More than half a century of musical tradition

History of the Maribor Festival

Discover the rich history of the Maribor Festival, which has been bringing top-notch musical experiences for more than fifty years.

More than half a century of transformations

History of the Maribor Festival

1964Evenings of baroque music

The beginnings of the Maribor Festival date back to 1964, when evenings of baroque music were organized by the Concert Office in Maribor Castle.

1968Baroque music festival

In 1968, he was initiated dr. Sergej Vrišer and a pianist Janko Šetinec The Baroque Music Festival was established at the Concert Branch, which in its ten years of existence has built a reputation as one of the most interesting and high-quality music festivals in our country.

An ensemble was also founded for the festival College Musicum with a changing line-up, but constant performance excellence of the members.

Collegium Musicum and Setinc

Collegium Musicum Maribor

With this, the Maribor festival stood alongside the then still pioneering but penetrating efforts to perform old music in a historically appropriate manner, which were gaining strength on the international music scene.

1994Musical September

In 1994, the Baroque Music Festival was transformed into Musical September, an ambitious chamber music festival without stylistic limitations and with an interest in contemporary content concepts. Pianist and professor Janko Šetinc became the initiator of the program design and artistic director of the festival. Although conceived as a greatly expanded and performance-enhanced baroque festival, Musical September moved further and further away from this concept.

Radovan Vlatkovic

The festival expanded its venues to the surrounding areas (Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec, Dornava, etc.) and gradually developed into one of the most prominent classical music festivals in Slovenia. Janko Šetinec, the conceptual leader of Musical September, was succeeded as artistic director of the festival by a horn player Radovan Vlatkovic, who is one of the most renowned chamber musicians in the world.

The basic guide was its own unique festival production, which was distinguished by a careful selection of programs, a high level of performance (renowned chamber musicians from all over the world took part in the festival) and a peculiar, unique in our country, way of organization.

2008Festival Maribor

Richard Tognetti

In 2008, the festival acquired new dimensions and a new name - Festival Maribor.

Brigita Pavlič headed and led by an outstanding violinist, conductor and composer by Richard Tognetti the festival kept its own production and specially composed programs and bands for the festival. The number of concerts increased, and with the introduction of the Maribor Festival Orchestra, symphonic works were also performed alongside the chamber concerts.

In 2016, a cellist and conductor joined the festival as the leader of the festival ensemble and resident musician Nicolas Altstaedt.

The Maribor Festival offers an inspired mix of compositions, styles and artists, which always offers listeners a fresh program and performance, as well as an always interesting, unpredictable musical adventure.

TodayFestival Maribor

Between 2010 and 2016, Festival Maribor operated as an independent non-governmental organization, but since 2017 it has again been part of Concert offices of the Maribor National House. With a range of top and penetrating musical personalities and a curatorial selection of innovative musical projects, Festival Maribor has in recent years, despite its reduced scope due to ever-decreasing financial resources, continued to strengthen its visibility as a festival of top classical music, which does not shy away from innovative approaches within classical music production, transcending genre limitations and erases the distance between the musicians and the audience. With this, it is also establishing itself as a unique educational platform, which always successfully appeals to the widest audience with top-notch art, regardless of age, education or social background.

The Maribor Festival offers an inspired mix of compositions, styles and artists, which always offers listeners a fresh program and performance, as well as an always interesting, unpredictable musical adventure.

Nicolas Altstaedt with Arcangelo: Haydn Cello Concerto No 1

6 September 2016, Union Hall

Festival Maribor in the eyes of foreigners

Produced & Directed by Peter Beveridge for Destinations Media Ltd.

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