THE DEEP UT – STORY ABOUT A BELL – METAMORPHOSIS
By Ivana Stefanovic
No one would tell, but a bell is a very sensitive and fragile object. It is hard to cast it. Hard to cold it out. It is hard to put it on the bell-tower. It is hard to harmonize it with other bells in order to get a harmonious chord. It often strolls from one church to another, from one clock to another till it settles down, because the one who ordered it doesn’t want it any more.
The bell easily creates harmony with other bells, but it also ruins that harmony. In the blink of an eye the bell can be removed from the bell-tower or broken with a hammer. It can be easily cast again and transformed in arms. In that way, as a peaceful symbol of spiritual arsenal, the bell becomes a killer.
Ivana Stefanovic
Studied violin and composition in Belgrade. Pursued advanced studies at IRCAM, Paris.
She worked for a Radio Television Belgrade until 1991.
In 1985, first editor of Sound Workshop programme (Drama Department).
1989 became Music Editor of Radio Belgrade.
1992/5 taught Applied Music.
In 2001, became Cultural Projects Director at the Centre for Democracy Foundation.
2000/1, lecturer at the Centre for Women’s Studies.
2001/6 acted as Artistic Director of Bemus, the biggest Belgrade music festival.
2007/8 appointed State secretary in the Ministry of Culture.
Ivana Stefanovic’s pieces were performed in many countries (France, Denmark, Finland, England, Austria, the Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, Kazakhstan…), as well as at various festivals, including: Gaudeamus, Bemus, Biennale Zagreb, Biennale Helsinki, Yugoslav Composers’ Tribune, Bitef, Prix Italia (also this year) ….
Ivana Stefanovic is involved in fringe music areas and composes for the theatre.
She has won numerous awards including:
Prix Monaco, 1974, First Prize at Yugoslav Composers’ Tribune, Novi Sad, 1992,
Slabbesz (Austria), 1993, Sterija Prize for Scene Music, 1995, “Milos Crnjanski” Prize for the book Journey to Damascus, 2002, “Stevan Mokranjac” Prize, 2008.
She writes about music and culture.
– ART'S BIRTHDAY – 