Culture in Pristina
The Goddess on the Throne (Albanian: Mbretëresha e Dardanisë or Hyjnesha ne Fron) has been adopted as the symbol of Pristina.
This theater performances, which were presented in different festivals with national and international character in the former Yugoslavia, were praised highly by critics of the time and were honored with various artistic awards.
[20] The independent ODA Theater was founded at the end of 2002 with an initiative of Lirak Çelaj (Actor) and Florent Mehmeti (Director).
However, there have been performances of orchestral pieces of operas, initially by the choir of the Cultural and Artistic Society "Agimi" in Prizren in 1952, and then by other music formations.
She took her master exam at professor E. Chugajeva and later continued her studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany and then in Italy.
She has been on music competitions and festivals both in Kosovo and abroad, like Austria, Albania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, Finland, Russia, and the US.
He made and produced over 800 songs, won 18 "Okarina të Arta"(Golden Ocarinas) in "Akordet e Kosoves".
The National Gallery of Kosovo was founded in 1979 as a cultural institution presenting visual art and collecting and saving valuable works.
There aren't many notable painters from Pristina, but, being the capital city of Kosovo, it is the center of art, a title that it shares with Prizren.
Most of the notable painters and artists from other fields come from other cities, but they spent most of their career or held various exhibitions in Pristina.
Esat Valla (born 1944 in Gjakova) is a Kosovar painter noted for his figurative paintings of small animals or insects such as butterflies and birds.
His primary works include the statues of Ymer Prizreni and Abdyl Frashëri displayed at the League of Prizren museum.
For the past fifty years, the Ensemble "Shota" has played a crucial role in the preservation, cultivation and development of the Albanian song and dance as well as bringing genuine national cultural values such as authenticity of costumes, authentic melodies and exotic unique dances with which this ensemble is presented in more than 50 countries around the world and in all the continents.
"Ballet Collage", choreographed by Elton Cefa, was another successful show which included excerpts from "Don Quixote", "Giselle", "Le Corsaire", and "Swan Lake".
PriFest seeks to bring the best of world cinema to Pristina and Kosovo, and to promote the best of Kosovar film to the international audience.
[52] The festival began as a film, sculpture, and modern design competition, expressing artists' points of view on that particular day in 2001.
More than two thousand artists from all around the world have been participating in the Skena UP Festival, including many important figures from the film and theater scene.
[54] The program also consists of the festival with workshops, lectures, conferences and different debates for film and theater which are very useful from a professional and social aspect for the young artists.
2 October 1980 in Pristina)[61] is a Kosovar actress, often cited for her striking presence and ability to breathe authentic life into the roles she plays.
Some other artists that come from Pristina are: Rasim Thaçi (1952), Adhurim Demi (1974), Shirine Morina (1949), Kumrije Hoxha (1953), Xhejlane Godanci (1967), Sylë Kuçi (1949), Abdurrahman Shala (1922),Melihate Ajeti(1935–2005) etc.
[67] The National Museum has a collection of more than 50 thousand exhibits of different profiles, from archaeology, technology, history, nature, ethnoculture, folklore, heritage and many more.
A lot of famous singers from the world have attended the festivals of Pristina, mostly Hip hop and House/Techno artists like, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Chamillionaire, Lloyd Banks, David Vendetta, Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, DJ Umek, etc.
Some of the famous participants are: Alexandre Dubach (Swiss), Peter Sheppard Skærved (United Kingdom), David Dzubay (US), Jan Pilch (Poland), Ines Abdeldayem (Egypt), DUEL (France), Petrit Çeku (Kosovo), Spark – Classic Band (Germany), Chloe Cailleton Trio (France), Luka Šulić (Croatia), Fatos Qerimi (Albania) etc.
[74] The Prishtina's International Festival of New Music, is the result of the work of a group of talented composers from Kosovo led by Rafet Rudi, the initiator of the whole idea.
[75] In the three first editions of the festival, among the guest artists were : Aki Takahashi (Japan),Mondriaan Quartet (Netherlands), Peter Sheppard Skaerved (England), Stockholm Saxophone Quartet (Sweden), Choir Pravoslavie (Bulgaria), Trio Fibonacci (Canada), Rafael Andia (France), Jean Jacques Balet and Mayumi Kameda (Switzerland), Marcel Worms (Netherlands), Kifu Mitsuhashi and Nanae Yoshimura (Japan), Ian Pace (Great Britain), Andreas Lewin Richter (Spain), Ehat Musa (France), Irene Maessen (Netherlands), Annette Vande Gorne (Belgium), Pascal Godart (France), Ophélie Gaillard (France), Florent Héau (France), Eleonore Pameijer (Netherlands), Ensemble contemporain du Conservatoire de Genève (Switzerland), Ensemble Amra (Albania), Ensemble Vivendi (Kosovo), etc.
The works of Bartok, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Shostakovich, Messiaen, Ligeti, Scelsi, Pendereczki, Takemitsu, Nishimura, Xenakis, Nancarrow, Rzewski, Parmerud, Murail, Dusapin, Radelescu, Clarke etc.
[75] An additional relationship is established between music creators from Kosovo and their colleagues from around the world, as the renowned guests always include works of Albanian composers in their performances.
For 13 years of running, the festival saw more than 5000 dancers, soloists, instrumentalists and other professionals in the field of traditional folklore and customs of other nations.
It offers different brands of beers and wines for half of the price, meaning you can get completely wasted and still have cash in your wallet to get back home.
Names like Experimental Jetset, Linda Van Deursen, Moniker have held lectures at the conference.
