Divertimento musicale

Launched in 1984, Divertimento musicale is the national advancement competitive festival of chamber and symphonic music. The mission of the festival is to encourage talented instrumentalists in different chamber and instrumental groupings, and to promote and further develop their artistic and concert activity in the area of classical music and compare their results.

The festival is the only event for non-professional music artistic ensembles in Slovakia, with a quarter of a century-old tradition. The festival is attended by small chamber music groups of identical instrument composition, ranging from a duet to ensembles of nine players (strings, piano, guitar, accordion, violoncello, flute) and instrumentalists – players of different musical instruments. The National Centre of Culture announces the national advancement festival by the authorisation of the Ministry of Culture of the SR, and is also its expert guarantor; the organiser of the national festival of chamber and symphonic music is the Podtatranské Cultural Centre, Poprad, and its organisational guarantors are the Podtatranská Cultural Centre and the Levoča Municipal Cultural Centre, co-organisers are the Podtatranská Cultural Centre, Levoča Municipal Government, Levoča Municipal Cultural Centre (MsKS) and Levoča Secondary Pedagogic School. In competition and in concerts works by composers of different styles and national provenance are presented, including the works of 20th century composers, with an emphasis on using different including unconventional instrumental composition and ethno-pop and world music. Discussions of ensembles and soloists with musical composers and concert performers, and special theoretical and practical seminars for artistic directors and conductors of musical bodies, form the educational part of the event. A Programming Council designs the festival programme and an expert jury evaluates festival presentations in individual categories.