The Mokranjac Music School (Belgrade, 1899) is the oldest music and pedagogical institution in Serbia. It was founded on the initiative of the First Belgrade Singers’ Association, and its first director was Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac, whose name it has borne since 1946. During more than a century of its existence, the school has produced a large number of prominent artists and scientists who have marked the musical life of Serbia and the world. Today, it provides primary and secondary music education in numerous departments, with a special place occupied by the Department of Traditional Music. It was founded in 1995 and is unique in its concept and program, the goal of which is to preserve and carry the Serbian traditional musical practice on in its original form. The teaching of Serbian traditional singing and playing is based on the study and performance of authentic folk music, without harmonization, stylization and arrangement interventions, in accordance with the principles of traditional performing practice and the current curriculum. In addition to the musical heritage of Serbia, students study and perform songs and instrumental melodies from the areas where the Serbian population lived and lives, preserving the wealth of different local styles and performing practices.
The singing group has been active since the establishment of the department and is one of its most recognizable ensembles. So far, it has performed at numerous domestic and international festivals and cultural events (Days of Mokranjac, BEMUS, Radost Evrope, Skopje Summer, Kustendorf) and held all-night concerts in Belgrade at the Ethnographic Museum, SKC, City Library, on Kolarac, in the Temple of St. Sava… Students of the Department have also presented themselves to audiences in Japan, France, Croatia, North Macedonia, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro and Germany. The ensemble has won numerous awards at folk art competitions, among which the titles of laureate of the Vocal Ethno Festival (VEF) in Negotin in 2019 and 2026 stand out as special recognitions. The artistic directors of the Singing Group are teachers Milica Đorđević, Branko Tadić and Nataša Mihaljinac.
The Prvi Partizan Cultural and Artistic Society (Užice, 1948) is one of the oldest, most famous and most successful societies for the preservation of folklore traditions in Western Serbia. It was founded by a group of enthusiasts and union workers of the Prvi Partizan factory who wanted to preserve the folk dance, song, music and customs of their region. Through its work, the society has gathered thousands of members of different generations, from the youngest students of the folklore school to experienced dancers, singers and musicians. Today, it has several hundred members distributed in children’s ensembles, preparatory groups and a performing ensemble. In addition to folklore, a folk orchestra, a male and female singing group are actively working. The society regularly organizes concerts, participates in cultural events and actively contributes to the preservation of national identity and cultural heritage. It has made notable appearances at numerous folklore, festivals and cultural events throughout Serbia, as well as in Europe and other parts of the world, representing Serbian tradition and culture. Their performances have been awarded numerous awards, diplomas and letters of appreciation.The repertoire of the folklore ensemble includes choreographies of dances from the Užice region, Šumadija, Vojvodina, Kosovo and Metohija, eastern and southern Serbia, as well as dances of other peoples from the Balkans. The dancers perform in authentic folk costumes, thereby contributing to the preservation of traditional culture and customs.
The Mokranjac Cultural and Artistic Society (Mokranje) has around fifty active members. The folklore ensembles mainly perform old original dances, which were once performed in Mokranje. The society participated in traditional manifestations of original folk art: Village Meetings, Krajina Customs in Štubik, and as a representative of the municipality of Negotin, at the festivals ’Prođoh Levač, prođoh Šumadiju’ in Kalenić, Homolje motifs in Kučevo, the Wallachian Folk Art Festival Omoljanca, the Assembly of Tradition and Culture of Serbs ’Belgrade Winner’, as well as at the Days of Mokranjac festival.