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<< -- 3 -- Howard Smith CAUGHT UNAWARES
She won many national, republic and federal competitions and took a first prize at the
1993 International Sergei Rachmaninoff Anniversary Competition. Radokovic was described as
possessing 'A volcanic temperament and a tender Slavic soul' and she subsequently toured
widely with concerto performances and recitals throughout the Balkans and later in Italy
and Sweden.
Sonja on a New Zealand farm, holding a lamb. Photo © 2003 Hans Zulauf
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Nonetheless last month Sonja came to New Zealand direct from the still harsh conditions
in her own land. And for the first time she patted a horse, saw newly-born lambs up close,
and she clambered over slippery shoreline rocks to confront seals at Palliser; just one bay
away from Wellington.
Sonja with a horse in New Zealand. Photo © 2003 Hans Zulauf
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Each evening Sonja found a phone booth and in 'rapid-fire' Serbian she acquainted her
husband and mother -- back in Belgrade -- with the day's events 'Down Under'.
A devout Orthodox believer, Sonja loves her audiences ... Serbian, Croat, Muslim or Maori
... and she prepares her programmes assiduously. Consequently nothing seems to phase her.
Continue >>
Copyright © 21 September 2003
Howard Smith, Masterton, New Zealand
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