9th Sing in Split Festival

Programm:

May 13: The first evening of the 9th SING(in)SPLIT International Song Festival took place on Wednesday, May 13, at 8:00 PM in Diocletian's Cellars. 

The concert featured the Mixed Choir of the Academy of Arts in Split under the direction of Assistant Professor Sara Dodig Baučić, PhD. Alongside a cappella choral works by M. Lauridsen, D. Bartolucci, E. Miaroma, and M. Hogan, the choir presented two premieres for the first time. The first piece, Ave Maria for mixed choir a cappella, was written by Nina Bakić. The concert premiere of a seven-movement work by Dutch composer Rieteke Hölscher was also held. The composition, Tales of the Pilgrimage, gave musical form to a collaged text by the composer herself, Hildegard of Bingen, Kahlil Gibran, and Edgar Allan Poe. Written for mixed choir and cello, it is part of an international project and cultural cooperation between Croatia and the Netherlands. Guest performers included students from the Department of Music Theory and Composition at the Academy of Arts: flautist Doroteja Hegeduš and violinist Dorotea Rukavina. They performed a duet by C. G. Lidarti, having prepared the musical program under the mentorship of Full Professor Ana Domačić Krstulović. The entire event continued the ongoing growth of the festival, which to date has gathered over 1,000 participants from 20 countries, enriching Split's cultural scene with choral excellence. Admission was free. 

May 14: Lecture: Structure and Tension in Contemporary Vocal Composition

A lecture by Dutch composer and pianist Rieteke Hölscher took place as part of the second evening of the 9th SING(in)SPLIT festival. Rieteke offered us a closer look into her compositional world, where she skillfully blends music history with contemporary techniques to create a sound that is both innovative and accessible. She revealed how her choral works - performed by ensembles in places like Beijing and the Netherlands - come to life, and how to achieve expressiveness through lyrical melodies and extended vocal techniques. This versatile musician boasts a rich educational background, having studied piano (classical and jazz) at the Hilversum Conservatory and composition at the Utrecht Conservatory. Her work has been recognised through numerous awards and honours. Her interdisciplinary projects are of particular interest, such as Il Cibo per La Musica for youth orchestra and Disturbing Light, which combines electronics, live performance, and video art. Her innovative approach also took her to New York, where she presented a work for Robot Toy Piano at the Uncaged Toy Piano Festival, which had previously been selected for the prestigious Gaudeamus Muziekweek. Location: Hall of the Department of Music at the Academy of Arts in Split. The lecture was open to UMAS students and the general public. Admission was free.

September 19: 7th edition of the Spli'ski klaparel 

In 2020, klapa Ventula joined the organisation of Sing(in)Split, co-organising the first Split klapa gathering called Spli’ski klaparel. The evening originated from the festival's Traditional Song Evening and demonstrated that Split can and wants to host its own klapa gathering. Klapa Ventula is also last year's winner of the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in Omiš. Its members selflessly, enthusiastically, and voluntarily participate in the extensive organisation of this klapa evening, driven by the desire to gather klapas in the city under Marjan, not just in neighbouring towns. This year's Klaparel will traditionally serve as the opening event of the festival's autumn section and will take place on September 19 at the Concert Hall Hrvatski dom Split. Alongside klapa Ventula, the lineup features klape Sagena, Filip Dević, Stivanja, Krunik, Dežgracija, Kampaneli, and Armorin. Admission was free.

Upcoming events will be announced later, but are expected to take place in November.