Božidar Crnjanski
Božidar Crnjanski completed postgraduate studies in choral conducting under professor Tatjana Ostojić at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad. He first started expressing interest in working with choral ensembles as a high school student, gaining first singing experience as a chorister in the mixed choir Josif Marinković, and later as a singer and a conductor of the male choir St. Seraphim of Sarov in Zrenjanin.
Throughout his work with the aforementioned male choral ensemble (1997 – present), he put on a large number of performances in Serbia and abroad (Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Australia, etc.).
He is the spokesman for the Academy of Arts at the international project Campus Cantat in Dortmund, Germany. He attended Winter School in Dubrovnik in 2005, where he completed masterclasses taught by professor Mats Nilsson (the Swedish Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm) and conductor Gary Graden (Ljubljana).
Working as a conductor of the Cultural Artistic Society’s mixed choir Svetozar Marković (2002-2013), he achieved considerable success by winning numerous international awards (e.g. first prize in Preveza (2004); first prize in Sofia (2004); first prize in Arezzo (2005); third prize in Maasmechelen (2007); first prize in Prijedor (2008); first prize in Niš (2008); two first prizes and a laureate in Pardubice (2009); first prize in Gorizia (2011), first prize in Torrevieja (2012).
Together with the ensemble he participated in all prominent music events in Serbia, maintaining the concert activity and presence of the ensemble.
Crnjanski is the first and the only Serbian conductor to have collaborated with Euro Choir (AGEC, Belgium), the ensemble composed of talented young singers from all over Europe, in 2010. He is the conductor of the mixed choir of students of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad.
He is also the founder and the artistic director of the Novi Sad Chamber Choir (2013), with whom he achieved considerable international success (e.g. 13th International Chamber Choir Competition Marktoberdof, (Germany, 2013); 17th International Choir Singing Festival Nancy Voix du Monde, France (2014); two gold medals in the category of mixed and youth choirs at 1st International Choir Festival Herceg Novi (Montenegro, 2015); 11th International Choral Competition at Miltenberg (Germany, 2016) (gold medal and 2nd prize); The International Choral Contest Habaneras and Polyphony – Torrevieja (Spain, 2017); The Young Artist Festival Bayreuth, (Germany, 2018); First Prize in the category of mixed choirs at 40th International May Choir Competition prof. Georgi Dimitrov in Varna, Bulgaria (2019).
He was awarded the Best Conductor Award at the 1st International Choir Festival in Sofia (2004) by the Bulgarian Choral Association. He received the same award at The Vojvodina Music Association Festival in Ruma in 2009 and 2011. Additionally, he was given the special Best Conductor Award at the 40th International May Choir Competition in Varna (Bulgaria) in 2019.
Božidar Crnjanski is a member of both domestic and international choral juries and is employed as an associate professor at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad (department of conducting), where he teaches choral conducting and choir.