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In the course of the reach history [[Maribor Festival] has become one of Slovenia's most exquisite classical music events. Held each year in September it comprises around 20 concerts in the main and additional programme dedicated mainly to chamber music, but lately enriched also with symphonic works and different crossover genres. It is led by Richard Tognetti, violin player, conductor, composer and artistic head of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. The concerts includes also morning matinees.
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Background
The first roots of the Festival dates back in 1963 when a festival of baroque music was organised by the Concert Management Maribor. In 1994 the festival was held with its concept and name changed to Glasbeni September (Musical September), International Chamber Music Festival, under the artistic directorship of the pianist and professor Janko Šetinc. It took place every year in Maribor for the past 10 years.
Up to 2007 the festival programme was created by a well-known chamber musician, Croatian horn player Radovan Vlatković. The festival was distinguished also for its unique approach to organisation as the invitations to the Festival were not sent out to chamber ensembles with their concert repertoire being pre-defined but rather, in the majority of cases, to top musicians – soloists who then created ensembles in Maribor according to the programme selected by the artistic director. From 2008 the festival is run under the new name Festival Maribor.
Programme
In the first years festival was dedicated mainly to baroque music, but later it offered distinguished range of chamber music from the Baroque to present times. In the last year concerts include also symphonic music, a special evening is dedicated to multimedia projects (combinations of music and photography or video) and different crossover genres (jazz and ethno music).
Venues
The Maribor Festival venues are the Narodni dom Hall, Maribor, Union Hall, Rotovž Square, Knights Hall at Maribor Castle, Maribor Cathedral, Casina Hall and the Old Hall at the Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Maribor and the Knights Hall at Ptuj Castle. But concerts take place at concert halls and in churches and castles, not only in Maribor but also in some picturesque nearby cities (Ptuj, Slovenj Gradec).