The 65th edition of the “Ohrid Summer” festival will commence on July 12 at the Ancient Theater in Ohrid, headlined by American pianist Claire Huangci. The festival, a significant cultural event for North Macedonia, promises a diverse program featuring international and domestic artists.

The opening ceremony, titled “Transformation of the Senses,” will feature Huangci alongside conductor Edwin Outwater, the Macedonian Philharmonic orchestra, and visual designer Rafael Carrico. The performance aims to create a unique audio-visual experience with video projections and modern visual technologies.

Gjorgji Tsuckovski, the director of the National Institution “Ohrid Summer”, highlighted the festival’s high artistic standards and the participation of world-renowned musicians. The festival will also feature pianists Mikhail Pletnev and Lukáš Vondráček, violinists Vadim Gluzman and Jack Liebeck, cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, and castanet artist Lucero Tena with harpist Javier de Maestre. Other notable performers include the string quartet of the Royal Concertgebouw from the Netherlands and the orchestra Sinfonietta di Bologna.

In a first for the festival, “Ohrid Summer” will expand beyond its traditional venues, presenting “Carmina Burana – Symphony of the Beats” on August 3, featuring over 70 artists and the electronic duo IDQ from Serbia. This performance will kick off the festival’s birthday celebration, followed by a recital from opera singer Ana Durlovski on the anniversary itself.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Zoran Ljutkov emphasized the festival’s importance as a symbol of North Macedonia’s cultural maturity and its role in promoting cultural tourism. Simona Gjorcheva, selector of the music program, stated that this year’s program includes 29 musical events with over 300 artists from the USA, China, and Europe, aiming to foster cultural exchange. Nenad Vitanov, selector of the drama program, emphasized the festival’s role as an international platform for promoting artistic works from North Macedonia and around the world. The drama program will include two premieres: “Amadeus” produced by the Turkish Theater Skopje, and “Ruta” produced by the Drama Theater Skopje. Additionally, “Electra,” a co-production between a South Korean theater association and NI “Ohrid Summer,” will have its European premiere.

The festival program is available on the “Ohrid Summer” website, and tickets will be available for purchase soon.