DUBROVNIK FESTIVAL COUNCIL PAYS TRIBUTE TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE EVENT IN PAST 50 YEARS

DUBROVNIK, July 10 (Hina) - Ahead of this evening's ceremonial opening of the 50th Dubrovnik Summer Festival, the council of the Festival held a session in Knezevi Dvori on Saturday morning. The chairman of the session, Croatian Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic, said this festival had been cherishing the Croatian literature and music in the past half of the century. World famous artists and musicians have also taken part in the festival in the past fifty year, Biskupic added. The Minister thanked to all who had contributed to the importance of this event in Dubrovnik recalling that the festival had not discontinued even during hard times in the Homeland War. The head of the drama programme, Josko Juvancic, spoke about most important plays performed during the last fifty years. He pointed to the role of Marko Fotez, Branko Gavella and Kosta Spajic who determined main characteristics of the festival. Speaking of the musical part of the Festival, a member of the Council, Jagoda Martincevic, pointed out a great contribution of a conductor, Lovro Matacic, to the Festival. At the end of the session the head of the Dubrovnik Festival, Frane Matusic conferred on Biskupic a gold medal of this event for his contribution. This year's Festival is gathering over 2,000 artists from some 30 countries. (hina) ms