The International Cultural Exchange Program for Classical Musicians, a collaboration between BHAAAS and the Sarajevo Philharmonic, is back after a long pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since its inception in 2011, the program has welcomed over 35 classical musicians from across the United States, as well as one from Taipei, to spend a season performing with the Sarajevo Philharmonic. BHAAAS supports this initiative by recruiting musicians and providing round-trip airfare for each guest artist, helping bring international talent to the local music scene.
For the 2025–26 season, the Sarajevo Philharmonic proudly welcomes Mr. Pedro Rivera Garza, an accomplished oboe and English horn player from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
Pedro Rivera completed his postgraduate studies in 2024 with a Graduate Professional Diploma from the University of Hartford, graduating with honors and a perfect 4.00 GPA. His studies were fully funded through an institutional scholarship by Harvey Goldstein. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2016 at the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey, becoming the institution’s first graduate oboist.
United States:
Soloist with The Hartt School Collegium Musicum (2023–2024), performing Baroque repertoire under Emlyn Ngai.
Oboe & English Horn of the UHARTT Orchestra (2022–2024), conducted by Edward Cumming.
Collaboration with the UCONN Symphony Orchestra (2023), featuring a special English horn performance under André Raphel.
Mexico:
English Horn with the Monterrey Ballet Orchestra (2024), directed by Felipe Tristan.
Guest Principal Oboe with the Teatro de Bellas Artes Orchestra (Giselle Ballet, 2020).
Guest musician with OFUNAM (UNAM Philharmonic Orchestra) under Massimo Quarta (2019) and Enrique Diemecke (2024).
Performances with the Guanajuato University Symphony Orchestra, Cancún Philharmonic Orchestra, Desierto Philharmonic Orchestra, Eduardo Mata Youth Orchestra, and as Principal Oboist of the Prana Wind Quintet.
Pedro has also attended masterclasses with renowned oboists, including Ayako Oshima, Christoph Hartmann, Pedro Díaz, Francesco di Rosa, Martin Schuring, Gianfranco Bortolato, and Rafael Monge. In addition, he served as Faculty Member at the Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) from 2017 to 2019.
Mr. Pedro Rivera with Dr. Eldin Karaikovic, BHAAAS Program Coordinator in Sarajevo in November, 2025.
Over the years, the program has contributed significantly to the cultural exchange and development of classical music in Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing musicians to collaborate, learn from local artists, and share their own musical traditions.
This initiative exemplifies BHAAAS’s commitment to fostering international collaboration, supporting the arts, and creating meaningful cultural connections across borders. With the return of the program, Sarajevo audiences can once again enjoy the talents of world-class guest musicians and the shared joy of classical music.
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