Israeli violin virtuoso Shlomo Mintz performed in Serbia in November, bringing his extraordinary mastery of the instrument to the Balkanic country.
Mint held two concerts with the Vojvodina Symphony Orchestra, under the conductorship of Austrian maestro Leopold Hager.
The first concert was held in the central concert hall of Belgrade, the Serbian capital city, while the second took place in the monumental synagogue of Novi Sad, built at the beginning of the 20th century when the city was home to several thousand Jews.
The concerts represented the culmination of the celebrations for the thirtieth anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and Serbia. The events were supported by the Embassy of Israel in Belgrade.
Addressing the audience in Belgrade, Ambassador Yahel Vilan pointed out that the year was full of joint events and projects, emphasizing the deep cultural connection between the two nations. He also expressed confidence that there will be opportunities for numerous cultural events and joint performances by Serbian and Israeli artists in the coming years.
Both performances were very well attended. The audience filled the halls to the brim, including guests from the diplomatic community, classical music students, municipal representatives alongside directors of cultural departments, loyal fans of the artist and those who had only heard of him from the pages of newspapers.
Mintz emigrated to Israel from Russia when he was two and began playing the violin shortly after. He has played with some of the major orchestras and conductors in the world. In addition, he is also a co-founder of the "Violins of Hope" project: forty-five violins whose owners lost their lives in ghettos and concentration camps during World War II, restored and displayed internationally.