Four years have gone since the untimely passing of Ivan Tasovac, the legendary director of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, who was managing it from 2001 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2021. Each year since his passing, the Belgrade Philharmonic has been organizing special events in his loving memory. This year, the tribute came in the form of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, a work in which Tasovac himself appeared in the previous staging. Following three sold-out performances and standing ovations at the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra Hall (September 26, 27, and 28), the performers unveiled a large banner reading BPO Loves Tasa.
Even after four years, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra continues to preserve and nurture Tasovac’s avant-garde ideas, which remain deeply woven into the fabric of the institution. Innovation and boundary-pushing have long since become the Philharmonic’s standard – its way of working, thinking, and planning. Yet, his greatest vision remains unaccomplished: not only for the Belgrade Philharmonic to have a new home of its own, but for Serbia to gain a new cultural landmark by which it would be recognized worldwide.
Throughout much of his tenure as director, Tasovac was deeply committed to the project of building a new Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra’s Concert Hall. He meticulously shaped and developed this ambitious idea, carefully planning every step toward its realization, tirelessly motivating and engaging international authorities in its support, studying and mastering the field, and persistently lobbying decision-makers.
Above all, Tasovac understood that investment in a world-class orchestra carries immense long-term potential, not only for the cultural development of a country but also for its economic progress. Similar projects around the world have proven to be investments with multiple returns – economic, social, and cultural. The new Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra Concert Hall was thus envisioned as a strategic investment project capable of stimulating entire sectors.
In 2021, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched an international design competition. Following Tasovac’s passing, the winning proposal was selected: a design by Amanda Levete and her London-based studio AL_A. In the period that followed, this international team, with consulting support from the Arup Company and in collaboration with the local studio Zabriskie, completed and delivered the full project. On April 24, 2025, the Ministry of Public Investment, acting as the formal investor, submitted the request for a construction permit for the new Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall in New Belgrade. According to regulations, construction must begin within three years from the date the permit becomes legally binding.
