9th Zagreb Harp Festival, featuring performance by Ukrainian virtuosa Veronika Lemishenko, opens at NSK
On 7 December 2022, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) hosted the opening of the 9th Zagreb Harp Festival, famous for its tradition of featuring performances of today’s world-famous harpists and taking place this year until 10 December. Similarly, this year’s Festival includes the presentation to the Croatian public of Ukrainian virtuosa Veronika Lemishenko, currently one of the best young harpists in the world, presently a soloist at the Croatian National Theatre in Osijek and one of the founders of the Glowing Harp international initiative, whose concert as part of the Festival will be held later the same day at the Croatian Journalists’ Association.
The visitors and guests at the Festival’s opening programme were greeted by the Head of the Library’s Music Collection Dr Tatjana Mihalić and the Festival’s Director Tajana Vukelić Peić. The highlight of the Festival’s opening programme was the presentation of Chord, a multifaceted and innovative work of harpist and student at the Zagreb Faculty of Architecture, a winner of the University of Zagreb 2021/2022 Rector’s Award Bruna Krčelić.
Bringing together environmental awareness and acoustics-sensitive interior design primarily inspired by the harp, Chord is an ambient lamp with an adjustable sound-absorbing panel. Made of the discarded gut strings, recycled by boiling, and discarded wire strings, either ground or reused without additional processing, Chord may be adjusted so that its light is dimmed and projected towards the ceiling or bright and projected downwards, but retaining the characteristic ambient nature of the light. Absorbing sound due to its rough surface, the panel also acts as the dimmer of light and the openings in it additionally create the attractive play of light.
The programme included musical performance by harpist Tajana Vukelić Peić and soprano Marija Lešaja, and a subsequent Christmas-themed performance by harpist from Zagreb Theatre Komedija Doris Karamatić and vocalist Nika Pastuović.
The poster for the 9th Zagreb Harp Festival, which opened at the National and University Library in Zagreb, on 7 December 2022.
