Cello festival opening in Ljubljana

The festival will showcase the cello in various roles, as a solo instrument, a solo instrument with orchestra and piano, and as an ensemble instrument.

The concerts will see acclaimed cellists from Slovenia and abroad, and two at which all six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach will be performed. These are considered a challenge for every cellist.

Briton Thomas Carroll will perform Dvorak's monumental Cello Concerto with the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra at Cankarjev Dom tonight as well as Bach Cellos Suite No 6 at a concert at the Ljubljana City Museum on Thursday.

At the same concert, Domen Marinčič will perform Suite No 2 and Gregor Fele Suite No 4, while the other six Bach suites will be preformed at a concert at the same venue on Friday by Maruša Bogataj Turjak, Alja Mandič Faganel and Kaja Kapus.

German cellist Julian Steckel, the winner of the 2010 ARD Musikwettbewerb competition, will appear with German pianist Paul Rivinius at Cankarjev Dom on Wednesday for an evening of French Sonatas.

Slovenia's Kristijan Krajnčan will present his new album as DrummingCellist at Kino Šiška on Tuesday.

Another Slovenian cellist, Sebastian Bertoncelj will perform a recital with Italian pianist Sebastiano Mesaglio as Sebastian Duo at the Ljubljana Conservatory of Music and Ballet on Saturday.

At the same venue on Sunday, vocalist and composer Zvezdana Novaković will give a concert with a 12-member cello ensemble Cello Attacca!!.

The same day in the morning will see more than 80 cellists aged 5 to 14 from throughout the country perform a concert at the closure of a three-day workshop.

Master classes will be led by Carroll and Steckel.

During the festival, young cellists will perform at several venues in the city.