor for the finals tomorrow, where musicians from Montenegro will also join them.
This competition holds great significance as it serves as a platform to connect different cultures and artists. Music, being universal, is the best way to foster good cultural collaborations, stated Wanzhe Zhang, a Chinese artist and vice president of the CIAO platform.
Notably, the International music competition CIAO is the first competition jointly organized by official Chinese and European cultural organizations and music entities. It was convened in China and Europe with a mission to bring together professional and amateur young musicians, allowing them to exchange art and establish connections with one another.
CIAO (pronounced as qiáo in Chinese) means hello in Serbian and Italian, and in Chinese, it carries the meaning of bridge.
The competition council comprises the Shanghai International Association for Culture, the Secretariat for Culture in Belgrade, the Faculty of Music Arts at the University of Arts in Belgrade, the Don Branko Sbutega Foundation, the Universal Artists Foundation. The organizers are the Shanghai Overseas Education Center for Exchange, the Belgrade Cultural Center, and the KotorArt International Festival. The co-organizers include the Chinese-Serbian Center for Scientific and Cultural Exchange, the BUNT Festival, and the Kotor Concert Hall.
The finals of the competition will continue on July 26th and 27th in Kotor, where, as part of the KotorArt International Festival, several concerts will take place, and awards will be presented.
