On June 10th and 11th, 2023, Opatija hosted the 36th Meeting of Croatian Brass Bands. The annual meeting of the best brass bands gathered more than 600 musicians in the Great Hall of the Gervais Center in Opatija.

In its 36th edition, the meeting, with a large number of participants and the quality of the music program, presented in its full glory the power of cultural and artistic amateurism as an important carrier of musical culture in Croatia. 12 of the best Croatian amateur orchestras from 10 Croatian counties with more than 600 musicians participated in Opatija. In addition to the hosts Lovran Wind Orchestra and Slovenian guests KD Godba Cerknica, the D category orchestras participated in Opatija: Osijek Wind Orchestra, Town Band Metković, Town Wind Band “Krešimir” Kutina, DVD Bednja Brass Band and Croatian Town Band Vis, as well as orchestras in B category: Brass Band of the City of Koprivnica, Cultural Music Society “Mosor” Klis-Kosa, Brass Band Bjelovar, Brass Band “Naša sloga” Babići, Brass Band Zaprešić, City Band Band Krapina and Band Band DVD Špičkovina.

The competition program began with a ceremonial opening on Saturday, June 10th in the Great Hall of the Gervais Center, where the best brass bands of the D category of the competition performed at 6 p.m. After the competitive performances, the orchestras headed towards Maršala Tita Street in Opatija, where they presented themselves at the traditional Opatija Summer Baling Festival, which is very popular with several thousand visitors every year. The second part of the program took place on Sunday, June 11th at the Gervais Center starting at 12:00 hours with orchestras participating in the B category. The competition ended with the awards of certificates of appreciation and prizes to the best orchestras.

The competitive performances of the participating orchestras were evaluated by an expert committee consisting of Ivan Josip Skender, Bank Harkay, Barbara Kajin and Mitja Dragolič (Slovenia), who decided on the prizes. In addition to plaques from the Croatian Parliament of Culture, the most successful orchestras won prizes in the form of valuable musical instruments and musical equipment provided by exclusive sponsors EURO-UNIT and partners: Buffet Crampon, Canorus, Lion Style, Vandoren, Legere, D’Addario Woodwinds and BG France.

Prizes by the sponsors:

B. CATEGORY

1. EURO-UNIT and BUFFET CRAMPON
B&S BS210 Prodige Bb trumpet with case

2. EURO-UNIT, VANDOREN and LEGERE
Gift package of reeds

3. EURO-UNIT, BG France and D’ADDARIO
Gift package of reeds and accessories

D. CATEGORY

1. EURO-UNIT and BUFFET CRAMPON
Buffet Crampon Prodige Bb clarinet with case

2. EURO-UNIT, VANDOREN and LEGERE
Gift package of reeds

2. EURO-UNIT, BG France and D’ADDARIO
Gift package of reeds and accessories

 

The best brass bands in D category:
Hrvatska gradska glazba Vis
Gradska glazba Metković
Limena glazba DVD-a Bednja

The best brass bands in B category:
Puhački orkestar Bjelovar
Puhački orkestar Zaprešić
Puhački orkestar DVD-a Špičkovina

Along with the Croatian Council of Culture, the co-organizers of the Meeting this year were the Lovran Wind Orchestra and the Croatian Society of Composers – ZAMP. EURO-UNIT has traditionally been the main music sponsor together with partners: Buffet Crampon, Canorus, Lion Style, Vandoren, Legere, D’Addario Woodwinds and BG France.