About this edition

The fourth edition of the Rossi Fest Summer Opera Academy marked 100 years since the death of Giacomo Puccini with a performance of the opera Suor Angelica on 27 September on the Main Stage of the Madlenianum Theatre, starting at 7:30 PM. The event was a co-production with the Madlenianum Theatre, supported by the Jewish Community of Belgrade, the Ministry of Culture, the Embassy of Israel and the Italian Cultural Institute.

The Rossi Fest Summer Opera Academy is dedicated to presenting and promoting opera to domestic and international audiences and to educating young opera professionals; this year it took place from 20 to 27 September 2024.

One of the festival’s key goals is developing and improving the professional skills of young opera artists in line with world standards. As in previous editions, the festival offered young singers a masterclass with Metropolitan Opera soprano Olga Makarina and work with conductors Adi Bar Soria (Israel) and Stefan Zekić and with director Ana Grigorović, who also directed the Puccini opera.

Following the theme of Rossi Fest and marking the European Day of Jewish Culture, the evening continued after the opera with a Gala concert. Its repertoire consisted of stylised traditional songs and classical pieces by composers of Jewish origin, performed by the Serbian-Jewish Singing Society – the Baruch Brothers Choir, which marked 145 years this year – together with various chamber ensembles and soloists: Mina Mendelson, Ladislav Mezei, participants of the Summer Opera Academy, and conductors Stefan Zekić and Adi Bar Soria.