Distinguished Guests,
Esteemed Excellencies,
Dear Friends,

It is my distinct honor and great pleasure to welcome you all in our spiritual and cultural capital, the ancient city of Ohrid. Before us is yet another summer devoted to art. Another Ohrid Summer Festival filled with music, drama, dance.

Distinguished Guests,

More than half a century “Ohrid Summer Festival” is a home of Macedonian, European and world art. An open house in which renown artists from all around the world keep coming back to share their moments of inspiration with the loyal audience. In the past decades, more than 10,000 participants from 56 countries have extinguished the thirst of the audience. Thirst for the aesthetic, beautiful and valuable. This would not have been possible without the generations of Macedonian artists and organizers who have left mark with their dedication. It is a venture worth of admiration, a venture that makes Macedonia especially proud.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Art beautifies life. And it enriches your soul. Every art requires courage. Just like love, which always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, and, never fails. It is timeless, as is the story of Romeo and Juliet. And yet, timeless love is in need of timeless space. Space that binds past, present and future. Indeed, is there a more natural ambience for celebration of love than this centuries-old temple of art? Temple in which the citizens of Lychnidos were ennobled.

Dear Friends of Art,

In anticipation of the Shakespeare’s play directed by our famous playwright and director, Dejan Projkovski, recalling the words that “the whole world is a stage and all men and women merely actors ...” I declare this year’s “Ohrid Summer Festival” open!