Exploring Cultural Heritage at the CRO-ArT Festival 2026
The seventh edition of the CRO-ArT Festival, dedicated to new music and art in Vienna, is set to take place from May to October 2026. This prestigious event, organized by the Kammermusikverein WISE and directed by the multifaceted Andrea Nikolić—who is a renowned violinist, violist, conductor, curator, and cultural manager—aims to address a pressing question of our time: How can cultural heritage serve as a foundation for a shared future? Under the overarching theme of 'HERKUNFT – ZUKUNFT' (Heritage – Future), the festival will feature an array of concerts, interdisciplinary projects, workshops, and international collaborations involving artists from Vienna, Croatia, Morocco, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A Living Dialogue of Musical Generations
The CRO-ArT Festival redefines cultural heritage not as a static memory but as a dynamic space for new perspectives, artistic openness, and transcultural dialogue. Central to the festival will be interactions among diverse musical generations, traditions, and artistic poetics. The program will include works by notable composers such as Boris Papandopulo and Emil Milo Cipra—whose 120th birthday is celebrated this year—and Tomislav Uhlik, alongside pieces from significant Croatian composers like Laura Mjeda Čuperjani. These works will engage in a dialogue with new compositions from Austrian authors such as Friedrich Cerha, Erwin Schulhoff, Meinhard Rüdenauer, Gabriele Proy, and various Mediterranean, European, and international composers, alongside transmedia projects and international collaborations.
The festival will commence on May 29, 2026, with the inaugural concert titled 'Zwischen Herkunft und Zukunft' (Between Heritage and Future) at the Bank Austria Salon in the Old City Hall of Vienna, featuring the Cipra Quartet and oboist Ivana Nikolić. The concert will be moderated by Ulla Pilz, with the festival's visual identity crafted by architect Hessamedin Fama, inspired by reflections on time, memory, and the transformation of cultural heritage as a living, fragile, and ever-evolving entity that opens up new possibilities for the future through change. The main concerts, which are the cornerstone of the four festival segments, will continue on June 24, August 5, and October 5, 2026, accompanied by numerous international collaborations and guest projects throughout and following these festival milestones.
Furthermore, the festival will include the transmedia project 'Digital Diary – On the Creation of From the Same Sea' by Andrea Nikolić and Sanel Redžić, the international VaClaF Festival in Vareš, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in collaboration with the Emil Milo Cipra Music Friends Association, and the inaugural Mediterranean Music Bridges Festival in Morocco, along with concert tours and collaborations in the Republic of Croatia. Over the years, the CRO-ArT Festival has evolved into a platform for contemporary music that is accessible and presented within a relevant societal context, forging new cultural connections in an art form that knows no boundaries.
In a time of significant societal changes, the festival aims to create spaces where music unites rather than divides—bridging heritage and future, memory and vision. It promotes a cultural legacy that opens new horizons and guides us toward a better future. The CRO-ArT Festival 2026 is organized by the Kammermusikverein WISE and is part of the annual collaboration with HKD Napredak Wien and the Emil Milo Cipra Vareš Association. In addition to Austrian organizations and institutions, the festival receives support from the Central State Office for Croats outside the Republic of Croatia and has been realized in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in the Republic of Austria since its inception in 2020.
As reported by onlinemerker.com.
For more information, please visit: www.wisemusicwien.com/events
Andrea Nikolić, Mag. Art.
Violinist/Violist/Conductor/Producer
General & Artistic director of WISE / VaClaF / CRO-ArT Festival
Vienna, Austria
+436769017226
www.andreanikolic.com
