Despot Stefan Lazarevic

The choir of the Church of St. Mark in Belgrade is named after its patron, to whom the southern chapel of this largest living church in Belgrade is dedicated. It is the successor of the famous choir "Obilic," which found refuge under the arches of Belgrade's churches after World War II, first in the Church of the Ascension and then in the Church of St. Mark. For several decades, the choir performed under the name Academic Singing Society "Obilic," but exclusively as a male choir. Old Belgraders, believers, and lovers of church chanting and choral church music surely remember the golden era of this choir, when it was led by Zarko Cvejic, a leading member of the Belgrade Opera and one of the greatest basses on the Serbian opera scene. Under his leadership, "Obilic" moved to the Church of St. Mark in 1970 after the founding of the "Youth Choir" at the Church of the Ascension.

In the mid-seventies, the choir's leader and conductor, Georgije Maksimovic, transformed the choir into a mixed choir at the Church of St. Mark. The successors of the Academic Singing Society "Obilic" at the same church changed their name in 2004 and took St. Despot Stefan Lazarevic as their patron. Since then, they have been adorning the liturgies at the Church of St. Mark with their singing and spreading the name of the founder of our capital and the most educated Serbian of his era.

Choir Conductor

Mr. Predrag Miodrag

Artistic director and choir conductor Predrag Miodrag has been engaged in church chanting since his young theological days, where he studied Russian chanting at the Russian Church of the Holy Trinity in Belgrade in addition to Serbian chanting. He refined his studies in theology and church music at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy under the tutelage of renowned liturgist and musicologist Prof. Nikolai Dmitrievich Uspensky. With the Choir of Students of the Theological Faculty of the SPC in Belgrade, he has participated in the spiritual music festival "Choirs among Frescoes" since its inception.

In his constant search for the most authentic spiritual and sonic expression of church chanting, his interest ranges from the learned and most commonly practiced Serbian church folk chanting and polyphonic Serbian and Russian church choral music, back to the purified sound of monophonic church chanting.

He is one of the founders of the spiritual music festival "Choirs among Frescoes" and has received several commendations and awards at the same festival: in 2002, a plaque for the Male Chamber Choir of the Theological Faculty and a plaque for the Chamber Choir (mixed) of the Theological Faculty, as well as the Vojislav Ilic Award for the Chamber Choir of the Theological Faculty for authentic performance of spiritual music in 2002 and 2004.

As the conductor of the Male and Mixed Chamber Choir of the Theological Faculty and the mixed choir of the Church of St. Mark in Belgrade, his constant performances over twelve years have made an extraordinary contribution to the cultural action of renewing, preserving, and enhancing Serbian Orthodox spiritual music, and thus general Serbian spirituality and art, especially in the field of traditional and deeply rooted choral singing. His artistic performances at Saint Sava spiritual academies and summer spiritual academies in Studenica, as well as numerous successful performances abroad (America, Australia, Germany, Austria, Greece), have spread the beauty of Serbian spiritual and secular music.

For such a contribution, the Festival of Choral Spiritual Music "Choirs among Frescoes" awarded Predrag Miodrag special plaques in 2002 and 2004 as a conductor for research work in the revival and performance of old, previously unperformed compositions by authors of Serbian Orthodox spiritual music. In 2006, the festival unanimously elected him as the laureate of the Vojislav Ilic Award, the highest recognition given to conductors in the field of research work and authentic performance of spiritual music.

All performances of the mentioned choirs under the artistic direction of Predrag Miodrag have been recorded, and several compact discs of Orthodox spiritual music have been released from this material, significantly enriching the offer on the market of choral spiritual music.

Assistant Conductors

Venija Zarkovic

Violin professor at the "Mokranjac" Music School, long-time member of the Choir; former conductor of the choir at the Church of the Ascension in Belgrade and the Choir at the church in Surcin.

Andjelka (Markovic) Arsenovic

Graduated in conducting from the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade in 2001. Leads the choir and orchestra of the "Stankovic" Music School in Belgrade. Completed specialist studies in conducting at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade in 2007.

Milica Radivojevic

Studying conducting at the Faculty of Music Arts in Belgrade; sings in the "Despot Stefan Lazarevic" choir, occasionally conducts at Liturgies and accompanies rehearsals.