From the 7^th to the 10^th November 2024, Dubrovnik hosted the international scientific and artistic conference SORGO 290, themed "Cultural-Historical, Musical, and Educational Bridges Between Central Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Croatian South During the Time of Luka Sorkočević." This event marked the 290^th anniversary of the birth of Luka Sorkočević (1734–1789), a distinguished Dubrovnik nobleman, statesman, and envoy of the Republic of Dubrovnik. Sorkočević was one of the most significant composers of 18^th-century Dubrovnik, a pioneer of Croatian symphonic creation, and a prominent figure in the city's political and cultural history.

Music History and the Life of Dubrovnik

The primary goal of the conference was to gather domestic and international scientists and experts in an interdisciplinary dialogue to reconstruct the forgotten cultural-historical, musical, and educational connections between the Republic of Dubrovnik and Central European, Mediterranean, and Croatian regions during the Enlightenment.

Building on decades of research into Dubrovnik's prominent sons, the conference focused on members of the Sorgo family, specifically Luka, Miho, and Antun, descendants of the humanist and envoy Antun Lukin Sorgo (1693–1765). Presentations highlighted archival findings on the life, extensive activities, and creative work of Luka Sorkočević, the conference's central figure, while also shedding light on his family and cultural circle.

The event hosted over 40 participants from seven countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Serbia, and Croatia. Presentations were divided into ten thematic sessions, exploring the multifaceted cultural and historical context from the post-earthquake period (1667) to the abolition of the Republic of Dubrovnik (1808). Topics included Sorkočević's private and official correspondence and diplomatic endeavours. To gain a more comprehensive insight into the lifestyle of Dubrovnik's nobility, the conference shed light on the culture of Dubrovnik’s salons, outlined local interpretations of Enlightenment tendencies, and explored various aspects of the city’s musical life during the 18^th and early 19^th centuries. Special attention was given to both local and foreign "lesser masters" who significantly contributed to the development of the musical culture of southern Croatia.

The conference also explored musical creativity and performance practices at the intersection of public and private, secular and ecclesiastical spheres, as well as the distribution of musical scores from international cultural centres to Dubrovnik. Additionally, new analytical perspectives were presented on the musical legacy of Luka Sorkočević, focusing on the canonical patterns of 18^th-century musical vocabulary.

Exploring Dubrovnik’s Musical Heritage

Three keynote lectures were delivered by esteemed Croatian historians Stjepan Ćosić (Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts) and Teodora Shek Brnardić (Croatian Institute of History) and Dutch musicologist Peter van Tour (Örebro University, Sweden). Additional highlights included two workshops on 18^th-century Dubrovnik musical sources led by van Tour and British music theorist Nicholas Baragwanath (University of Nottingham) and a workshop by Dubrovnik string instrument maker Željko Ćatić.

The conference concluded with a roundtable discussion titled "The Present and Future of Croatian (Dubrovnik) Musical Heritage," which brought together musicologists, educators, publishers, and cultural professionals.

Cultural and Social Program in Dubrovnik

The conference program was further enriched with activities such as guided tours of Dubrovnik's historic Old City, visits to the former Sorgo family palace (now the Rector’s Palace, led by Ivan Viđen), and the summer residence of Petar Sorgo (the seat of the Institute for Historical Sciences of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Dubrovnik, guided by Relja Seferović). Participants also explored Luka Sorgo's manuscript legacy through a digital exhibition entitled “Luka Sorgo and His Time”, created in collaboration with the State Archives in Dubrovnik, the Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor, and the Dubrovnik Libraries. The exhibition was displayed on digital kiosks in the Rector's Palace from the 7^th to the 10^th of November.

It is worth highlighting the events of the pre-conference program on the 6^th of November 2024, which included a brief wreath-laying ceremony at the newly discovered resting place of Luka Sorgo in the present-day Museum of the Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik. The program also featured a concert by Italian organist Mario Giuseppe Genesi, who premiered several works from the Music Archive of the Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik. These manuscripts, dating back to around 1741, were performed in Dubrovnik Cathedral.

The conference was organized by the Dubrovnik Museums, the Arts Academy of the University of Split, and the University of Dubrovnik in collaboration with the State Archives in Dubrovnik, the Dubrovnik Libraries, the Franciscan Monastery of the Friars Minor in Dubrovnik, the Luka Sorkočević Art School, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Marin Držić Theatre, and the association “Sve ostalo je glazba” (Everything Else is Music). The Organizing and Scientific Committees were led by Professor Jelica Valjalo Kaporelo, PhD, from the Arts Academy in Split. The conference was held under the patronage of the City of Dubrovnik, with support from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, the Diocese of Dubrovnik, and the Dubrovnik Student Centre, and it was sponsored by the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik Hotel, Hotel Lero, City Hotel Dubrovnik, Boutique Hotel Porto, Dubrovnik Airport, and Restaurant Forty-Four.

This interdisciplinary celebration of Luka Sorkočević’s 290^th anniversary firmly placed Dubrovnik on the global map of distinguished musicological and academic conferences, significantly advancing knowledge of the life and work of this exceptional Dubrovnik nobleman, diplomat, and composer.