Summer festivals in Slovenia

The Ljubljana Festival



The Ljubljana festival (http://www.ljubljanafestival.si/en/) is the main summer music festival with a mostly classical musical programme performed from 20 June to 13 September at venues such as Cankarjev dom, the Slovene Philharmonics, the Ljubljana Castle and Križanke as well as at open-air stage (Kongresni trg). The annual festival features about 80 musical events ranging from classical, contemporary and jazz concerts to stagings of opera, musicals, theatre productions and ballet. Throughout the years the festival has welcomed leading Slovene and international musicians, such as B. Fink, M. Lipovšek, V. Globokar, Y. Menuhin, M. Rostropovich, K. Penderecki, R. Muti, Z. Mehta, V. Gergiev, A. Gheorghiu, as well as other renowned ensembles and orchestras. This year the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra with the conductor Valery Gergiev will again have the opportunity to entice the audience with its characteristically Russian repertoire including Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Prokofiev (3 September), whilst the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle performed at this year's opening event.

This year's highlights will be accompanied by about 30 concerts of orchestral, chamber and solo repertoire spanning from old to contemporary music including the staging of three operas, among them Kogoj’s Black Masks, regarded as the most important piece of the national operatic heritage.
The Ljubljana festival will also host the closing concerts of the participants of the Orchestra Academy master classes, which are taking place within the framework of the project Connecting through music with Maribor International Orchestra 2012 (http://www.mio2012.com/). The master classes for instruments (trumpet, trombone, oboe, bassoon) as well as for conducting and concertmasters were organized in Ljubljana.

Early music festivals Brežice and Radovljica



Between 22 June and 8 September the Early Music Festival Seviqc Brežice (http://www.seviqc-brezice.si/index.php/home-en-GB/) will focus mainly on baroque music at different venues, mostly castles and churches, sites of Slovenian architectural and cultural heritage, in Ljubljana, Dolenjske toplice, Brežice, Lember and Pišece. The series of 19 concerts by musicians, among them the Belgian vocal-instrumental ensemble Zefiro Torna, the Spanish ensemble Artefactum, Ensemble Marquise and the European Baroque Academy of Ambronay, will conclude on 1 september at the Turjak Castle with Scarlatti’s first opera Gli equivoci nel sembiante, produced by the group AuserMusici from Pisa. Transportation to different venues is available on the Festibus, departing from the very centre of Ljubljana.



The 30th Radovljica festival  (http://www.festival-radovljica.si/en_index.html), taking place in Radovljica and Velesovo, situated in the Northwest Gorenjska region, between 4 and 19 August, will feature a wide range of early music from medieval to baroque pieces, many played on period instruments, as well as 20th-century music and modern improvisational performances. The festival traditionally brings together Slovene musicians such as the Ensemble Musica Cubicularis, Trio Quo Vadis and clarinettist Mate Bekavac with renowned international musicians such as the British vocal quartet Orlando Ensemble, organist Edoardo Bellotti, tenor John Potter and jazz saxophonist John Surman, all of whom will be performing at this year's festival.

Primorska region

The International Chamber Music Festival entitled Piran Musical Evenings brings life to the tourist town of Piran, located on the peninsula of Istria, the birth place of renowned 18-century violinist Giuseppe Tartini. From 13 July to 10 August it provides the backdrop for chamber music (www.festivalpgv.si/), featuring among others the orchestra Cappelli Istropolitani, whose baroque programme celebrates the 320th anniversary of the birth of Tartini.

Štajerska region

In the beginning of July Maribor's annual Lent Festival ( www.festival-lent.si/en ), one of the largest international open-air summer festivals in Slovenia, came to a close. It featured various genres of music such as classical, jazz, rock, pop, reggae, world music and electronic music.


This year's traditional Maribor festival (http://www.festivalmaribor.si/en/) of classical music will be organised between 5 and 15 September. It will give preference to classical and contemporary works alongside multi-media projects as well as world music and jazz music performances. The hand-picked repertoire is presented in three concert series: chamber music matinees Morning Reflections, afternoon concerts that include popular genres and evening concerts that present well known classical works as well as contemporary pieces. The festival's resident orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, will give a unique rendition of Beethoven's Ode of Joy as a tribute to Maribor's role as the European capital of culture. Among the renowned musicians performing this year are the artistic director of the festival, violinist and conductor of the Australian Chamber Orchestra Richard Tognetti, singer and Grammy-award winner Dawn Upshaw and well-known soprano Bernarda Bobro (click logo for introduction video).

Maribor – European capital of culture 2012

The first Slovenian European capital of culture, Maribor, plays host to a large number of international as well as many ambitious Slovene productions, ranging from concerts of classical orchestral music, jazz, rock, pop and world music to acclaimed international theatre productions and vibrant club music scenes (http://www.maribor2012.eu/en/). Music events take place not only in Maribor, the capital of the Northeast Štajerska region, but also at venues of its co-organising partner cities in North and Southeastern Slovenia: Velenje, Ptuj, Murska Sobota, Novo mesto and Slovenj Gradec.
Until the end of September 8 open-air venues in Maribor's wider city center will host around 250 concerts of a variety of music genres, ranging from Slovene, African, Asian, South American folk music to ambiental and lounge. The entrance to all concerts is free.

Jazz festivals

The international Ljubljana Jazz Festival, (http://en.ljubljanajazz.si/home/) which took place in June, is one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe; this year it realized its 53rd rendition. The festival featured Dee Dee Bridgewater and John Scofield among others.

The international jazz festival Jazzinty (http://www.jazzinty.com/en/) will take place between 13 and 18 August in Southeastern Slovenia, in Novo Mesto. Devoted to jazz and blues, it is featuring among others Raphael Wressnig & Big Boogaloo Horns. It also offers music workshops by renowned musicians performing at the festival.

More music at Slovenia's summer festivals

In the beginning of July took place the popular Rock Otočec (http://en.rock-otocec.com/), a well-known open-air rock festival, which since 1976 takes place every year for three days on the banks of the river Krka. The highly popular festival thrilled its audiences with a programme of rock music by renowned foreign and Slovene groups.

Trnfest (http://www.kud.si/index.php/Projekt:Trnfest) takes place in Trnovo, Ljubljana, between 31 July and 1 September and offers free concerts in order to promote a diverse and somewhat alternative music scene. Each evening for 5 weeks the programme is played at a main outdoor concert venue for different rock genres such as world music and indie rock, progressive rock and world music, while a smaller indoor stage provides the setting for electronic dance music. The DJ program brings diverse genres to the dance stage, ranging from hip hop and house to drum and bass.

Punk Rock enthusiasts can enjoy the Punk Rock Holiday festival between 15 and 18 August in Tolmin (http://www.punkrockholiday.com/News).



Imago Sloveniae or the Summer in Old Ljubljana festival  (www.imagosloveniae.net ) is an international festival featuring an eclectic array of music genres from classical to jazz. It features performances by ensembles such as the Accord Quartet and the Harvard Din & Tonics in smaller towns throughout Slovenia till the end of August.

Between 5 July and 2 August the City Museum of Ljubljana hosts Summer concerts (http://www.im-puls.si/Poletni%20koncerti%20v%20atriju%20Mestnega%20muzeja%2008_sl.htm/) and features interesting performances of a variety of musicians such as the cembalist Dalibor Miklavčič and opera singer Mirjam Kalin as well as by the unconventional Italian musician Luca Ciarla and his quartet, who creatively combine different genres, from jazz, classical to world music and musical improvisations. This year’s summer concert series in the Atrium of the City Museum of Ljubljana will be closed on 2 August with a chanson concert by the Slovenian vocalist Nuška Drašček and pianist Blaž Jurjevčič.

Creative workshops including experimental music and folk concerts take place at festivals, such as Sajeta (www.sajeta.org), organized this year from 24 to 29 July near Tolmin in the Soča region, and Trnje near Pivka in Southeast Slovenia (www.mcp.si), which took place on 6 and 7 July.