For those that attended our ME&US Cultural Intertwining Concert in October 2022, at the Music Academy of the West, may remember Milutin Radulović, a talented young violinist from Montenegro who performed with five other young musicians from Santa Barbara and Montenegro.

Since his last visit to Santa Barbara in 2022, Milutin’s musical journey has further developed.  In January 2023, he had the chance to perform as soloist in front of the orchestra in Sarajevo.  Less than a week after that, he passed the entrance exam in Hochschule für Musik Saar (Saarbrücken, Germany).  In April 2023, he moved to Saarbrücken and is studying under the direction of professor Gordan Nikolić.  Currently, he is a student of two music academies: Hochschule für Musik Saar and Sarajevo Music Academy (Bosnia and Herzegovina).  Milutin has been engaged on several occasions as a member of the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, the Sarajevo Philharmonic, and the Mostar Symphony Orchestra.

In early February of 2024, he completed his application and audition video for Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West’s Fellow’s Program for the Summer of 2024.  The competition to become a Fellow is tough and, if accepted, Milutin will learn and work with 140 other “Fellows” from around the world, ages 18-34, they will study and perform for eight weeks with 50+ teaching artists to become not just great musicians, but great leaders.

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro, composers from Santa Barbara and Kotor created original music, representative of their home countries, which was performed by young musicians from each of our Sister Cities. The performance was attended by U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro, Judy Rising Reinke, and Sister City Committee liaison, Vickie Williams.

As an encore, these young musicians will perform this program at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara on October 2, 2022. Also performing will be Montenegrin guitarist, Miloš Karadaglić, together with Nicholas Petrovic Njegoš, the Crown Prince of Montenegro, on flute. Other dignitaries from both Sister Cities will be on hand as Santa Barbara’s Dr. Ichak K. Adizes is awarded the newly established American Montenegro – USA Friendship Award under the patronage of the President of Montenegro, Mr. Milo Djukanović.

Dear Friends of Kotor,

KotorArt was invited by the U.S. Ambassador in Podgorica to apply for a small grant with a project that would strengthen the connections between the United States and Montenegro. We see no better basis for a project like this, than our established collaboration with the Santa Barbara-Kotor Sister City Committee and the University of California Santa Barbara Music Department!

Receiving this grant will allow us to commission four original pieces, from two composers, one from Montenegro and one from Santa Barbara, inspired by Montenegrin and United States heritage (local melodies, jazz standards, etc.).

To perform these pieces, we will create a small ensemble of four young musicians (two from each country). They will collaborate and prepare online, and finally meet in person, to rehearse and perform the pieces at the KotorArt International Music Festival, the University of California Santa Barbara and the Music Academy of the West in 2022.

Regards,
Ratimir Martinović
Founder and Executive Director of KotorArt

UCSB Music Students Sara Bashore, Violinist and Katrina Agate, Cellist joined KotorArt musicians Andrija Jovovic, Piano and Nastasja Vojinovic, Violin to perform at the Music Academy of the West in January 2020. The Concert ‘Strings and Keys’ was a celebration of the collaboration between the Santa Barbara – Kotor, Montenegro Sister City Program and the UCSB Department of Music.