The first week of the fourth International Late Summer Music Festival 2016, organised by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, is over but there are many more excellent performances on the way.

With nine evenings of classical music and even a jazz concert left on the program there is plenty left to see.

Here is a program of the upcoming events –

06.09. Tuesday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
Charles Olivieri-Munroe, conductor (Canada)
Martina Filjak, piano
R. Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 54
F.B. Mendelssohn The Hebrides, Fingal’s Cave, overture op. 26
L. van Beethoven Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

08.09. Thursday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Dubrovnik Guitar Trio
RenataPokupić, mezzo-soprano

09.09. Friday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
Stefan Sanderling, conductor (Germany)
DubravkaŠeparovićMušović, mezzo-soprano
W.A. Mozart La Clamenza di Tito, overture KV 621’Titus’
J. Haydn Symphony No. 104 in D major, Hob I:104 ‘London’
H. Berlioz Les nuitsd'été, Op. 7

10.09. Saturday
Rector’s Palace at 9 pm
Recital
Martina Filjak, piano
Dmitry Sinkovsky, violin (Russia)

13.09. Tuesday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Baroque Music
DSO String Chamber Orchestra
Dmitry Sinkovsky, violin and artistic leadership (Russia)
ĐanaKahriman, violin
A. Corelli Concerto Grosso in B flat major
J.S. Bach Concerto for two violins and orc.in d minor, BWV 1043
A. Vivaldi Violin Concerto in D minor, RV 242 ‘Per Pisendel’
T. Albinoni Piantabella
G.F. Händel Venti turbine
A. Vivaldi Concerto ‘Per la Solennita di San Lorenzo’
G.F. Händel Dove sei

15.09. Thursday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Jazz music
MatijaDedić, piano
ŠimunMatišić, vibraphone
Keith Jarrett Fortune Smiles
Keith Jarrett In your quiet place
Pat Metheny Missouri uncompromised
Pat Metheny Sirabhorn
Pat Metheny Question and Answer
Keith Jarrett Coral
Pat Metheny James
Chick Corea Armandos Rumba
Pat Metheny Farmers Trust
Chick Corea La Fiesta

16.09. Friday
Rector’s Palace at 9 pm
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
TomislavFačini, conductor
Diana Haller, mezzo-soprano
Dmitry Sinkovsky, violin (Russia)
L.van Beethoven Egmont, overture op. 84
W.A. Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, KV 219
G. Rossini Il Barbiere di Siviglia, overture
G. Rossini Giovanna d'Arco, Cantata a voce sola

17.09. Saturday
Rector’s Palace at 9 pm
Recital
Edin Karamazov, guitar
G.B. Pergolesi, F. Sor, A. Barrios, L. Brouwer, A. Piazzolla

20.09. Tuesday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
ChristophCampestrini, conductor (Austria)
JanjaVuletić, mezzo-soprano
E. de Falla El amorbrujo, Suite
R. Wagner Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91
Z. Kodaly Dances of Galanta

22.09. Thursday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Charity Recital
Naira Asatrian, piano

23.09. Friday
Rector's Palace at 9 pm
Festival Closing Concert
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra
Academic Choir Pro Musica, Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
ChristophCampestrini, conductor (Austria)
James Dick, klavir (USA)
F. Schubert Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D.759 'Unfinished'
L. van Beethoven Choral Fantasy in C minor, op. 80
W.A. Mozart Vesperaesolennes de Confessore, KV 339

More details are information on ticket sales can be found on the website of the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra – www.dso.hr

In a presentation nicknamed “Twice as Good” the results of the tourism season this year were highlighted at a press conference in the Dubrovnik Tourist Board offices. The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Andro Vlahusic, the Director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Romana Vlasic, and the councillor of Entrepreneurship, Tourism and Nautical matters, Vlaho Margaretic, all spoke at the event.

This year’s tourism figures in Dubrovnik are certainly impressive, with more flights, more overnight stays and more income than ever before. It is estimated that the city will reach the three million overnight stay mark on the 15th of September, a full two weeks ahead of last year and a month earlier than 2014 when the landmark was reached on the 21st of October.

“In 2008 Dubrovnik recorded just over 500,000 arrivals and 1.7 million overnights stays, this year we can expect 1 million arrivals and 3.6 million overnight stays,” commented Vlahusic, explaining the nickname “Twice as Good.”

One of the main bright points of this year has been the improvement in the city’s private accommodation offer, apartments, villas and rooms. From the beginning of this year until the 1st of September private accommodation in Dubrovnik achieved 1.07 million overnight stays, which is around 30,000 more than the same period from last year. And according to the Dubrovnik Tourist Board there are just over 19,000 beds in private accommodation.

“This is now a city that lives 24 hours a day and has long since ceased to be a boring destination without entertainment,” concluded the mayor. Adding that with the future opening of the Belvedere Hotel the standards of accommodation would be taken to a new level.

The increase in tourism numbers has also seen a drastic increase in the entrance tickets for many of the iconic attractions in Dubrovnik. In 2008 an adult ticket for the Dubrovnik City Walls was 50 Kuna, next year it will be 150 Kuna. An entrance ticket into the most visited museum in the city, the Rector’s Palace, in 2008 was 28 Kuna and the current price is 100 Kuna and that will rise to 120 Kuna next year. Whilst eight years ago a ticket to the island of Lokrum was 40 Kuna, and today it stands at 100 Kuna.

“We have seen an increase of 10 percent in the number of tourist arrivals so far this year and there are currently just over 16,000 tourists staying in Dubrovnik,” stated Vlasic.

August may have drawn to a close by the summer madness continues in Dubrovnik. It seems like the late summer sun is still affecting people’s judgement. This latest example of terrible parking was sent in yesterday from a reader and is one of the worst example we have seen this year.

How dumb must you be to park like this? The Dutch driver, presumably a tourist, had parked his, or her, car across two disabled parking spaces! The feat of stupidity, which was recorded in the Lapad suburb yesterday, caused a local to comment “there are fools all over the world.” We are inclined to agree.

Dubrovnik awoke this morning with the acrid smell of smoke hanging in the air as the forest fires that have been burning for the past days in Konavle filled the air. The fires, which started yesterday on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina are now totally under control and the area is under surveillance for further burns.

The Dubrovnik County emergency centre reported that fire-fighters from Konavle, Cilipi and two Canadair planes had been tackling the blazes but that they were now under control.

Tourists in the Zupa area had a strange attraction as Canadair planes swopped down over the Sheraton Hotel to scoop sea water from the bay of Zupa. And the Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, had a front row seat as the planes filled with water close to his mega yacht Eclipse which is currently on anchor in the Bay of Zupa.

The shopping centre in Zupa near Dubrovnik, SUB CITY, is celebrating its first birthday this weekend with a number of special events in store. All day today the centre will feature dance and song as a party atmosphere comes to SUB CITY, with Latin American Dance, theatre plays, events for children and at 16.30 a giant birthday cake.

The fun continues tomorrow, Sunday, with children’s workshops, clowns, a magician and dance. The stores inside the centre are also involved in the birthday celebrations with many offering special discounts to mark the big weekend.

Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt was spotted this week on the Croatian coastline seemingly soaking up the sunshine and sightseeing. However it has emerged that the star of Mr & Mrs Smith had more concrete reasons for his flying visit to Dalmatian seaside.

He may have just celebrated his second wedding anniversary to Angelina Jolie but Pitt travelled alone to Sibenik where he met with business partners to discuss a possible 1.5 billion Euro real estate project.

According to reports from RTL Pitt met with architect Nikola Bašić and investors to see the site of a new development which would include luxury villas, a golf course, shops and a hotel.

It was truly a flying visit as the Hollywood star spent only one night in Croatia, in the D-Resort, before jumping on a private plane and heading back to France to be with his family.

The Zagreb Stock Exchange has finally recorded some positive trends. On Thursday, the 1st of September the Crobex index increased by 0.32 percent to 1,824 points and reached the highest level since the 7th of November 2014 when it was at 1,831 points.

At the same time, the Crobex10 strengthened for 0.64 percent to 1,063 points which is the highest level since the 13th of October 2014 when it finished at 1,066 points.

The regular share turnover was 13.6 million Kunas, which is roughly 5.8 million Kunas more than on Wednesday, the 31st of August.

''Yesterday the stock market achieved 13.63 million Kunas of the regular share turnover, which has been rarely seen in recent years. Both indices ended the day in positive figures, whilst the Crobex index kept the whole week above the psychologically important level of 1,800 points'', said Ante Obucina, a broker from Podravska banka.

On the weekly level the indices have moved back into positive territory for the fourth week in a row, with the Crobex in the green by 0.87 percent and the Crobex10 by 1.28 percent.
The most liquid were shares from Hrvatski Telekom, which accounted for 4.25 million Kunas of turnover. Its price increased by 4.59 percent to 153.75 Kuna.

According to data from the Croatian Tourist Board based on data from the eVisitor and eCrew systems, in the first eight months of 2016 around 13 million tourists visited Croatia and realized 75.1 million overnight stays.

In the period of the 1st of January till the 28th of August 2016 the most overnight stays were realized in the Istria County (20.7 million), followed by the Primorje-Gorje County (14.4 million), the Split-Dalmatia County (14 million), the Zadar County (9.7 million), whilst the Dubrovnik-Neretva County achieved almost 6 million overnights. This season the Sibenik-Knin County realized 5.3 million overnight stays.

As usual in previous years the most numerous guests with the highest number of realized overnights were Germans (14.2 million), followed by Slovenians (8.4 million), Austrians (5.7 million), Italians (4.7 million), whilst tourists from Poland realized 4.5 million overnight stays.

''This season has shown how important is the cooperation between the public and private sector and that in a short period of time it is possible to achieve really great results, especially during summer, which totally surpassed all previous records. This is something everybody in the tourism sector should be proud of'', said Anton Kliman, the Croatian Minister of Tourism.

He also emphasizes that according to announcements from the tourism industry, it is expected that upcoming off season will exceed last year's 80 million overnight stays and make this tourist season the best one in the independent Croatia.