“Branko”

The history of this city and of the Diocese of Niš, as well as their spiritual and cultural renewal after five dark centuries, is interwoven with the song of the Niš Church Choral Society “Branko”, which never fell silent - not in the hardest times of the Balkan Wars, the First and Second World Wars, nor under the rule of communist ideology, when everything connected with the Church was considered backward, reactionary and hostile to the ruling regime.

Gathered in the Cathedral of Niš around its Bishop, the Church Choral Society “Branko” withstood all the trials it faced due to unfavourable historical circumstances. That is why the Bishops of Niš have always paid special attention to the Society and taken an active part in its life and work.

For a full 130 years, the choir “Branko” has regularly sung at the Holy Liturgies in the Cathedral of Niš, as well as at all major church celebrations, not only in the Diocese of Niš but throughout the Orthodox world. Through its chant, the choir nurtures the tradition of Orthodox choral music, performing works by Serbian, Russian, Greek and other Orthodox composers. Throughout its long history, through numerous successful performances at home and abroad as well as various charitable, cultural and educational activities within the Church, this choir has had an important missionary role.

In more recent times, in 1990 to be precise, Sara Cincarević, wife of a priest, became the head of the choir. Investing enormous effort and personal talent, with great faith, love and professionalism, she has made “Branko” one of the finest church choirs in our Local Church today. This is borne out by numerous successful concerts and tours at home and abroad, participation in prestigious international choral festivals, and high honours: the Order of St Sava, Second Class, the Order of the Holy Emperor Constantine, the Order of the Holy Apostle Paul of the Metropolis of Veria (Church of Greece), the “11 January” Award - the highest honour of the City of Niš - and many others. The crown of all these honours is the Order of St Sava, First Class, with which the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church this year decorated the choir “Branko” on the jubilee of 130 years of its existence.

In 1995, the board of the choir “Branko” also founded a children's choir as the junior branch of the Church Choral Society, with the blessing of the Bishop of Niš, Irinej, now His Holiness the Serbian Patriarch. Since then, the children's choir has been led with great success and love by Jovana Mikić, wife of a priest, who also fulfils an important catechetical role.

The success of the choir “Branko” would be hard to imagine without its president, Mr Vojkan Mitrović, and without the tremendous support and effort of the dean of the Cathedral, Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Branislav Cincarević, and Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Nenad Mikić.

Ahead of the great jubilee of 1700 years since the Edict of Milan, in 2009 the choir “Branko”, with the blessing of Bishop Irinej of Niš, founded the biennial Festival of Sacred Music “Music Edict”, held in early June in the hall of the St Sava Centre in Niš.

It is a special honour for Us that in the year of Our enthronement as Bishop of Niš, the Church Choral Society “Branko” celebrates such a significant jubilee, one that few church choirs can boast of, and that We thereby become part of its long and glorious history. Expressing gratitude to all members of the Church Choral Society “Branko” for their selfless effort in nurturing church chant, but above all for the evangelical mission they carry out through both their chant and their liturgical life, we congratulate them on this great jubilee and invoke God's blessing upon them, wishing that the Lord may strengthen them to work with great success for many blessed years, to the glory of God and of our Holy Orthodox Church.

With blessingsMetropolitan and Archbishop of Niš Arsenije