The official motto of the EU, which reads “United in diversity”, is being practiced in a concrete way by Skopje, Sofia and Thessaloniki, through the unification of cultural institutions. This is how the media in North Macedonia summarized the fact that for the third time, three orchestras, choirs and opera singers from these three cities jointly performed for an audience, this time in Skopje on June 20.
The Macedonian Philharmonic, the Sofia Philharmonic and the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki performed the stage cantata “Carmina Burana” by German composer Carl Orff in the City Park in Skopje. The performance was conducted by Nayden Todorov from Bulgaria, who initiated this project as a gesture of cultural cooperation in the region.
The performance also included the choir of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet, the children’s choir Piccolo from Sofia and the choir from the Music School in Thessaloniki, as well as three soloists: Ana Durlovski from North Macedonia, the baritone from Bulgaria Ivo Jordanov and the countertenor from Greece, Nikolas Spanos.
The first such concert was held in Sofia in February 2025, while the second concert followed in Thessaloniki in June 2025.
“This is the beginning of a very long cooperation between our orchestras, between our cultures. And we hope, over time, to work together with other countries in the Balkans,” said Nayden Todorov, conductor and director of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, to Telma TV after the performance in Skopje.
Antonis Sousamoglu, concertmaster of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, said that they have already made friends among their colleagues from other orchestras. He reminded that music is the easiest language to bring people together.
“It is a very strong message from our and I think from all orchestras, colleagues. We want to coexist in peace, we want to work together, we want to be productive and get to know each other,” said Susamoglu.
We experienced a truly magical evening, the Embassy of Greece in North Macedonia wrote on its Facebook profile.
“This significant musical journey ended on Saturday, in the crowded city park in Skopje, within the framework of the European Day of Music. The Embassy of Greece could not help but be a supporter of this initiative, which highlighted the power of music to build bridges between people, cities and countries,” the Embassy wrote.
Under the Skopje sky, on a warm summer evening, “Carmina Burana” came to life in all its glory and became a Bulgarian-Greek-Macedonian triumph of art, assessed the President of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova. She wrote that with the first powerful chords, the space was filled with energy that captivated and ennobled.
The Macedonian Philharmonic, the choir of the National Opera and Ballet, the Sofia Philharmonic and the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki created a sonic splendor that touched deeply the senses of the thousands present not only in the park, but also in front of the screens. “Carmina Burana” is confirmation that art remains one of the strongest bridges between people, elevating the spirit above everyday life and turning beauty, even for a moment, into eternity, said Siljanovska Davkova.
A stage was prepared in the city park for more than two hundred artists, with free access for all interested citizens to follow this event. The open-air concert attracted over 20,000 visitors to the City Park and was broadcast live on Macedonian Radio and Television (MRT).
