The Dubrovnik Summer Festival was founded in 1950 and since 1956 it has been a member of the European Festivals Association. It is the most representative cultural manifestation in Croatia and one of the largest and most celebrated cultural events in Europe: an irresistible outpouring of music, theatre and dance that attracts an all-star line up of international performers and an ever-increasing number of visitors to the unique setting of the indoor and open-air stages of the Renaissance city. It is an inevitable meeting point of the most eminent world artists who literally come from all continents and countries. The special charm of the Festival is that everything happens in the natural ambience of the city. In the confined spaces of the small city there is a very intimate exchange between the artist and audience. The performers love the feedback and say it inspires them to greater heights. The St Laurence Fort makes a spectacular setting for Hamlet, and no one who witnessed it will forget the production Richard Eyre brought in 1988, with Judi Dench and Daniel Day-Lewis. There are many doyens of the international music scene who have taken part in this manifestation that lasts for 58 years; let’s just recall some of them like Karajan, Richter, Menuhin, Oistrakh, Ciccolini, Janigro, Yepes, Mehta, Kondrashin, Szeryng, Matačić, Rostropovich... and lately Montserrat Caballé, Stephen Kovachevic, Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Gridenko, France Clidat, Paula Agnew, Christopher Wilson, Eliot Fisk, Sabine Meyer, Denyce Graves, Emma Kirkby, Antonio Meneses, Lucia Aliberti, Lazar Berman, Ramón Vargas, Midori and many others. The uniqueness of the Festival It is the longevity of the Festival and its high artistic standard which guarantee the success of the Festival. It is also the Festival conception, which makes it different from numerous other European summer festivals. Namely, unlike the majority of other summer festivals, the Dubrovnik Summer Festival is not just one of those which uses open air venues as mere visual attractions, and face walls of the palaces and beautiful gardens only as sets. In Dubrovnik the space is decisive in creating a theatrical event. This is the reason why our catalogue, during the almost six decades of existence, comprises more than 70 various venues! That actually means almost the entire City and the sea surrounding it, which results in a unique bond between the City and the Festival. Amalgamation of the tradition and modernity No other European festival is more connected with the destiny of its city, as the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. It is a major feature of the modern Dubrovnik, because it amalgamates in a perfect way the great historic and cultural tradition with modern everyday life. The residents of Dubrovnik carefully watch over both major and minor events at the Festival. They never hesitate to express their opinions – which, of course, are not always affirmative. On the other hand, this critical «intimacy» is one of the Festival's treasures. Dubrovnik is one of the few places in Europe where artistic production is not just a part of the cultural industry and/or showbiz, but also a matter of the deepest public interest. This is an essentially different creative position in comparison with that of many festivals in Europe, which achieve high artistic results, yet are actually marginalized within their own social space.

10 July – 25 August 2008
The 59th Dubrovnik Summer Festival The following summer, during the forty-five beautiful evenings, Dubrovnik squares and churches, streets and public gardens will once again become a country for more than 2000 artists worldwide. In addition to the repeat performances of Ivo Vojnović's Equinox, Marin Držić's Arkulin and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the theatre programme comprises the premiere of Držić's play The Miser directed by Ivica Kunčević. The two co-productions include Matko Sršen's Darsa – farsa in collaboration with the Marin Držić Theatre of Dubrovnik, The Sounds from the Mountains by M. Držić and P. Zoranić in collaboration with the Zagreb Youth Theatre. The programme also includes numerous guest performances of Croatian and international theatre companies that will perform the works by Marin Držić. The music programme will feature great artists such as John Williams, Inva Mula, Ramon Vargas and Gidon Kremer. The 59th Festival opens with the concert of the Zagreb Soloists and the famous violinist Shlomo Mintz, and closes with the Kremerata Baltica programme entitled Cinema & Comedy. Artistic Director of the British ensemble Musicians of the Globe, Philip Pickett, will conduct a master class in Dubrovnik and perform opera Acis and Galatea with the Croatian Baroque Ensemble. The dance programme includes the performances of Croatian and international folk ensembles. The entrance tickets for the aforementioned events can be booked online.