Miona Cvijović

Conductor, composer and performer.

The artistic research work of a performer (in this case the conductor), during the preparation of the performance of a musical work, implies a lot of analyses and procedures. For a dedicated and thorough artist, each musical composition represents an entire unexplored universe, complete and unique in every part, so the creative task is always full of surprises, it requires a talent for improvisation and leaves endless space for innovation. Knowing a piece of music in essence means being one with its creator, and that is, in my opinion, the sublime goal every conductor must achieve. Transmitting that knowledge to the orchestra, and then to the audience, is what makes music an art. My experience of music is to learn the scores perfectly and still be able to leave your own mark by investing yourself without changing the original piece.

My constant desire to deal with music, first as a theorist, singer, as a conductor, and more recently as a composer, is the urge to tonally express my thoughts. With music I can discover the country where I was born, my love romances, religion, books that influenced me and those I read today. What I try to achieve when I write or interpret music is the expression of my deepest feelings. If there is love, bitterness, sadness or religiosity in it, these moods become a part of my music. There are so many brilliant pieces I need and must conduct, sing and ACT which I believe is my aim as an artist.

Miona Cvijović

Biography

Miona Cvijović was born in 1989 in Bijelo Polje (Montenegro). She graduated from the music high school  “Stevan Hristic” in Krusevac, at the department of general music pedagogy. In 2012, she obtained a diploma of Bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Nis, on the study program of General Music Pedagogy. She obtained her master’s degree in 2016 at the Academy of Arts of the University of Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska) in the conducting study program, in the class of professor Ognjen Bomestar. In year 2023 she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Arts in Belgrade, in the class of professor Svetozar Rapajic.

During her education and professional work, she performed as a vocal performer in the RTS Symphony Orchestra, the “Stanislav Binicki” Artistic Ensemble, the choir of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army, the SMS “Stevan Hristic” Mixed Choir in Krusevac, the “Stanko Dragojevic” Mixed Society in Podgorica (Montenegro), the Madrigal Choir of the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, the “St. Vasilije Ostroski” Church Choir in Belgrade.

She gained experience in conducting and singing by working with ensembles such as the Church Choir “Saint Prince Lazar” in Krusevac and the Academic Singing Society in Nis, with whom she performed as a conductor and soloist in numerous performances throughout Serbia and beyond its borders (France, the Czech Republic, Greece, Belarus, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Macedonia, Austria, Russia, Ukraine).

She participated in many republican, regional and international competitions and festivals and won the following recognitions and awards from several musical disciplines:

  • Second prize at the National Piano Competition in Nis;
  • Silver medal with the Mixed Choir “Saint Prince Lazar” at the Festival of Choirs “Musical May Festival” in Bijeljina (Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Republic of Srpska);
  • Special commendation in the category of mixed choirs with the Mixed Choir “Saint Prince Lazar” at the festival “Choirs among Frescoes” in Belgrade;
  • Special charter with the Mixed Choir “Saint Prince Lazar” at the “Musical Edict” festival in Nis;
  • First prize at the Republic Piano Competition in Nis;
  • First prize and laureate of the festival with the Mixed Choir “Saint Prince Lazar” at the “Colossian Annunciation” International Choir Competition in Belarus;
  • Special award for the performance of songs in the play “The Three penny Opera” at the Festival of Theater Amateurs “Festival of Festivals” in Trebinje (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska);
  • Award for an episodic role in the performance of songs at the Festival of theater amateurs “Repassage fest” in Ub.

Since 2013, Miona Cvijovic has been an associate of the Bar, Mojkovac and Bijelo Polje theaters. She composed original music for several plays and musical-stage productions of these theaters, among which are the following plays:

  • “Zmajeubice, Dragon Slayers – Heroic Cabaret ” based on the text of Milena Markovic, produced by the Mojkovac Theater,
  • “Balkan empress” by Nikola I Petrovic Njegos, adapted by Goran Bjelanovic and produced by Bar Theater,
  • Adaptation of Kurt Weill’s music for Bertold Brecht’s “The Three penny Opera” produced by the Mojkovac Theater,
  • The operetta “The Dragon and the Child”, based on the text of Milan Bjekic, produced by the Bijelo Polje Theater.

Miona Cvijovic participated in these projects as a conductor, accompanist, musical collaborator, orchestrator and performer.