At Zrinjevac and in the Upper Town - The Festival of Advent and Christmas Songs in Zagreb

Between December 8th and 11th , the Zrinjevac Pavilion and the Upper Town will be venues for the 1st Festival of Advent and Christmas Songs, featuring open air performances by choirs and vocal ensembles.

Under the auspices of the city, Zagreb will be host to the 1^st Festival of Advent and Christmas Songs between December 8^th and 11^th. The festival will feature open air performances by choirs and vocal ensembles, who will sing at the Zrinjevac Pavilion, in various churches and in the Upper Town.  The finale of the event will be a Christmas procession on which singers will set out from several landmark locations in the old town, such as Lotršćak Tower, St. Mark’s Church and the Stone Gate, and come together at St. Catherine’s Church for the festival’s final concert.

The opening ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Arts and Crafts, featuring performances by female vocal groups Ćakulone, Obilanca, Armorin and the Angeluš vocal ensemble.

Apart from performances by choirs and vocal ensembles from all parts of Croatia, on December 10^th there will be a Christmas concert dedicated to Countess Clotilda Buratti at Dverce, the palace she left to the city. Countess Clotilda Buratti, born Vranyczany- Dobrinović, was a woman ahead of her time. She socialized with common people, which was frowned upon by the aristocracy. That was the reason why she was not invited to the  traditional Christmas family gathering in 1911. After spending Christmas alone, she decided that the salons of her palace would never again be lifeless, so she gave her palace to her city and its citizens. This concert fulfils her wishes that the salons of the beautiful Dverce Palace resonate with the sound of Advent and Christmas songs.

Apart from this music event at the beautiful palace in the Upper Town, on December 11^th, beginning at 6 p.m., St. Catherine’s Church will be the venue for a concert dedicated to maestro Vladimir Kranjčević, who celebrates his 80^th birthday this year.

Admission to all festival events is free, apart from the programme at the Dverce Palace. Due to a limited number of seats, tickets will be given away in Croatian Radio Television programmes and it is up to you to call and reserve your seat for the concert at the Dverce Palace.

The organizer of the Festival of Advent and Christmas Songs in Zagreb is the Musica Nota cultural association, and all information and concert programmes can be found online at www.adventzagreb.hr.