Mourning for pathbreaking maestra
mainThe Serbian conductor Darinka Matić Marović died today aged 83.
As head of the Collegium Musicum-Belgrade/Serbia from 1971, she conducted more than 10,000 concerts – this, at a time when women were seldom allowed to raise a baton anywhere in the world.
She was also rector of the University of Arts in Belgrade and dean of the Faculty of Music.
10,000 concerts – that works out to 200 concerts a year for 50 years. An average of more than one concert every two days.
I am not intending to diminish Darinka Matić Marović’s marvelous accomplishments in the least, but could that figure possibly be correct?
She was a conductor of two choirs. As a singer of Collegium Musicum I remember tours with concert every day for more than a two weeks. In addition, if we are in Belgrade we may have two for different reason in one day. This was a woman of amazing energy.
Dear Zee,
I applaud your singing as well as the herculean efforts of Madame Marović. I certainly meant no offense – she sounds like a wonderful woman and musician.
Madame Marović’s record of conducting 10,000 concerts, if this figure has been reported accurately by Norman, is fantastic in every sense of the word!
Best regards and good luck, Greg
I counted that I sang more than 400 concerts with her in 8 years, as a member of only one choir and while having multiple other obligations of my own. Which means, I didn’t even sing on every concert there was and I didn’t go on every tour. Yes, very likely it was 10000 for her, if not even more. Dara slept 2-3 hours a day! She was a machine that none of us could keep up with! Extraordinary woman.
It’s Maestro, a gender neutral work like doctor and minister.