The Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra is a professional musical orchestra from the city of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...

, Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 and the chief musical representative of the Dubrovnik region. In its work it carries on with the musical history started in the earlier Republic of Dubrovnik

Republic of Ragusa

The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...

 (then Ragusa).

History

Music in Dubrovnik advanced with the support of the most affluent nobility. The first musical groups were formed to perform concerts in celebration of the city's patron, Saint Blaise

Saint Blaise

Saint Blaise was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea . According to his Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron carding combs, and beheaded...

 (locally Sveti Vlaho). For these performances only the most talented musicians were selected.

As the number of musicians in the Republic increased, the Senate decided to introduce qualified professors who could teach music to the youth. Apart from teaching, these professors played in the orchestra Knez's Music (Croatian: Kneževe glazbe). Musical influence during this time mostly came from the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 city states, so the professors during this time were mostly from Italy. Young musicians extended their musical education most often in the ciies of Naples

Naples

Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...

 and Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

.

In modern times, an orchestra was formed on August 25, 1925 under the name Dubrovnik Philharmonic Orchestra. The first symphony concert was held in the Marin Držić

Marin Držic

Marin Držić is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.- Life :Born into a large and well to do family in Dubrovnik, Držić was trained and ordained as a priest — a calling very unsuitable for his rebel temperament...

 Theatre under the Polish

Poles

thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

 conductor Tadeusz Sygietynski, then the conductor of the Warsaw Opera company. Reviews of the performance were good, and the activities of the orchestra were soon financed by the local government.

Over the years the orchestra changed its name several times. In 1946 it took on the name Dubrovnik City Orchestra. In 1992, it began to work closely with the Dubrovnik Summer Games

Dubrovnik Summer Festival

The Dubrovnik Summer Festival In a unique ambient of open and closed scenes of Renaissance-Baroque city of Dubrovnik a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance is presented.-External links:*...

 and changed its name to the Dubrovnik Festival Orchestra. The current name was adopted in 1995.

Over the years many well-known conductors and performers have played with the orchestra: Lovro von Matačić

Lovro von Matacic

Lovro von Matačić was a Croatian conductor and composer.-Biography:Lovro von Matačić was born in Sušak to a family that was granted a noble title in the early 17th century. Growing up, he was always surrounded by music and art: his father had a career as an opera singer, and his mother as an actress...

, Zubin Mehta

Zubin Mehta

Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...

, Kirill Kondrashin, Ernst Märzendorfer

Ernst Märzendorfer

Ernst Märzendorfer was an Austrian conductor. He was the first conductor to make a complete recording of the 107 symphonies of Joseph Haydn, and conducted a number of important opera premieres.-Biography:...

, Henryk Szeryng

Henryk Szeryng

Henryk Szeryng was a Polish violinist.-Early years:He was born in Żelazowa Wola, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy family....

, Mstislav Rostropovich

Mstislav Rostropovich

Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...

, Antonio Janigro

Antonio Janigro

Antonio Janigro was an Italian cellist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Milan, he began studying piano when he was six and cello when he was eight. Initially taught by Giovanni Berti, Janigro enrolled in the Verdi Conservatory of Milan, where he was instructed by Gilberto Crepax...

, Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...

, David Oistrakh

David Oistrakh

David Fyodorovich Oistrakh , , David Fiodorović Ojstrakh, ; – October 24, 1974, was a Soviet violinist....

, Sviatoslav Richter

Sviatoslav Richter

Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...

 and others.

Present

The orchestra regularly performs at the Dubrovnik Summer Games. Its repertoire includes many of Dubrovnik's 18th century classics, especially those of Luka Sorkočević

Luka Sorkocevic

Count Luka Sorkočević, was a composer from the Republic of Ragusa.Luka Sorkočević was born in Dubrovnik and received an extensive education. His music teacher was the Italian composer Giuseppe Valentini, who was maestro di cappella of Dubrovnik Cathedral in the 1750s...

 and Ivan Mane Jarnović

Ivan Mane Jarnovic

Ivan Mane Jarnović was a virtuoso violinist-composer of the 18th century whose family was of possibly Ragusan origin. He had a European career, performing in almost all major centres including Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, St Petersburg, Vienna, Stockholm, Basle, London, Dublin, amongst others...

. The orchestra also holds concerts in the atrium of the Rector's Palace (Kneževog dvora), as well as performing around Croatia and internationally.