Musical Evenings in St Donatus
Musical evenings in St Donatus (Croatian: Glazbene večeri u sv. Donatu) in Zadar, Croatia is an international music festival, it has been held since 1960 at St Donatus Church and at other historical locations of the city of Zadar. Performing are renowned musicians from Croatia and abroad.
The manifestation is concentrated exclusively on classical music. Since the initial idea of Zadar’s conductor Pavle Dešpalj and its realization 46 festival years have already passed, making the Musical Evenings in St Donatus one of the oldest Croatian festivals. Its quality as well as the ingenuity and concept of its programmes keep refreshing the hot Zadar summer nights each year.
During almost half a century of its existence, Musical Evenings in St Donatus as a musical manifestation has undergone many conceptual changes. During the first festival summers the aim was to bring to Zadar prominent performing artists from all over the world as well as Croatia but also to strengthen local performing forces, allowing them to equally participate in the programme. Owing to the Yugoslav wars, the Evenings were not renewed until 1994.