KotorArt festival taps Iranian tenor Reza Fekri for opening gala
Iranian tenor Reza Fekri, a member of the Croatian National Theatre Opera in Zagreb, will perform as a featured soloist at the opening concert of the 2026 KotorArt International Festival on July 13 in Kotor, Montenegro, placing an Iranian artist at the forefront of one of Southeast Europe's leading classical music events.
The opening gala, titled ‘Trajanje’ (‘Duration’), will take place at 9:30 p.m. local time in the historic square facing St. Tryphon’s Cathedral, a landmark venue in the UNESCO-listed Adriatic town. The program will feature ‘Triptihon,’ a major work by renowned Croatian composer Ivan Brkanović.
Fekri will appear alongside Croatian soprano Mihaela Kristina Molinarić and bass-baritone Krešimir Stražanac. The performance will bring together the Bokelj Symphony Orchestra and the Academic Choir Ivan Goran Kovačić under the baton of Croatian conductor and composer Mladen Tarbuk.
Widely regarded as one of the Balkans’ premier classical music gatherings, KotorArt has built an international reputation for attracting leading performers and ensembles from across Europe and beyond.
Fekri’s appearance marks another milestone in a career that has steadily expanded across Europe’s classical music scene. In addition to his ongoing work with the Croatian National Theatre Opera, he has maintained artistic collaborations with Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre and has regularly taken part in projects led by acclaimed Iranian conductor and composer Ali Rahbari.
His professional portfolio also includes performances with Moscow’s Helikon Opera, the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and the Fars Symphony Orchestra, as well as appearances in opera, symphonic and oratorio productions across Europe.
Among his recent engagements were a performance of Gioachino Rossini’s ‘Stabat Mater’ in Varaždin, Croatia, with the Varaždin Chamber Orchestra under Anđelko Igrec, and appearances as tenor soloist in Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ during the project ‘A Challenge for Mozart,’ conducted by Tarbuk in Zagreb and Požega.
The KotorArt opening concert extends the successful artistic partnership between Fekri and Tarbuk while bringing an Iranian voice to the opening night of one of the region’s most prominent cultural events.