Everything was ready for the 54th International Music Youth Belgrade Competition to be held from March 21 to 30, but it did not happen due to the decision of the City Assembly.
First, the context of the story.
It is the only music competition in Eastern and Southeastern Europe that was a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in Geneva and decades ago represented one of the most important platforms for the affirmation of young musicians, as well as one of the most recognizable international cultural events in our country.
It was founded by the Musical Youth of Serbia based in Belgrade (Jeunesses Musicales Serbia Belgrade) and organized it for 54 years, until this January 22, when the City Assembly decided to appoint another organizer.
City Council Decision
Then they were told that the Musical Youth of Belgrade (MOB) cannot be registered as a citizens' association but as an institution. Musical Youth had the status of an institution from its foundation until 2000, when, for some unknown reason, they became a citizens' association. Now, in the aforementioned decision of the City Assembly, there was no mention of the possibility of returning Music Youth to its old status.
According to the International Music Youth, the organizer of this competition can only be the Music Youth of Belgrade.
The city paid the debt.
Jelena Medaković, the Secretary of Culture of the City for "Vreme", explains the necessity of changing the organizers of the competition in this way:
"The city has always 100% funded the International Music Youth Competition, as well as the fee that is paid every year. That amount has not been paid for two years, so that was one of my first tasks."
Jelena Medaković then states that "over the years, the competition has become less and less visible in the coverage of both contestants and the audience", as well as that, thanks to the texts regarding the cancellation of this year's competition, "if there is anything good in the negative texts, it will finally receive media attention".
But, a little later, he also says that Mr. Florian Riem, Secretary General of the International Music Youth, said during his visit to Belgrade that "Belgrade is the most important point of this competition for the region."
Music Youth confirm that they had a debt, but emphasize that this year 23 young musicians from around the world would compete in the Kolarč University Hall, and that they would be judged by 7 members of the jury. They consider it far from small.
Last February, the Board's mandate expired. Despite many letters to the Secretariat for Culture, a new one was chosen only towards the end of that year. It certainly slowed down and made preparations more difficult. And yet, this year's competition was scheduled, the Kolarč University Hall was reserved.
The new Board has drawn up a new Rulebook in which the word "Musical" is written in lower case in the name of the competition, as if it is about musical youth in general, and not about the legal entity Musical Youth. It was a confirmation that the City Assembly is preparing another organizer.
The competition no longer exists.
In the announcement sent to the public by the Musical Youth on the occasion of the cancellation of the competition, it is written that the official position of the International Musical Youth based in Brussels (JMI) is that the organizer of the competition can only be the Musical Youth of Serbia.
"It turns out that Brussels is protecting our logo," comments Tatjana Vojnov, president of Music Youth, for "Vreme".
Jelena Medaković points out that "we are working on the organization of the competition. We are working with a large team to restore the importance, visibility and mass of this truly significant international competition."
In the announcement of the MOB, which was published on the occasion of the revocation of the right to organize the competition, it is written that "anything that could possibly follow the decision of the City Assembly could only be a new competition, but not a continuation of what the Musical Youth of Belgrade has been creating for decades."
That is why the Musical Youth of Belgrade publicly and unequivocally distance itself from this moment on from any future competition that the City of Belgrade would organize with a new organizer. We believe that such a competition does not represent a continuation, nor does it have the right to refer to the continuity of the Belgrade Music Youth International Competition," they wrote.
And that's why they emphasize:
"The International Jeunesses Musicales Competition Belgrade no longer exists."
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