The Ohrid summer Festival is a festival founded on 4 August 1961

admin ♦ August 9, 2010 ♦ 1 Comment

The Ohrid summer Festival is a festival founded on 4 August 1961, always taking place between 12 July and 20 August in the city of Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia.It is financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia and sponsors. The President of the Republic of Macedonia is the patron of the festival. The festival featured prominent artists since 1961, i.e. José Carreras. Since 1994, the festival is a member of the European Festival Association.
The Ohrid Summer Festival is one of the largest and most important music and drama festivals in Macedonia. The first concert took place in 1961 in the church of St. Sophia, with its exceptional acoustics.
The festival in Ohrid has a particular international flavour because of the participation of a large number of leading musicians and ensembles from the best known European and world music centers. There have been participants from 44 countries.
This Festival has a solid reputation as it has gradually become part of the large family of the most famous European music festival. The Ohrid Summer Festival has its own sound conceptions, and it is able to draw up a musical program that includes artists of world renown. The Ohrid Summer Festival is held each year from July 12 to August 20. The number of performances is about 40:28 music events and 12 plays. In the last 45 years there have been more than 1,150 performances in which 30,000 local and foreign artists and performers have taken part. The average annual number of visitors is about 20,000. The performances usually take place in historic buildings or monuments. The Festival program had been accompanied by several other activities. One of them is the International Master’s School for talented young violinists, cellists, pianists and singers. So far 35 such schools, or seminars, have been held. This is certainly an imposing success for its 45 years, but such a success also imposes an obligation of still greater and more impressive undertakings.
The Ohrid Summer Festival is on now, turning the UNESCO World Heritage city into a cultural Mecca with a long list of exceptional concerts, recitals, artists, exhibits, shows and plays at venues throughout the town. Celebrating its golden jubilee this year, the organizers have pulled out all the stops to make it an exceptional gathering of artists from around the world.

The festival showcases great performers from over 20 different countries from the Balkans, around Europe and as far away as Brazil. Highlights include performances by the Russian National Orchestra, a French Chopin evening commemorating the composer’s bicentennial, and a Europe Day concert by the Baroque Orchestra of the European Union.

The list of native Macedonian performances read like a Who’s Who of the performing arts, with appearances by the Skopje Drama Theatre, the Macedonian National Theatre, the Skopje Youth Chamber Orchestra, the Macedonian Philharmonic, and the Orchestra of the Macedonian Opera and Ballet, as well as an equally impressive list of soloists.

The City of Ohrid is an ideal setting for this kind of  event. Its long cultural tradition and rich collection of historic structures provide exciting venues for just about any kind of performance. The Antique Theatre, built about 2000 years ago, provides the largest stage and stunning views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The important medieval Church of St. Sophia is one of the main chamber music venues. The historic site of St. Clement’s Church of St. Panteleimon, birthplace of the famous Ohrid School of Slavonic literature and culture, is a uniquely appropriate place to host artistic installations and performances.

The Ohrid Summer Festival started modestly in 1961with a single concert in the St Sophia church. Over the years the festival has grown in both size and international acclaim. Today, it is one of the most prominent festivals in Europe and an enchanting way to spend a few days on the shores of magical Lake Ohrid.Error processing request