Young Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva, a leading singer of her generation, will be joined by La Voce Strumentale Ensemble led by violinist and conductor Dmitry Sinkovsky and Luca Pianca on lute for a concert in the Rector's Palace atrium on Sunday, 25 July at 9.30pm. On the evening programme is choice repertoire of best 18^th century opera composers.

On the rich and unique programme of the concert, which is definitely one of the most eagerly awaited of this Festival season, included are: Vivaldi’s Concerto for lute, strings and basso continuo in D major and Concerto for violin, strings and harpsichord “Per Pisendel”, Telemann’s “Pisendel Concerto” and Richter’s Adagio and Fugue. The audience will also enjoy choice arias from Porpora’s Siface, Graun’s Coriolano and Silla, Vivaldi’s three operas Bajazet, La Griselda and Ercole sul Termodonte along with excerpts from Händel’s opera Alessandro and oratorio The Triumph of Time and Disillusionment.

Young Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva is one of the leading artists of her generation. Petite and with an angelic appearance, she has a powerful voice praised by many, for example as the voice of “angelic beauty” (The New York Times), “pure tone” (Opernwelt) & “flawless technique” (Guardian). Lezhneva brings “unforgettable spiritual expression” & “perfect artistry” (Guardian) in her worldwide performances. Her international career skyrocketed when she created a sensation at the Classical Brit Awards at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2010, singing Rossini’s Fra il padre at the invitation of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. At the young age of 17 she gained international attention by winning the 6th Elena Obraztsova Opera Singers Competition and, besides having been named by the esteemed Opernwelt their Young Singer of the Year in 2011, Lezhneva has received numerous awards and acclaims for her vocal performance. She also regularly performs with many eminent ensembles, among which are the acclaimed La Voce Strumentale, who are led by the acclaimed violin virtuoso, concert master, countertenor and conductor, a fellow Russian and a beloved Dubrovnik guest Dmitry Sinkovsky. Gathering together winners of international music competitions, Sinkovsky founded the Ensemble in Moscow in 2011.  La Voce Strumentale specialized in performing on historic instruments and, after years of working together, the musicians created a unique language based on historical temperaments, boundless energy, and impeccable technique, establishing a reputation for possessing a colourful, sharp and charismatic sound. The Ensemble’s members are skilled musicians Maria Krestinskaya and Elena Davidova on violins, Meri Skejic Drobac on viola, Igor Bobovich, cello, Leonid Bakulin, double-bass, Elizaveta Miller, harpsichord and Luca Pianca on lute, with Dmitry Sinkovsky as violinist and conductor. They also regularly collaborate with top international musicians on the most prestigious stages of Moscow and the world, now adding to that list the Rector’s Palace and performing for the first time for the Dubrovnik audience right here at the 72^nd Festival, with Julia Lezhneva.

Tickets for the concert are available for purchase at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival website www.dubrovnik-festival.hr or via www.ulaznice.hr ticketing service, and at the box office of the Festival Palace (Od Sigurate 1) every day from 9am to 9.30pm. Tickets will also be available on location two hours before the start of the performance. Ticket prices remain significantly reduced due to the economic situation being impacted by the pandemic, up to 50% lower as was the case last year. Purchases made with Mastercard® and Maestro® cards receive a 10% discount while all purchases and orders over 500HRK offer payment in instalments.

All 72^nd Dubrovnik Summer Festival programmes are certified as safe gatherings, meaning the events will be organised according to current rules and recommendations by the national and local Civil Protection Headquarters and the World Health Organization, according to which maintaining physical distance of one seat with compulsory face masks has been deemed sufficient for audiences at low-risk events and the attendees are not obligated to present their EU digital COVID pass.