P
a
g
e
Norfolk & Norwich Novi Sad Association
Dedicated to Friendship
E
ditor: G. Piccolo
e-
mail:
editor@nnnsa.org.uk
No.
152
March 2018
The
Paul Cross Memorial Concert
2018
(
Wendy
Quinn
,
Social
Secretary
)
1
What a pleasure it is to report on the success of
our 19th Paul Cross Memorial Concert held in
January in the Music Room at the Assembly
House, Norwich. Attended by a most appreciative
audience, in the presence of our president, Cllr
David Fullman, and ou
r vice president,
Cllr John
Ward
, this year’s concert was not only in memory
of Paul Cross, a most inspiring former chairman of
our association, but a fitting tribute to Diana
Beckley who always held the friendship between
our twin cities close to her hea
rt and worked
tirelessly to organise the annual concerts.
Our guest performers, Milica Stojadinović , prima
donna of the Serbian National Theatre and her son
Boško Stojadinović, an amazing young pianist,
delivered an outstanding programme of operatic
aria
s, Serbian songs and famous piano pieces.
Milica’s introduction to a particularly beautiful
song, “The Old Romance” by the modern Serbian
composer Dušan Trbojević, touched our hearts as
the composer had dedicated the song to her son at
his birth. We were t
reated to lyrical and haunting
songs by Isidor Bajić and Josif Marinković and
Milica certainly brought romance and passion to
her performance of well
known classical arias. As
for young Boško, he amazed us all with his
talented playing. As the EDP music critic
Christopher Smith said in his review, he
accompanied the soprano “with sympathy and
aplomb” and “his technique and vigour were also
admired in demanding pieces by Liszt and
2
Rachmaninoff.” The audience certainly loved his
playing of Toccata by Khachat
urian and
Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona. We were
privileged to have such wonderful visitors from
Novi Sad.
In the four days of their visit, Milica, with her
husband Miodrag and Boško, enjoyed extensive
sightseeing of our city and plenty of Norfolk and
Norwich hospitality.
Thanks must go to all the NNNSA committee
3
members for their
hard work and team
work in designing
flyers, organising
and promoting the
concert, and running
the raffle. We must,
of course, give
thanks to everyone
who came and
supported the
twinning concert, or
gave donations and
raffle prizes, and to
all our sponsors. The
proceeds from the
concert will support
a project for
4
children with autism at The “Milan Petrović”
School in Novi Sad.
Bo
š
ko and Milica Stojadinovi
ć
,
Cllr David Fullman, Cllr John Ward