FOUNDER AND FIRST CONDUCTOR
SUZANA
GROS MARKOVIĆ
The story begins in Autumn 1993...
FOUNDER AND FIRST CONDUCTOR
SUZANA GROS MARKOVIĆ
After a long time, Jewish holidays in Novi Sad are once again celebrated with song. The credit for this goes primarily to young Suzana Gros. As a third-year student at the Music Academy in Novi Sad in 1993, she brought together the local Jewish community youth and founded Hashira with a mission to preserve and develop Jewish traditions and culture. In addition to young enthusiasts, Suzana has enlisted her colleagues from the Music Academy (many of whom are now renowned artists) to perform as soloists or piano accompaniment. Soon, Hashira starts frequently performing in the country and abroad, becoming a regular participant in many events presenting Jewish tradition and culture to a wide audience, and in 1998 recorded their first audio disc produced by Novi Sad Radio Television… The success story was stopped by the NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999, when Suzana Gross Marković fled from Novi Sad to Israel with her four-year-old son, ending her physical connection with Hashira which she had created and brought to life. Hashira however will remain her child forever and mutual love and support permeate this noble relationship.
Suzana Gros Marković continued her conducting career in Israel, Canada and Serbia. She won many awards and acknowledgment. Suzana Gros Marković tells about herself and her life here.
AND THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN...
SUZANA GROS MARKOVIĆ ON HOW THE CHOIR WAS FORMED:
In 1993, I was a third-year student at the Music Academy in Novi Sad, at the Department of General Music Pedagogy. My favorite subject was conducting. Conducting is a complex and very difficult craft requiring a versatile personality. A conductor, in addition to being a music expert, must be a good psychologist, pedagogue, humanist, visionary, rebel, spiritualist, poet at heart, original, imaginative, dreamer, patriot, fighter, good leader, compassionate, fair, ambitious but tolerant, harmonious, open-minded … with driving energy and broad perspective. At that time I was not yet aware of all that, but conducting attracted me like a magnet, tickled my imagination, challenged me, drew me deeper and deeper into my enchanted world. I was always on my own, independent… in my own world … on some cloud in another dimension. As long as I dream and as long as I live my dreams, this earthly world makes sense to me. And the wings of music carry me through those dreams. (…)
Red the full text HERE (at the moment only the original version in Serbian language is available)
Suzana Gros conducts Hashira choir (1994)