Sultana Cijukova-Savić

Contributions to culture and science:

Sultana Cijukova was one of the most successful Serbian opera singers, well-known in Europe.

Short biography:

Svetlana Cijuk was born in 1871 into a respectable family, which had a significant influence on the political and cultural life of the city. Her grandfather Simeon Cijuk, a contemporary and friend of Jovan Sterija Popović, was a famous lawyer and poet.
Already as a young girl, she participated in the guest performances of the Serbian National Theater in Vršac. As her parents did not have the funds to send her to further education, the people of Vršac started a fundraising campaign so that Sultana could go to the conservatory in Vienna. After schooling in Vienna, her career took off. She decided to work at the City Theater in Hamburg. She sang leading roles in operas in Vienna, Mainz, Frankfurt, Graz, Prague, London, Moscow, Petrograd and other European cities. Although famous in Europe, Sultana did not forget her country and often held concerts in Serbian towns. She also regularly visited her hometown Vršac, where she had charity concerts for poor children. In 1909, Sultana started singing in Belgrade in the private opera owned by her second husband, Žarko Savić. For a while, she was a member of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad. After the First World War, Sultana withdrew from the stage. She died in 1935 in Belgrade and was buried in Vršac.

Interesting facts (Storytelling):

During one guest appearance in Belgrade, when she sang in front of the Montenegrin prince Nikola, she was awarded the Order of Saint Sava and the Order of Prince Danilo I.