Jelena Jovović 2024/2025

(born in Kotor in 1998) began her musical education at the Vida Matjan Music School in Kotor under Milena Rajković. She completed her studies with Vujadin Krivokapić at the Music Academy in Cetinje, after which she continued at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, where she earned her undergraduate degree under Ida Bieler and later a master’s in violin performance in the class of Dominika Falger. Additionally, she completed a master’s in chamber music with Aleksander Pavlovsky and is currently specializing in baroque violin. She has performed as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician at significant festivals in Montenegro and abroad, collaborating with the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra and internationalensembles. Since 2017, she has been a member, now concertmaster, of the KotorArt Festival Orchestra. Jelena was also a young ambassador of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation (Brussels) and the Western Balkans Youth Orchestra concertmaster. Recognized as an outstanding student, she received awards as the best student of the University of Montenegro, Old Royal Capital Cetinje, and in the arts field at the university level. In 2023, the University of Graz honored her for humanitarian work at LKH Hospital, where she performed personalized compositions with her trio for leukemia patients.

Simo Šišević 2024/2025

(born in Podgorica in 1999) graduated from the Vasa Pavić Art School of Music and Ballet under Anka Asanović and earned his undergraduate degree from the Royal College of Music, studying with Gordon Fergus-Thompson and John Byrne. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music under Tatiana Sarkissova while also studying with Boris Berman at Academia del Ridotto in Italy. As a soloist, Šišević has performed with the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra and the KotorArt Festival Orchestra. He has given recitals at festivals such as KotorArt, Budva City Theatre, Bar Chronicle, Days of Music Herceg Novi, and Skopje Summer, as well as at venues including Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Europe House, Duke's Hall, St James's Church Piccadilly, St Mary's Perivale Church, the Austrian Cultural Forum, and the Museum of Macedonian Struggle, among others. In 2016, he represented Montenegro at the concert Monténégro au cœur de l’Europe as part of the Weekend de Clavier Contemporain festival at the Frédéric Chopin Conservatoire in Paris. His competition successes include 3rd prize at the Carles & Sofia Competition (Spain, 2021), 2^nd prize at the Orbetello Piano Competition (Italy, 2021), 1^st prize at the Tivat International Piano Competition (Montenegro, 2016), Special Prize at the Windsor International Piano Competition (UK, 2015), Absolute Prize at the Academy Award International Competition (Rome, 2013).

Miloš Pavićević 2024/2025

(born in Podgorica in 2000) began his musical education at the Vasa Pavić Art School of Music and Ballet, where he studied guitar under the guidance of Srđan Bulatović. Throughout his primary and secondary music education, he received multiple awards and gave his first solo recital at the age of 17. In 2023, he graduated from the University of Music and Theatre Munich (HMTM) under the mentorship of Franz Halász. Active in both solo and chamber music, Miloš has performed at events such as the Guitar Art Summer Fest in Herceg Novi and the Perast Strings Festival. In 2023, he became a member of the LMN Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in Munich. He participated in the concert series <continue.music>, performing alongside members of the Munich Philharmonic. As a member of the duo Mist, he won 1^st prize at the International Veria Guitar Festival in Greece. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in Munich, further refining his artistry and expanding his musical career.

Ballo Dance Company 2024/2025

(founded in Podgorica in 2000) is a non-governmental organization dedicated to the development and promotion of contemporary dance in Montenegro. The company is composed of 15 members with stage experience and a foundation in ballet technique, which they have refined over the years through workshops and collaborations with both local and international choreographers, including Mikael Honeseu and Tanja Skok. Since its founding, the company has been led by choreographers Tamara Vujošević-Mandić and Slavka Nelević, who now support and mentor younger members in an advisory role. Through its original productions, Ballo has staged projects such as Forgiveness for Blood (2002), Requiem (2004), Maybe in a Café (2005), Patricia’s Lace (2007), Cocoon (2010), Give Me Your Hand/Walking through… (2014) and Scream (2019). The company has performed on all theatre stages in Montenegro and has also toured internationally in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States, Italy, China, and Greece. Ballo has won the Authorial Achievement Award three times at the Montenegrin Theater Biennale, for its productions Cocoon, Give Me Your Hand/Walking through… and Scream.