Mixed City Choir "Gortinija"

The choir “Gortinija” (the ancient name of Gevgelija) was formed in 2006 as a reunion of the mixed chamber choir which used to work in Gevgelija previously. In the present, the members of the choir are young enthusiasts and amateur singers with excellent vocal interpretations and love for choral music. In its short existence, the choir has achieved a rich artistic expression. For this, Gortinija has been rewarded with many honors, such as: Second Prize at the Rimini International Choral Competition (Rimini, Italy, 2010), Second award, Prize for an Outstanding Conducting,and Special Prize for The Best Programme Choice (Antalya, Turkey, 2011), and the Special Award in the International Festival of Orthodox Music in Haynuvka, Poland.

Ilija Atanasov completed his undergraduate studies of conducting with maestro Dragan Šuplevski at the Faculty of Musical Arts in Skopje where he also completed his postgraduate studies in 2009. He furthered his studies in choral and operatic/symphonic conducting at the “Nikolay Rimski Korsakov” Conservatory in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with maestro Valery Uspensky.

For more than 15 years he has been working with all types of choirs: childrens, youth, adult, amateur and professional. He is a conductor of several choirs in both Gevgelija and Skopje. He has helped in establishing new choirs - and such is Gortinia- but also choirs in elementary and high schools in Macedonia. Atanasov has held master-class workshops in Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia.

Gevgelija is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very south-east of the Republic of Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border crossing with Greece. The main sources of income are the cultivation of fruits and vegetables such as figs, lemons, and grapes. The town was famous as a center for raising silkworms and nowadays the tourism business is growing with a spa located in a nearby village and the ski resort at the mountain Kozuf. Gevgelija is often referred to as the Macedonian Las Vegas, particularly because of the number of casinos that exist in the city and the surrounding area.