WHITE PALACE RECEPTION IN HONOUR OF EUROSONG PARTICIPANTS

Belgrade, 18 May 2008 – On behalf of Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine, who were unfortunately prevented by unforeseen circumstances to attend the reception, Mr. Dusan Babac, member of the Privy Council hosted this evening a reception in honour of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) participants at the White Palace.

Among the guests were delegations of 43 participating countries with their journalists, representatives of the Serbian Government and the diplomatic corps.

This was a great opportunity for the visitors to enjoy the remarkable ambience of the White Palace, and to also have the opportunity to witness the cultural, historic, and artistic dimension of Serbian traditional dances and songs.

Mrs. Darinka Matic Marovic led the Krsmanovic-Obilic choir, which performed the Serbian national anthem God of Justice as well as The European Anthem Ode to Joy – Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

After the performance, Mr. Dusan Babac, member of the Privy Council, read Crown Prince Alexander’s welcome letter: “It gives me great pleasure that you are in Belgrade and Serbia at the White Palace. For many of you, this is the first time ever that you are in Serbia. For us, it is the first time ever that Belgrade is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. So, we all feel tremendously excited”. The Crown Prince in his letter especially thanked Miss Maria Serifovic, last year’s winner and her team for making all this possible, and wished everyone a warm welcome and a pleasant stay in Belgrade. “May the best song win in the finals”, concluded the Crown Prince in his letter. Miss Maria Serifovic then greeted the guests and wished them good luck in the competition.

Mr. Svante Stockselius, on behalf of the European Broadcasting Union, and Mrs. Sandra Susa, on behalf of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS) also delivered speeches.

Mrs. Darinka Matic Marovic led the Choir of Obilic – Krsmanovic which performed Serbian traditional songs. After that, Mr. Nenad Radujevic on behalf of the Click Fashion Agency presented a magnificent fashion show. Prestigious domestic fashion designers took part in it, with an aim to present the domestic scene and the creativity of national designers. The sponsor of the fashion show was the Stav Company that presented the latest technology of the Series 6 Samsung LCD televisions.

On behalf of the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation (RTS), Mr. Ivan Plavsic, a known humanitarian and singer, handed out an award to Mr. Svante Stockselius, Supervisor of the European Broadcasting Union, and performed a song together with Serbian singer Jellena. The song “How can I believe you” was the one they performed at Beovision on the occasion of a humanitarian project.

Next, the Dimitrije Koturovic artistic ensemble performed wedding dances from Gnjilane (Kosovo), by coreographer Srboljub Ninkovic. This choreography was awarded at a festival in Dijon, France.

This ended the official part of the programme. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy a cocktail party and the premises of the White Palace.

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Belgrade from 20th to 24th May.