BEGINNING OF NEW ERA FOR ZAGREB SOLOISTS

ZAGREB, April 8 (Hina) - The new orchestra leader of the Zagreb Soloists, Karlo Slobodan Fio, announced the revival of the ensemble consisting of thirteen superb artists who, as Fio says, have long been present in international music circles. #L# Fio took on his new duty on March 1, and over the past month the Zagreb Soloists have held two concerts in Zagreb and several in Germany. Between April 11 and 18 the Soloists will hold concerts in several German cities and are planning visits to Italy, Austria and the USA. In the season to come, the Zagreb Soloists will host several soloists of international renown, including Viktor Tretjakov, Benedict Goodfriend, Jean-Marc Luisada and Tonko Ninic. All these events are geared towards marking the 50th anniversary of the ensemble in 2004, which will be dedicated to the Soloists' former members and other deserved soloists. That anniversary should mark the beginning of the new era of the Zagreb Soloists, which include three generations, Fio told Hina. He announced the Chamber Music Days, which will take place in Zagreb at the end of June and include performances by Benedict Goodfriend from the USA, a member of the Kandinsky Trio. The Zagreb Soloists will also perform at summer festivals on the Adriatic coast. After 21 years of performances abroad, Fio returned to Zagreb and accepted taking the helm of the Zagreb Soloists. Dedicated to his greatest love, chamber music, he perfected his skills in Austria, France and the USA and at one time was the leader of the Vienna and Munich Chamber Orchestras and the London Symphony Orchestra. Since their founding in 1953, the Zagreb Soloists have staged over three thousand concerts on all the continents of the globe and in all the major concert halls in the world, from London's Royal Albert Hall to New York's Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. (hina) sb sp