Top jazz musicians will take over Dubrovnik’s Lazareti this weekend, as the Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak Festival returns for the fourth time from November 15 to 17, 2024! The festival is organized by Dubrovnik Heritage Ltd., with support from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board.

A special highlight is the recent signing of a cooperation memorandum between Dubrovnik's Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepšić and Colleen Bailey, Director of the world’s longest-running jazz festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival. This partnership between the Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak and the Monterey Jazz Festival opens doors for musician exchange and new initiatives, providing a further boost and support to our festival.

The Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak 2024 festival will open with the Borna Pehar Quartet, promoting their album Timezone on November 15 at 8 p.m. This young jazz musician began his music education in his hometown of Zadar (Blagoje Bersa Music School), studied jazz piano at the Music Conservatory in Klagenfurt, and completed his master’s at the University of Music and Art in Vienna. Pehar’s debut album, featuring nine instrumental compositions, is a celebration of cultural diversity and takes listeners on a journey through boundless soundscapes. He will be joined by saxophonist Joander Cruz, Ronald Racz on bass guitar, and Peđa Milutinović on drums.

The second night of the Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak 2024 festival (November 16 at 8 p.m.) will feature Dubrovnik-born pianist Petar Ćulibrk, currently based in Zagreb, presenting his new album Sail Away. As a natural progression from his debut Old School, this album reflects his personal growth through stylistically and emotionally varied compositions, challenging his comfort zone. One critic described it as “The new album from the most exciting pianist you can hear today.”

On the same night, at 9 p.m., award-winning Dubrovnik jazz singer and composer Maja Grgić will perform with her quartet. For this occasion, her ensemble, NIM/Maja Grgić Quartet, will feature Maja Grgić on vocals, Krunoslav Levačić on drums, Zvonimir Šestak on double bass, and Hrvoje Galler on piano. They’ll be promoting the album NIM NOW, jointly created by NIM / Maja Grgić Novaković and Mateo Martinović. The album includes nine original songs and three covers, delighting vocal jazz enthusiasts.

On the final night of the festival, Sunday, November 17 at 8 p.m., the Dubrovnik audience will be introduced to Marko Churnchetz, one of the most prominent contemporary Slovenian musicians—a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and producer. Churnchetz has been a member of the band of renowned American jazz guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg for four years, touring worldwide. With his new trio, featuring acclaimed musicians Josh Ginsburg and Kristijan Krajnčan, Churnchetz will present his new CD Without Words at the Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak 2024 festival.

As part of the accompanying program, students from the painting department of the Luka Sorkočević Art School will exhibit their jazz-themed posters.

PROGRAM

- Friday, November 15

- 8:00 p.m. Borna Pehar Quartet – Album Promotion Timezone

- Saturday, November 16

- 8:00 p.m. Petar Ćulibrk – World’s Okayest Pianist – Album Promotion Sail Away

- 9:00 p.m. Maja Grgić NIM Quartet – Album Promotion NIM Now

- Sunday, November 17

- 8:00 p.m. Marko Churnchetz Trio – Album Promotion Without Words

Accompanying Program:

- Exhibition Jazz Posters by students from the painting department of the Luka Sorkočević Art School

Everyone is welcome!

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Each year, employees at one Croatian company can count on a bit of holiday cheer, courtesy of a generous Christmas bonus.

This year, it’s dm-drogerie markt, the country’s largest drugstore chain, stepping up again with a festive gift: a holiday bonus equal to one month’s average salary for each of its employees. This translates to an average Christmas payout of about €1,800, up from roughly €1,670 last year. For dm’s cashiers, who earn around €1,200 net per month, the bonus will be a welcome addition to their accounts.

And that’s not all. According to one employee, the company is also providing a seasonal gift of €140 for each child.

“My colleague received €1,400 for her newborn this year,” a cashier said. “We get a bonus equal to our salary twice a year, which really makes a difference.”

With 178 stores in 66 Croatian cities and close to 2,200 employees, dm is setting aside around €4 million net for this year’s Christmas bonuses. Including taxes and contributions, the total amount will approach €7 million – a notable commitment to employee appreciation in a challenging economy.

According to data from the eVisitor system, nearly 3,300 guests spent the weekend in Dubrovnik, a 40 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The most numerous visitors came from Croatia, the USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, the United Kingdom, Kosovo, Serbia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Poland.

Since the beginning of the year, Dubrovnik has recorded 1.313 million arrivals and 4.181 million overnight stays, which is a ten percent improvement over the same period in 2023.

The Mljet National Park, a gem on the Adriatic island of Mljet, marked its 64th anniversary yesterday on November 11, celebrating its rich natural beauty and cultural heritage. Declared a national park in 1960, Mljet is renowned as the Mediterranean’s oldest marine park, spanning nearly 5,300 hectares, including a 500-metre marine zone and a landscape dotted with islets, cliffs, and reefs.

The park’s historical legacy includes remnants from the Illyrian tribes, the Roman Empire, and the Republic of Dubrovnik. Notable sites are the Roman palace ruins in Polače and the Benedictine monastery on the island of St. Mary, located in the park’s famed Great Lake.

This year’s anniversary emphasizes the importance of preserving Mljet’s two saltwater lakes and its lush, forested ecosystem of holm oaks and Aleppo pines. Park representatives also highlighted sustainable tourism as a way to honor the area’s heritage and encourage respectful interaction with nature.

“Mljet National Park is a symbol of Croatia’s commitment to natural heritage,” said park officials, who extended thanks to those who have supported its conservation efforts since 1960. They encouraged all visitors to continue being responsible stewards of this unique environment, a legacy preserved by the island’s residents through centuries of mindful resource use.

The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, welcomed Her Excellency Asma Naji Al-Amri, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Croatia, on an introductory visit yesterday.

The topics of their meeting focused on enhancing cooperation between Qatar and Croatia, particularly between Dubrovnik Airport and Qatar Airways. On this occasion, Mayor Franković requested Ambassador Al-Amri's assistance in facilitating the establishment of a direct air route between Dubrovnik and Doha, which would serve as a link to the Far East market.

The Ambassador informed the Mayor that Qatar Airways is very interested in pursuing this cooperation and invited further discussions in Doha to expedite the establishment of the air route between the two countries. She also spoke about other opportunities for cooperation and investment, especially in the field of tourism.

The meeting was also attended by Dubrovnik Airport's General Manager, Viktor Šober, and Commercial Director, Ivan Maslać.

The Mayor briefed the Ambassador on tourism trends as well as Dubrovnik’s rich history, including the Homeland War and the political situation in Croatia and the surrounding region.

Ambassador Asma Naji Al-Amri expressed her admiration for the city, as well as the diversity and beauty of the whole of Croatia, emphasizing the importance of Dubrovnik and the strong diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The Deputy Mayor of the City of Dubrovnik, Jelka Tepšić, and the Executive Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival, Colleen Bailey, signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak Festival in Monterey. Dubrovnik and Monterey have been sister cities since 2007. 

The Dubrovnik Jazz Festival, which is celebrating its fourth edition this November, has already established itself as a significant musical event. On the other hand, the Monterey Jazz Festival holds the distinction of being the longest-running jazz festival in the world and represents one of the key cultural attractions of Monterey. The memorandum opens the door for musician exchanges and the creation of new initiatives in the future, marking an important step forward in the development of relations between Dubrovnik and Monterey in the field of arts and culture.

- As we approach the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the partnership charter, we are proud to have such a great partner city as Monterey. We believe that this agreement will provide a significant boost to the development of Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak and the promotion of Croatian and Dubrovnik jazz musicians, for which we are especially happy."

During the event, as part of the musical program, saxophonist and composer Ivan Bonačić, also the artistic director of Dubrovnik Jazz Outbreak, performed alongside Christian Sands, the American pianist nominated for a Grammy, and the Monterey Jazz Festival Regional All-Stars Band.

During the official meeting with the representatives of the City of Monterey, Mayor Tyller Williamson and Administrator Hans Uslar expressed their satisfaction with the new form of cooperation between the two cities, whose friendship has already resulted in the internationally recognized sports-tourism event Du Motion, as the Dubrovnik Half Marathon was a direct product of the collaboration between Monterey and Dubrovnik. The Dubrovnik delegation also attended the Monterey Bay Half Marathon, where the Du Motion team participated this year as well.

While in Monterey, the Dubrovnik delegation also held a meeting with the company See Monterey, during which Deputy Mayor Tepšić presented the "Respect the City" sustainable tourism project to President and Executive Director Rob O'Keefe, highlighting the City’s successes and its partners in managing the most prominent sector of the economy.

The representatives of the City of Dubrovnik also met with members of the Slavic American Cultural Organization (SACO), with whom they are running a successful student and pupil exchange program.

On November 11, 2024, Ana Barović officially assumed the position of Director of the Public Institution Lokrum Reserve. According to the unanimous opinion of the members of the Management Board of the Lokrum Public Institution, Barović was the best candidate among those who applied for the position of director of this institution.

After conducting the testing and evaluation process for candidates, the Management Board of the Public Institution "Lokrum Reserve" made a decision on September 30, 2024, proposing to the City Council the appointment of Ana Barović as the director of the Public Institution "Lokrum Reserve" for a four-year term, in accordance with Article 28 of the Statute of the Public Institution "Lokrum Reserve". This proposal was confirmed by the City Council at its 36th session, held on October 29, 2024.

As a reminder, Nikolina Pozniak was previously relieved of her duties as director at her own request, and Veronika Bjelopera has been serving as acting director of the institution since July 29, 2024.

Ana Barović takes the position of director after serving as the head of reception at the Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel, where she worked for the past 10 years.