The jury

Filip ŽMAHER

Member of the International jury of the XXVI International Pop Song Performers Contest "Vitebsk-2017"

Popular singer, Honored Artist of Serbia, Grand Prix winner of the International Pop Song Performers Contest "Vitebsk-1995"

Filip Žmaher was born in 1966 in Belgrade (Yugoslavia).

His music career started at the age of twenty. Until the early 1990s, he performed in various clubs with musicians performing rock, blues and jazz. He toured with the American jazz-soul singers Debbie Cameron i Leena Conquest. 

The start of his solo career followed the debut at the music festival MECAM (2001).

The singer enjoyed the rapid popularity growth in his country after success in almost all music festivals of Yugoslavia.He became known internationally thanks to his performances at the festival "Golden Orpheus" (Bulgaria), "Voice of Asia" (Kazakhstan).

The victory at the International Pop Song Performers Contest "Vitebsk-1995", which is annually held in the framework of the International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" (Belarus), brought him recognition in all Slavic countries.

In 1996, a year after his triumphant performance, Žmaher was awarded the title of "Singer of the Year" (Yugoslavia).

In 1997, during the concert dedicated to the Moscow’s 850th Anniversary, held on Red Square, the audience recognized Filip Žmaher as the best among the singers who won the Grand Prix of the International Pop Song Performers Contest "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk".

In the late 1990s, thanks to cooperation with the Ukrainian composer Alexander Zlotnik, the singer began to perform a duet with Taisia Povaliy (Grand Prix of the International Pop Song Performers Contest "Vitebsk-1993").

Filip Žmaher has been giving concerts in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus since 2001. He collaborates with the rock band "Intourist", Alexander Fokin’s group. He has many times toured with the popular German group "Shiller". At the same time he continues collaboration with the Serbian hard rock band "Tornado", which has resulted in releasing "Triumph of the King" album in Germany. A series of concerts around the world with the original program and the release of a new solo album in collaboration with a group of "Tornado" are planned.

Filip Žmaher speaks Serbian, English, French, Russian and Ukrainian.

He participated in concert programs of the International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" in1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

In 1997 and 2001 he joined the jury of the International Pop Song Performers Contest "Vitebsk". In 2002, he was the artistic director and presenter of the gala-concert of masters of arts of the Balkan countries "Balkan star". In 2003, he worked in the international jury of the I International Children Music Contest.

This year Filip Žmaher is to perform on stage of the Summer Amphitheatre along with the other jury members in the second part of the concert of participants of the XXVI International Pop Song Performers Contest "Vitebsk-2017" (16 July, at 22.00) and in the gala concert of the Closing Ceremony of the festival (July 17, at 22.00).