Dr. Bogdan Djaković (Novi Sad, Serbia 1966) is a musicologist, a leading expert in Serbian Orthodox Choral Music, and a choral conductor, most notably directing the Cathedral Choir of St. George in Novi Sad, Serbia for more than 30 years. A musicology graduate of the University of Arts in Belgrade, the focus of his research into the history of Orthodox Church Music has been its development from the Middle Ages to the present day, including his 2013 PhD thesis ‘The functional and stylistic–aesthetic elements in Serbian Church Choral Music from the first half of the 20th century’.
A Professor of Choral Literature at the Department of Composition and Musical Theory at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, he also teaches Art and Medicine, and Art Therapy at the University of Novi Sad’s Medical Faculty, has been on the Executive Board of Radio–Television Vojvodina (2006–2011), a guest professor at several European Music Academies through the Erasmus+ educational programme (2016–2018), and frequently participates at many national and international musicological conferences. His published works include 70 musicological studies and more than 30 works of music criticism, and he has produced four CDs and a DVD with the Cathedral Choir of St. George, as well as the monograph Liturgical and Artistic elements in Serbian Sacred Choral Music between the two World Wars (1918–1941), published by Matica srpska and the Academy of Arts, Novi Sad (2015).
In 2017 he received a special diploma from the Bishop of Bačka, Irinej Bulović, in recognition of his thirty-year conducting career in the Serbian Orthodox Church. His involvement with several Serbian and Yugoslav choirs includes founding the church singing society St. Stephen of Dečani and the Hor.uns choir of the University of Novi Sad.
Performances as conductor of the Cathedral Choir of St. George have included many municipal and national events to promote Christian Orthodox and national culture, and various services and special occasions across Serbia, including in its famous monasteries, and since 1993 the choir has represented the Serbian Orthodox Church at the meetings organised by the monks of Taizé throughout Europe, and most recently at the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil led by Pope Francis before the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Vatican City in September 2023. St. George’s Cathedral choir recordings have been featured on Radio Novi Sad, Radio–Television Belgrade, and the BBC.
He has been assistant conductor to the musicologist Dr Dimitrije Stefanovic (Oxon.) since 1993 at 17 summer schools in Serbia and Hungary for 15th–19th century Orthodox chant and 19th–20th century choral music, dedicated to the first modern-educated Serbian musician, Kornelije Stanković (1831–1865). In 2003 he attended the Master Class of choral conducting led by Prof. Uwe Gronostay and Prof. Hartmut Haenchen in Harlem, Holland. He conducts the Chamber Choir of the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, and the Kotor-Art Festival Choir (Montenegro), and has been a judge at some of the most prestigious Serbian choral and music festivals—The Days of Josif Marinković,Novi Bečej, The Chamber Choir Festival, Kragujevac, The Mokranjac festival, Negotin—as well as for the Croatian National Choral Competition in Rovinj (2019). In 2014 he conducted Sacred Songs of Serbia, a programme of Orthodox Church Music with Cappella Roman, one of the most prestigious world groups for traditional and modern music, in Portland and Seattle, USA.
As an artistic director, he organised the first Cantat Novi Sad singing week (2011) through the European Choral Association Europa Cantat, has been a member of the management team for three of the Hearts in Harmony festivals in Novi Sad (2011–2013), and on the Regional Artistic Committee for the Pecs Cantat Festival (Europa Cantat) (2015) where he also conducted a workshop/discovery atelier: The world of Orthodox Choral Music – Serbian, Bulgarian and Russian Artistic Experience.
With an international reputation as a conductor, he has led performances in Italy, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia, Portugal, Switzerland and Sweden. Notable concerts include: Norwich & Norfolk Festival (UK 1999, 2002), Belgrade BEMUS Music Festival (Serbia, 2004), XXI Festival Des Cathédrales de Picardie (Abbeville, France 2008), St. Dimitrius Festival (Thessaloniki, Greece 2008), XVII Vaasa Choral Festival (Finland 2009), Kotor-Art Festival (Montenegro 2009), City Hall in Dortmund (Germany 2011), a Festival dedicated to 100 years of the Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam (Holland 2012), and the Mediterranean Voices Festival and Conference (Girona, Spain 2013).
Conducting repertoire features Serbian, Russian and Bulgarian Orthodox mediaeval chant and 18th and 19th century monophonic tradition, and early Russian polyphonic music, as well as Orthodox, Anglican, and Catholic choral music from the 19th century to the present day, including many well-known contemporary names.
Along with cultivating all forms of Christian church music, Bogdan Đaković aims to revive this musical genre by promoting new works by active Serbian composers, including Jasmina Mitrušić, Rajko Maksimović, Alexandra Vrebalov, Alexander Damjanović and Svetislav Božić.
Performances of works composed by his friend and colleague Ivan Moody include the world première of Seven Hymns to St Sava with Camerata Academica (Novi Sad, 2006), and Hymn to St. Nikolas (Kotor, 2009).