Embrace the Magic of Summer Festivals
What better way to celebrate summer than by going to festivals? These lively gatherings bring people together, uniting them in a shared love for music, and art, creating unforgettable experiences. Today, we will highlight hidden gems of the festival’s community.
Varna Summer International Music Festival
24 Jun - 10 Oct 2023 | Varna, Bulgaria
Having received national and international recognition, today the festival is a representative forum of Bulgarian and world music.
The slogan of the first organisers "to unite the best music celebrities of the country" finds its continuation and advance in the promotion of Bulgarian music culture in the policy of the festival’s programming. Several Bulgarian works have been performed for the first time during the "Varna Summer".
The festival has a multi-genre character and includes the following modules: Core Programme – symphony and chamber music International Summer Music Academy; Music Lab – Varna Renaissance and Baroque Music Opera and Ballet; Crossover Intermezzo – in partnership with the “Varna Summer” International Theatre Festival; “Varna Summer for Kids” - series of educational concerts; Parallel Programme – exhibitions, films, conferences and others; International Symposium.
In 2023 the International Symposium will be held under the topic: Tradition and Universalism - Music at the Iberian Peninsula from Renaissance to Nowadays.
The programme is now available here.
Picture: Varna Summer Festival Facebook
The 38th Avanti! Summer Sounds festival
28 Jun - 02 Jul 2023 | Porvoo, Finland
The 37th Avanti! Summer Sounds festival will again take over Porvoo as it runs at the Art Factory and its surroundings from June 28 to July 2, 2023.
The 2023 festival is titled Dreamlands and Dystopias.
“We feature music by many fearless artists who challenge limits and question borders, music that can be equally thought-provoking, playful, and stimulating. Our wish was to present a glimpse of the great variety of the music of our time, with composers originating from no less than nineteen countries, including some of the most acclaimed figures of our time's music and new rising composers. The music chosen reflects the visionary potential of music in times of uncertainty, featuring equally dreamworlds and dystopic fears. The concerts' titles speak for themselves: 'Dark Mirror', 'Musical Toys', 'Mimodramas and Horror Clowns', 'False Memories', 'Twisted Pearls and Four Headed-Nightingales', and 'Strange Rituals'.” Say the two curators of the programme, composer Unsuk Chin and Maris Gothóni, the Belgian National Orchestra's head of artistic planning and a curator of multiple festivals
Here you can find the full programme.
Picture: FestivalFinder.eu
Dubrovnik Summer Festival
10 Jul - 25 Aug 2023 | Dubrovnik, Croatia
The bustling walled city of Dubrovnik hosts its spectacular and one of the oldest European festivals presenting rich and vibrant theatre, ballet, opera, classical music, jazz and folklore programme. In 2023 the festival will celebrate its 74th edition!
This festival promotes site-specific programme policy, combines tradition and modernity, and connects local, national, and international creativity. As a place where people gather to exchange ideas and create new projects, the festival promotes Dubrovnik as Croatian and world spiritual and cultural centre.
The Dubrovnik Summer Festival is recognised as the major producer of top-quality events in Dubrovnik, as Croatia’s leading cultural institution, and as one of Europe’s five most distinguished cultural festivals.
Find the programme and the artists that will perform.
Picture: Dubrovnik Summer Festival Facebook
Christopher Summer Festival
27 Jun - 05 Sep 2023 | Vilnius, Lithuania
Is identity inherited or deliberately chosen? And what does it tell us about sensitivity to other cultures? This summer, musicians, performers, composers and organisers of Vilnius' biggest summer event - the Christopher Summer Festival - will be looking for answers to these questions. The theme of this year's festival - identity - is a natural reaction to the political and social context of today's world. Throughout the summer, the festival will share the sound of world music with the citizens and guests of Vilnius.
"The Christopher Summer Festival has always sought to reveal more of the world of music, to lift the curtain and show listeners that there are more than just pure genres and styles in music. When the boundaries between them are blurred, completely new musical layers open up," says Jurgita Murauskienė, the artistic director of the festival, introducing the slogan "More of the World of Music".
Christopher Summer Festival has a long tradition. Since 1995, it has been held annually from June to September. Throughout the summer, in addition to classical music, cross-genre world music is performed in different spaces in Vilnius, traditional concert cycles - "Hours of Sacred Music" and "Christopher's Picnics" - are organised, and listeners are invited to try out new venues and concert formats - musical breakfasts and picnics, nightly recitals, and excursion concerts.
Find the full programme here so that you can organise your visit.
Picture: FestivalFinder.eu
