The Cukrarna Gallery announces a major exhibition of works by acclaimed performance artists Marina Abramović and Ulay, organised by the curatorial team of Alenka Gregorič and Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein in collaboration with the Ulay Foundation, Lena Pislak, Sidney Fishman and the Marina Abramović Archive.

Anja Bukovec, violin Lian Pucihar, piano Jaka Pucihar, piano Nina Pavšek, clarinet Vita Mavrič, voice Vinko Möderndorfer, recitation 7.00 pm Pre-concert conversation Moderator: Jaka Pucihar Programme: David Beovič: Du-etno for violin and piano Matija Krečič: Vzlet for violin, clarinet and piano* Andrej Makor: Histria et Amor for violin and piano Jaka Pucihar: Gledališka luč for voice, clarinet, violin and piano Strah ljubezni for voice, clarinet, violin and piano Črt Sojar Voglar: Jeux no. 2 for clarinet and piano

RECREATION OF THE BROADCAST OF THE NIGHTINGALE OF TRBOVLJE CONCERT FROM 1938 AND (PART OF) THE ACADEMIC CHOIR CONCERT FROM 1941 RTV Slovenia Youth Choir Alenka Podpečan, conductor Klemen Golner, piano Male Section of the Tone Tomšič Academic Choir of the University of Ljubljana Rahela Durič, conductor Male Section of the Slovenian Philharmonic Choir Sebastijan Vrhovnik, conductor Barbara Potočnik, soloist Igor Velše, announcer

Inez Osina Rues, mezzo-soprano Matej Zupan, flute Uroš Bičanin, violin Lara Hrasnik Samec, harp Luca Ferrini, piano Jan Čibej, marimba Jože Bogolin, vibraphone Tim Jurkovič, guitar Nataša Burger, recitation Programme: Vladimir Batista: Romanca za sopran, harfo in marimbo / for soprano, harp and marimba* David Beovič: Drevo brez vej za klavir in marimbo / for piano and marimba* Tomaž Burkat: Koso-spev 2 za mezzosopran in klavir / for mezzo-soprano and piano* Vladimir Hrovat: Vse je tiho za recitatorja, flavto in harfo / for reciter, flute and harp* Uršula Jasovec: Rime za sopran, flavto in marimbo / for soprano, flute and marimba* Iztok Kocen: Prazna je za mezzosopran, violino in klavir / for mezzo-soprano, violin and piano* Igor Majcen: Cvetje na oknu za sopran, flavto in kitaro / for soprano, flute and guitar* Gašper Muženič: Lepljenke za marimbo, vibrafon in klavir / for marimba, vibraphone and piano* Črt Sojar Voglar: Sredi noči za sopran, harfo in vibrafon / for soprano, harp and vibraphone* Tomaž Svete: »Incantations« za recitatorko, flavto in vibrafon / for reciter, flute and vibraphone* Peter Šavli: Kosovelove skice za mezzosopran in klavir / for mezzo-soprano and piano* Larisa Vrhunc: Noč pred okni za violino, vibrafon in marimbo / for violin, vibraphone and marimba*

RTV SLOVENIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA STEVEN LOY, conductor Soloist: ŽIGA STANIČ, piano 7.30 pm Pre-concert conversation Moderator: Slavko Osterc Hall, Slovenian Philharmonic Programme: Žiga Stanič: Piano Concerto No. 2 Paul Clift: Landscape (overexposed) Vinko Globokar: Eisenberg, version for orchestra

The We Want Miles! tour celebrates the 100th anniversary of Miles Davis, one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, who performed in Slovenia in 1991. The concert features artists closely connected to Davis’s electric and earlier creative periods. The program includes music from the We Want Miles! album as well as selections from his 1950s, 1960s, and late‑period repertoire.

Teatro La Fenice is one of the world’s most renowned opera houses and a symbol of the Italian bel canto tradition. With Gioachino Rossini’s masterpiece The Barber of Seville, its ensemble comes to Ljubljana to present the witty story of Figaro, the lovestruck Count Almaviva, and the clever Rosina. Filled with memorable melodies, humour, and lively rhythm, the opera remains a timeless favourite of the operatic repertoire.

The programme brings together three contrasting musical worlds. Granados’s suite Goyescas draws on the art of Francisco Goya with its poetic and colourful expression. Liszt’s Dante inspired fantasy unfolds a dramatic and almost symphonic soundscape. Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 8 reveals powerful energy and great technical intensity. All works will be performed by Leo de María a pianist with wide international experience and a distinctive artistic voice.

Ensemble Dissonance brings together leading Slovenian chamber musicians who explore flexible formations and connect canonical repertoire with contemporary works. They are joined by violinist Vadim Repin and pianist Peter Laul, both acclaimed international soloists and chamber performers. The program features works by Arensky, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and Chausson, showcasing the expansion of chamber music into more expressive and complex forms.

The Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, one of Hungary’s leading ensembles, performs under the direction of István Várdai alongside internationally acclaimed violinist Kirill Troussov. The programme opens with Mozart’s sparkling overture to The Marriage of Figaro, followed by Mendelssohn’s celebrated Violin Concerto in E minor. After the interval, the orchestra presents Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and concludes with spirited works by Liszt and Brahms.

Flutist Jurka Zoroja, an established soloist and educator, will perform with Ensemble Dissonance, a collective of leading Slovenian chamber musicians. The program features Haydn, Mozart, French impressionism, Gluck, and new works by Jani Golob and Ennio Morricone. The ensemble presents itself as a dynamic platform that blends classical repertoire, new Slovenian compositions, and collaborations with artists from Slovenia and abroad.

The KamBrass Quintet, winners of the 2025 Ljubljana Festival International Competition, presents a programme centred on La Folía, one of Europe’s oldest musical themes. Tracing its journey from Renaissance dance through Baroque variation to contemporary expression, the programme is anchored by Jan Bach’s Foliations, which links the stylistic chapters of the evening. The concert concludes with the world premiere of a new work by Garazi Zabaleta, written especially for the ensemble.

Flutist Felix Renggli and hornist Radovan Vlatković, both internationally established soloists and educators, present a program spanning chamber works from the late 19th to the 20th century. The evening features Ewazen’s Dance, Saint‑Saëns’s Romance, Poulenc’s Elegy, and Jacques Ibert’s piano suite. It concludes with Paul‑Agricola Génin’s virtuosic fantasy and Mel Bonis’s evocative Forest Scenes.

Festival Ljubljana offers young artists support through its educational programs. These courses bring together top‑level musicians and give young talents the opportunity to grow professionally and prepare for a successful career in the arts.

The programme presents three contrasting views of the piano trio from the Classical and Romantic eras. Beethoven’s light and songful Gassenhauer, Weber’s lyrical and dramatic trio and Schubert’s expansive Piano Trio No. 1 form a rich musical arc. The works will be performed by violinist Janez Podlesek, cellist Karmen Pečar Koritnik and pianist Aleksandar Serdar, distinguished Slovene artists renowned for their chamber music artistry.

Four acclaimed musicians active at leading European institutions will take the stage of the Križevniška Church. The program spans late Romanticism, contemporary creativity, and experimental extended techniques. Works by Robert Kahn, Mendelssohn, Berio, Pujanek, and Klughardt will be performed.

The programme moves through contrasting musical worlds of the 20th century. Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires capture the spirit of the Argentine capital, Hosokawa’s Trumpet Concerto In the Fog explores the merging of soloist and soundscape, and Bernstein’s Clarinet Sonata reveals his early stylistic diversity. The evening concludes with Stravinsky’s iconic The Soldier’s Tale, combining music, narration and dance rhythms. The programme will be performed by distinguished chamber musicians and educators, with actor Boris Ostan as narrator.

The ensemble 4 Bellows 4 Tales unites four musicians with diverse artistic backgrounds who explore a wide stylistic range through various types of accordions. The program leads listeners from Bach, Kumar, Clodig, and a Slovenian folk song to Mozart, Puccini, Piazzolla, and Edith Piaf. The evening concludes with Battiston’s Movida and Klemen Leben’s Four Tales.

Mahler in Ljubljana presents chamber arrangements of selected works from Gustav Mahler’s early period. The programme moves from lyrical introspection to symphonic breadth and highlights the composer’s artistic connection with Ljubljana. The performers are Ensemble Dissonance, conductor Uroš Lajovic and baritone Domen Križaj.

The ensemble features musicians with extensive experience, including violinist Marlene Ito, violist Joaquín Riquelme García, cellist Jaka Stadler, and double bassist Todor Marković. They are joined by distinguished wind players Christoph Hartmann, Brina Kafol Žust, Matic Kuder, Luka Mitev, and Andrej Žust. Together they create an expressive chamber group that blends strings and winds into a unified musical dialogue.

This programme for four harps combines classical masterpieces, well known arrangements and new works by Slovenian composers. The Slovenian Harp Quartet SIH4rps explores the expressive and colouristic possibilities of the harp while actively contributing to the development of new repertoire for this unique ensemble.

The Pehlivanian Professional Opera Academy connects young conductors and singers with experienced mentors and offers hands‑on experience in opera production. This season they present Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, a comic opera about Nemorino, Adina, and the charlatan doctor Dulcamara, celebrated for its melodic charm and vocal brilliance. Balancing humor, lyricism, and expressive melody, the work has remained a beloved staple of the operatic repertoire for nearly two centuries.

With tango nuevo, Astor Piazzolla created a distinctive musical language that transcends traditional genres. María de Buenos Aires, written with poet Horacio Ferrer, is an unconventional musical drama in which the character of María becomes a symbol of Buenos Aires itself, its passion, darkness and poetic contradictions. Blending tango, jazz, spoken word and song, the work stands as one of Piazzolla’s most daring and influential creations.

The Munich Chamber Philharmonic dacapo, led by Franz Schottky, has been an integral part of Munich’s musical life for more than two decades and is known for its broad repertoire and refined interpretative approach. The orchestra is joined by Italian cellist Ettore Pagano, one of the most promising young musicians of his generation. The programme brings together Mozart’s early operatic overtures, Haydn’s celebrated Cello Concerto No. 2, Delius’s Aria and Dance, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 29.

Teo Collori’s project draws from the tradition of gypsy swing while creating an entirely original musical language known for its rhythmic drive and stage energy. The expanded ensemble brings together outstanding musicians from jazz, classical and concert music, enriched by a strong string section. The group, which has collaborated with the RTV Slovenia Big Band and Vlado Kreslin, crafts a vibrant, dance‑infused and melodic sound.

The Wuxi Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Daye Lin presents a diverse programme that bridges European symphonic tradition and contemporary Chinese creativity. The concert brings together Verdi’s dramatic operatic overture, the modern symphonic suite Flying Apsaras and Brahms’s powerful Symphony No. 1.

Šerbedžija arrives at Križanke with his ensemble Zapadni kolodvor. His concerts blend poetry, music and personal reflection, shaped in part by experiences of war and exile. He will be joined on stage by Miroslav Tadić, Livio Morosin and Yvette Holzwarth, musicians with diverse musical backgrounds. After two successful performances in recent years, he returns with a concert named after one of the most iconic love songs of the Balkan region.

Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is one of the defining ballets of the twentieth century, combining intimate moments with powerful ensemble scenes. Its score stands out for its strong melodies, rhythmic intensity and rich orchestral colour. The new production is shaped by Spanish choreographer Asun Noales, with musical performance by the ADDA Symphony Orchestra under Josep Vicent, placing the classic work in a contemporary yet respectful dialogue with tradition.