66th Musical Evenings: Commemorating the Dešpalj Family and 300 Years of Arbanasi

On Thursday, August 6, starting at 9:00 PM in the Park of the HAZU Institute for Historical Sciences, the final concert of the 66th Musical Evenings at St Donatus will take place. With this closing concert, the Zadar Chamber Orchestra proudly joins the celebration of 300 years since the arrival of the Arbanasi in Zadar. The program also pays tribute to the famous Dešpalj musical family, whose work has permanently shaped the cultural history of Zadar. Under the direction of conductor Pavao Zajcev, top soloists - saxophonist Gordan Tudor and tenor Filip Filipović - will join the orchestra on stage. A stylistically rich evening awaits you, intertwining tradition and classics through the works of Pavao Dešpalj, Antonín Dvořák, and touching traditional Arbanasi songs.

Pavao Zajcev is a well-known Croatian conductor, cellist, and educator. He graduated in cello from the Academy of Music in Zagreb in the class of Prof. Valter Dešpalj and continued his studies in Basel. As an acclaimed soloist and chamber musician, he has performed with leading domestic orchestras, including the Zagreb Philharmonic and the HRT Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with top international artists such as Julian Rachlin and Mischa Maisky. He is the founder of the award-winning Zagreb Piano Trio and former principal cellist of the HRT Symphony Orchestra. He has been successfully conducting since 2011, and alongside his performing career, he works as a professor of chamber music at the Academy of Music in Zagreb.

Gordan Tudor is one of the leading musicians of his generation, active as a soloist, composer, chamber musician, improviser, and educator. He has won numerous awards at competitions, and his compositions have been performed worldwide, including the famous ballet The Plumber. He studied in Split, Zagreb, Amsterdam, and Paris, performed across Europe and North America, and is a member of several renowned chamber ensembles. He currently leads an international saxophone class at the Arts Academy in Split and serves as the artistic director of the S/UMAS ensemble, alongside holding exclusive artist status with the Selmer Paris and D’Addario Woodwinds brands.

Tenor Filip Filipović graduated in voice from the Academy of Music in Zagreb in the class of Giorgio Surian and furthered his studies at the renowned Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium. As a soloist with the opera ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and winner of prestigious domestic and international awards, such as the "Young Musician of the Year" award and 2nd prize at the "Hans Gabor Belvedere" competition, he has performed a number of notable roles in operas such as La Traviata, Rigoletto, The Magic Flute, and Norma. He regularly performs at leading festivals and collaborates with prominent orchestras and world-renowned conductors in Croatia and abroad.

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