Schola Cantorum Returns From Tour of Republic of Serbia; Received by Standing-Room-Only Crowds

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Schola Cantorum in the Crypt of the Temple of St. Sava - Belgrade, Serbia

The University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum traveled to the Republic of Serbia this summer for a series of concerts featuring secular music of the Balkans and sacred music of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

They gave concerts at the University of Belgrade's Studenskigrad, the Great Hall at the University of Niş in collaboration with the Academic Choir of Niş, the Svilara Kultura Stanica in Novi Sad, and in the stunning Crypt at the Temple of St. Sava, where they received a blessing from the Patriarch of Serbia. They were greeted by standing-room-only crowds, giving multiple encores in each location. In addition to the concerts, the group sang live on Radio Belgrade to a drivetime audience of a quarter million, and their concert at the Temple of St. Sava was recorded and later broadcast on Serbian television. Stephen Caldwell and Nikola Radan, both professors in the department of music, led the concert tour.

When not performing, the students had an opportunity to see several UNESCO World Heritage sites and immerse themselves in Serbian food and culture. "Concert tours are so special," says Brett Cuddy, a graduate student in choral conducting. "And this tour was particularly special in that the audiences were so warm, welcoming, and big! They really treated us like family."

Several concert highlight videos are available of the UA Choral Studies YouTube Channel, and on the Schola Cantorum official Facebook Page, in addition to hundreds of photographs.

The Schola Cantorum tours nationally and internationally, having recently given concerts in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico. As a result of this concert tour to Serbia, the choir has been invited to give concerts in both Serbia and Poland in 2021.