MIK Festival brings international music magic to Korça

The 7th edition of the MIK Festival, Albania’s largest international music event, has started in the city of Korça. This year, the festival brings together over 100 local and international artists. From July 11th to 14th, the festival, organized by the renowned soprano Inva Mula, will feature evening concerts at various locations in Korça, offering audiences an enchanting musical experience.

The opening ceremony at the Andon Zako Çajupi Theatre featured pianist and musicologist Red Radoja, who delighted the audience with French music. The evening continued at the Old Bazaar with a trio from North Macedonia, featuring soprano Dëshira Ahmeti and musicians Gjergji and Jordan Petrushevski.

On the second night, the operetta “Agimi” returned to the stage 70 years after its premiere. “Agimi” is the first operetta in Albanian musical history, composed in 1954 by the People’s Artist Kristo Kono to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Albania’s liberation. The operetta, divided into three acts, narrates a love story, with the triumph of love as its core theme. Reviving this piece required significant effort to reconstruct, digitize, and present it in its original form.

Today, July 13th, a gala concert titled “Inva and Friends” will be held in Drenovë, featuring the romantic works of French music performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Armed Forces under the direction of maestro Jean Michel Ferran.

The final day of the festival will take place in the courtyard of the Church of St. Nicholas in Voskopoja, where spirit, music, and craftsmanship will come together. The event will feature a handicraft fair and a concert of medieval music by Blerta Zhegu, accompanied on piano by Adelina Mula.