THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES AT THE GUCHA TRUMPET FESTIVAL

Belgrade, 13 August 2007 – Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine visited yesterday the Gucha trumpet and brass band festival and attended the opening of the final competition.

Their Royal Highnesses were welcomed at the Lucani hotel and were guests at lunch, along with HE Prime Minister Kostunica of Serbia, HE Prime Minister Dodik of the Republic of Srpska, HE Minister for Infrastructure of Serbia Velimir Ilic, HE Mr. Predrag Bubalo, Minister of economy and services, and Mr. Slobodan Jolovic, President of the Lucani Municipality. The lunch was also attended by HE Mr. Predrag Bubalo, Minister of economy and services. Also present were HE Mr. Alexander Alexeev, Russian Ambassador to Serbia, HE Ms. Denise de Hauwere, Belgian Ambassador and Mr. Ron Van Dartel, Ambassador of the Netherlands.

The village of Gucha in the Dragacevo district, peaceful and colorful part of western Serbia, has gained world fame owing to its annual trumpet competition, the largest trumpet event in the world that is attracting tens of thousands of foreign tourists and hundreds of thousands of domestic tourists each year. From the 19th century until now the trumpet has reigned here uninterrupted while woodwind instruments warm the soul of its population. The sound of the trumpet traditionally accompanies every major event in Serbia's rural and small-town life: births, baptisms, weddings, Slava {family patron saint day}, farewell parties for those joining military service, state and church festivals, harvesting, reaping, and also departing this world. The music in Gucha is very diverse, but all the songs have one thing in common – the rhythm that cannot leave anyone indifferent. The spirit of Guca is the spirit of Serbia.

In the summer of 2006, the English site www.thisisthelife.com/ named Gucha as the best festival in the world. The Gucha festival scored 10 out of 10 and topped the chart, followed by another festival in Serbia - the Exit Festival in Novi Sad, in second place, scoring a 9.8, and the Rio Carnival in Brazil which scored a 9.5!