The "Marin Katunarić" Mandolin Festival will be held in Omiš from May 14 to 16, 2026, organized by the "Lovro pl. Matačić" Elementary Music School Omiš, in partnership with the Arts Academy at the University of Split.
The festival is dedicated to preserving and promoting mandolin artistry, bringing together elementary, secondary, and university students, educators, and artists from Croatia and abroad through a rich program of concerts, competitions, masterclasses, lectures, and exhibitions.
This year's edition of the festival will host distinguished international artists and educators, most notably Ugo Orlandi, one of the world's most prominent mandolinists and a professor at the "G. Verdi" Conservatory in Milan, and Claudio Mandonico, a composer, conductor, and one of the leading contemporary authors for mandolin orchestras. The festival will also host the early music ensemble Arte del Pizzico and the "Città di Brescia" Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra, one of the most prestigious Italian mandolin orchestras.
The festival program includes:
- A competition for young mandolinists and chamber ensembles
- Masterclasses for pupils and students
- A lecture by Claudio Mandonico
- A creative orchestral workshop led by Mario Bavčević
- An exhibition of historical plucked instruments by luthier Daniele Orlandi
- Evening concerts featuring domestic and international guests
The festival begins on Thursday, May 14, with a lecture by Claudio Mandonico at the Arts Academy in Split, followed by masterclasses for mandolin pupils and students. On the same day at 8 PM, the opening of the historical plucked instruments exhibition by luthier Daniele Orlandi will take place at the Omiš Town Museum, followed by a concert by the Arte del Pizzico ensemble, featuring a program of early music performed on historical plucked instruments.
The central part of the festival will take place on Friday, May 15, when the competition for young mandolinists and chamber ensembles will be held at the premises of the "Lovro pl. Matačić" Elementary Music School Omiš. Masterclasses will continue throughout the day, while the evening program will be dedicated to the final concert and the award ceremony for the most successful contestants.
The Saturday program, May 16, includes a creative orchestral workshop led by Mario Bavčević, intended for children, youth, and amateurs, with an emphasis on collective music-making, improvisation, and a creative approach to the mandolin. Parallel to this, additional individual workshops and gatherings of festival participants will take place. In the afternoon, a social gathering for participants is planned at Radmanove mlinice, while the festival will conclude with a concert by the "Città di Brescia" Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra in the hall of Hotel Plaža in Omiš.
The collaboration between the Arts Academy at the University of Split and the "Lovro pl. Matačić" Elementary Music School Omiš is of particular significance, as this festival connects elementary, secondary, and higher music education, thereby contributing to the development of the mandolin scene in Croatia.
The festival will feature performances by pupils from music schools in Omiš, Split, Samobor, Zagreb, and Makarska, as well as mandolin students from the Arts Academy in Split.
The "Marin Katunarić" Mandolin Festival is held with the support of the project "UMAS Incubator: Artistic Research in the Community Focus – UMAS-In (IP-UNIST-58)", funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
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