Radmila Smiljanić, an honorary professor at this year's competition, together with Prof. Mirela Šćasni, founded the "Bruna Špiler" competition in 2008.
Born on July 25, 1940, in Banja Luka, she was an opera prima donna, soprano, former leading member of the National Theater Opera in Belgrade, and a member of the Senate of the Republic of Srpska. She holds the title of professor emeritus. She was a regular professor at the Department of Solo Singing at the Faculty of Music Art of the University of Arts in Belgrade, the Academy of Arts at the University of Banja Luka, and the Music Academy of the University of East Sarajevo.
At the invitation of the renowned conductor Oscar Danon from the Sarajevo Opera, she performed the role of Fatamorgana in the opera "Love for Three Oranges" and the role of Lisa in "The Queen of Spades" with a team of Belgrade soloists, during a performance in Barcelona which opened the doors of the National Theater to her.
She made her debut on March 13, 1968, playing the role of Leonora in Verdi's "Il Trovatore," and then obtained a permanent engagement.
Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Rimsky-Korsakov, Glinka, Mozart, Smetana, Puccini, Mascagni, Rossini... are just some of the composers whose works were part of the repertoire of this world-renowned soprano.
Her vocal abilities, and above all her acting skills, opened the doors of all the leading opera houses in the world, from Modena, Barcelona, Linz, Trieste, Odessa, Tallinn, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Thessaloniki, Brno, Mainz... to Seattle, where she performed in "The Queen of Spades" with Regina Resnik and "Un Ballo in Maschera" with Giorgio Zancanaro. Her partners included Domingo, del Monaco, Carreras, di Stefano, Medl, Cvejić, and many others.
She was a friend of Luciano Pavarotti, but by a twist of fate, they never shared the stage. However, her son Nikola Mijailović had the honor of singing with him in "La Bohème" after winning at Pavarotti's competition in Philadelphia.
Radmila Smiljanić received numerous prestigious awards, including the Award for Best Interpretation of Mařenka in "The Bartered Bride," the Award and Medal for Best Interpretation of the works of the Czech composer Leoš Janáček at the Prague Spring festival, the Golden Record "Jugodisk" at the Sava Center in Belgrade, on the occasion of celebrating 35 years of artistic work, and the Golden Seal of the National Theater in Belgrade...
