VaClaF: Our Story
The first classical music concert, Children of Vareš play for Vareš, was held in 2009 in the beautiful old church of St. Michael in Vareš [Varesch], an old mining town under the mountain Zvijezda (Star) in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After tremendous success, it became the traditional annual “Miholjski Concert.”
In 2013, on its fifth anniversary, VaClaF: Vareš Classic Festival was launched with great enthusiasm by violinist/violist/conductor Andrea Nikolić, its general and artistic director, with the support of Petar Jelić as co-founder. The “Miholjski concert” transitioned into its final, most celebratory concert. Since then, VaClaF has grown exponentially, becoming a festival of international significance for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and earning global recognition. It has collaborated with some of the most prestigious cultural institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, The Netherlands, France, Germany, China, the EU, and many more, making its audience a part of a proud global community.
Connecting fantastic artists from all around the world and people of diverse backgrounds through the universal language of music, VaClaF has become an interdisciplinary, socially engaging artistic movement. It curates musical programmes and broadens them to theatre, literature, and visual arts in a fresh and contemporary context. Its mission is to bring the highest quality music and art to the broadest possible audience, achieved through collaborations with top-class artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina and worldwide, promising an exciting and enriching experience unlike any other.
In the unique environment of Vareš’s beautiful locations, such as the historic Old Church—the oldest in BH—the new St. Mihovil Church, the Mill, Radnički dom (Workers Home) - Center for Culture and Education Vareš, churches, outdoor and unusual remote locations in Borovica, Vijaka, and old blacksmith workshops in Oćevija, VaClaF has developed into an interdisciplinary art movement with socially engaging concepts. It offers Art free of charge and is designed to be accessible to all, ensuring everyone feels welcome.
VaClaF has presented over 60 original concepts and programs throughout the Vareš region, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and abroad. Vareš has hosted hundreds of artists of all generations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and worldwide, significantly impacting the local and international art scene.
In 2023, to mark the beginning of the second decade, VaClaF has developed a new concept:
Festival—Academy—Residencies—On Tour.
This concept emphasizes the importance of local development and cultural offerings, the education of new generations, the creation of original works of art, cultural heritage, and schools of thought, and the presentation of selected “the best of” programmes throughout BiH and abroad. It is a continuation of the original idea since the festival's inception, which has been growing over the years, and the theme of the edition, “Back to the Roots,” presented our ethos in the best possible way.
2023 also brought a new and highly synergetic partnership with the renowned Austrian composer, pianist, and curator Belma Bešlić-Gál, VaClaF Composer in Residence 2023. Her project, Zvjezdane Staze, an independent, non-profit, primarily privately funded initiative launched in 2019, is nestled amidst the mountainous landscape of central Bosnia and Herzegovina in the charming village of Mijakovići—recently named one of the most beautiful villages in the country, also a part of the Vareš Municipality.
In 2024, Zvjezdane staze Artist-in-Residence programme with VaClaF: Vareš Classic Festival - Udruga prijatelja glazbe Emil Milo Cipra Vareš as a legal entity, in collaboration with Kammermusikverein WISE, and sp ce – the non-profit organization for Art and Transdisciplinarity, has reached a historic milestone by being awarded a prestigious grant from the EU-funded mobility programme Culture Moves Europe as part of the second call for residency hosts 2023/2024. This is the first time that an artistic residency project from Bosnia and Herzegovina has received funding under the Culture Moves Europe program, which is implemented by the Goethe-Institut, highlighting the significance and unique role of the project in the cultural sector.
This pioneering Artistic Residency project will debut in July 2024. The aim is to bring together internationally renowned professionals with up-and-coming artists near the historic site of Bobovac, the former royal residence of the Bosnian kings from the Kotromanić dynasty, create new works of art and present them within the VaClaF festival programme.
Timeline VaClaF 2024
In collaboration with the 5th edition of the Viennese WISE Rebel! CRO-ArT Festival of New music in Austria and 1st edition of the artist residency “Umjetnička rezidencija Zvjezdane staze”, Mijakovići, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Zvjezdane Staze & VaClaF 2024 Open Call for 5 Artistic Residencies in Mijakovići - Vareš
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We are starting the journey with WISE in Vienna with a concert: Virtuos Lebensreise, the opening concert of the fifth WISE Rebel! CRO-ArT Festival in collaboration with VaClaF X URZS 2024: Dreams to Come True!
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We will announce this year´s programme and selected Zvjezdane staze Artists in residence!
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VaClaF 2024 and Zvjezdane staze Residencies “Dreams to come True” with concerts, lectures, presentations, Academy - Masterclasses, and a Tour in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Expect an exciting summer in the whole region with a unique programme!
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Traditional Echoes from Vares Concert in Vienna, in the beautiful Barocksaal, Bank Austria Salon im Alten Rathas. In collaboration with WISE Rebel! CRO-ArT Festival. Under the mutual theme of the year: Dreams To Come True!
