Special Advent concert at the National and University Library in Zagreb
This year, Aklapela, a Croatian festival dedicated to the preservation of Croatia’s centuries-long tradition of klapa multipart singing, and International Folklore Festival, are bringing together klapa singing groups from Dubrovnik and Zagreb through two concerts that will be held as part of the world-famous Advent in Zagreb programme.
The first concert will be held on Friday, 14 December 2018 at St Anthony of Padua Church in Zagreb, starting at 20.00, while the second will be hosted by the National and University Library in Zagreb on Saturday, 15 December 2018, also starting at 20.00.
The Saturday concert, the entry to which is free of charge, will feature performances by klapa singing groups Kaše, Bošket, Armorin, Subrenum, Stine and Cesarice.
Apart from the concerts, on Saturday and Sunday mornings klapa singing groups from Dubrovnik will fill the streets of Zagreb with traditional Dubrovnik Christmas carols (kolenda) and thus wish merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all citizens of Zagreb and all visitors of the Advent in Zagreb programme.
Deriving its name from fostering the a capella singing style close to that characteristic of Croatia’s klapa singing tradition, the Dubrovnik Aklapela festival has been taking place for seven years in a row. This year’s Advent with Aklapela programme represents yet another step forward in a successful cultural cooperation between Dubrovnik and Zagreb and further advances it through the promotion of traditional Dubrovnik carol singing (kolendavanje) and klapa multipart singing, as a globally acknowledged cultural phenomenon included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list and one of the most internationally recognisable elements of Croatia’s national heritage.
The National and University Library in Zagreb has long been an active promoter of this invaluable musical tradition and its efforts in this context resulted in the launching of Fiofest, a special concert programme aimed at the promotion and popularisation of the rich legacy of Croatia’s notable 20th-century folk song collector, composer, conductor, music educator and klapa singing maestro Dinko Fio which is preserved as part of the Library’s Music Collection.
