Al Di Meola, Joss Stone, Shakatak and Bilja Bistrik are just a few of great names to perform on this year’s International Jazz Festival Nisville taking part in Nis from August 11 to August 14. This year again, the European Union delegation in Serbia has supported this music festival on the Guardian’s list of ten best jazz events in Europe. “El System”, a musical-art project that the EU has supported through the programme European PROGRES, will be presented on the Youth Stage. This regional project groups 60 young artists who sing and play brass instrumeents and its aim is to ease inclusion of children from marginalised groups into the educational system through group playing.
Duško Gojković
The European Union has been giving support to Nisville’s Youth Stage for several years now. “In 2014, we had one of the most significant EU donations which enabled us to organise jazz orchestra grouping young musicians in six towns in southern Serbia, and all of them have performed in Nisville,” remembers Ivan Blagojević, Nisville Festival manager.
Although he has never attended this jazz festival so far, Michael Davenport, Head of The European delegation in Serbia, visited the site of the festival, The Fortress, while opening the EU Info Corner in Niš. “This is a wonderful historic site, I have heard how it looks in August, during the festival and I am very glad that the European Union supports Nisville, both financially and ethnically,” Davenport said.
Candy Dufler
Volunteers play a big role in Nisville’s organisation. It seems that they, like the festival itself, have become a brand for themselves. Miša Blam once called them a “consisting part of the Festival’s business card.” Each year, there are more and more applications from all over the world, and a “protection” is often called for, organisers jokingly say. Marjan Doca Svetković, who has launched a volunteering programme in Nisville remembers that the story was born during the first year of the festival. “In 2010, our budget for volunteers was only 300,000 dinars, while now, we have more than 20 serious sponsors who help volunteers,” concludes Cvetković, admitting that before his professional engagement in Nisville, he has not “listened jazz music,” but through his works in the Festival he has begun to like and even started to examine this musical genre.
One of Nisville volunteers, Strahinja Tabaković, talks about the reasons for applying and his intentions to be a member of volunteering team at this year’s Festival. “Last year, I was a host for musicians and it was unfogettable experience because I met so many people who expanded my awareness of music and their works,” this high-school graduate shares his impressions.
Nisville has been organised since 1995. Since then, some of the greatest world famous artists have performed there, like Solomon Burke, Tom Harrell, Richard Galliano, Candy Dufler, Duško Gojković and bands Incognito, Brand New Heavies, The Blues Brothers band, De-Phazz and others.
Solomon Burke
This year, some 660 artists will perform at more than 100 concerts at 11 stages of the Nisville Jazz Festival. Some 300 volunteers will take care that everything goes well at the Festival, and both public and performers to be satisfied.
