The traditional concert of original singing, customs and dances of the "Grbalj" Singing Society was held last night in the "Nikola Đurković" Cultural Center.

In addition to this Singing Society, the following took part in the concert: KUD "Nikola Đurković" Kotor, KUD "Piva" from Plužine, fiddlers Stevan Miljanić and Zdravko Knežević, Danilo Pržica on accordion, as well as solo singer Savo Šumar. Singer Savo Ćetković did not perform for justified reasons.

After welcoming the attendees, the host of the program, Milica Kovačević Kraljević, thanked everyone who helped in holding the concert, and invited the Archpriest of Kotor-Tivat Archpriest-Stavrofor Nemanja Krivokapić to join them and bless the gathering.

"Welcome to another wonderful evening for which our brothers from Grbljan gathered us, and on this day, the great feast of the Meeting of the Lord. A holiday that by its very name invites us to meet, first of all with God in our souls, but also with each other, because man was not created to live alone, but in community, to be fulfilled through community in meeting other people. And is there a more beautiful invitation to a meeting than this - songs and dances", said Archpriest Krivokapić.

As it was heard, for 25 years of its existence, the Singing Society "Grbalj", despite the pressures of the modern age and busy lifestyle, is trying to preserve the cultural heritage of Grbalj, the original songs, customs and traditions of its region from oblivion.

"There is a belief among our people that hardly anyone in the world suffers and grieves for their birthplace more than those of us who were born in these areas. Some of the most beautiful songs dedicated to the hometown of Grbalje were created out of longing for their homeland", said Kovačević Kraljević.

The audience had the opportunity, among others, to hear the following songs: "Oj đevojko ruzo white", "Zavičaju grbaljskome", "Savila se white loza nova nova", "Sa lovćenski strmih strani", "Quail".

Young members of KUD "Nikola Đurković" Kotor introduced themselves to the audience with a mix of folk dances from Montenegro, and then with a mix of dances from Serbia.

Savo Šumar, a performer of original folk music, also a member and president of the "Grbalj" Singing Society, has over 20 recorded songs. At last night's concert, he performed "Ljepotice Budvo moja", a composition with which he won third place for interpretation at the Belgrade "Uteks TV Festival" held on December 21 last year.

A special part of the program was devoted to the performance of folk songs accompanied by the fiddle.

"Almost in every house there is a fiddle in a place of honor. Many today perceive them as a tradition, while others, like Stevan Miljanić, live that tradition", announced the host, and pointed out that with the help of fiddles, folk traditions and myths have been preserved.

The beauty of the sound of the gusal was also presented by the multi-time champion of "Serbian fiddlers", member of KUD "Piva", folk fiddler Stevan Knežević with the song "Marriage of Baja Pivljanina".

The evening was brightened by the guests, the many times awarded KUD "Piva" from Plužine, which preserves and nurtures the uniqueness of customs, games, epic poetry and old singing.

Young members of the "Grbalj" society, Jana and Predrag Midorović, asked the question, whether life was better and more carefree in the past or today, through a humorous skit, and the audience responded with applause. In addition to them, Danilo Pržica, a student of the second grade of the Maritime High School in Kotor, who, in addition to singing, also plays the accordion, is a member of the society.

The first performance of the "Grbalj" Singing Society was held in Kotor. This was followed by numerous performances throughout Montenegro and the region: Budva, Cetinje, Gruža, Trebinje, Kraljevo, Bar, Bijela, as well as Vojkovići, where they twice took third place out of a total of 86 registered companies. They also performed many other performances where they performed, mostly wedding songs and songs dedicated to the customs of our regions.

At the end, the concert participants greeted the audience with a joint performance: "I sing with my heart to my family, to that proud tribe."

Text: Nataša Jotić
Photo: Radio Kotor