Women's Klapa Luka in Matulji: four decades of vocal heritage on the summer amphitheatre stage
The Matulji Summer Evenings continue their August programme with a concert by one of the most prominent female klapa ensembles from Croatia's northern Adriatic. Women's Klapa Luka will perform on Sunday, 9 August 2026, at 9 p.m. in the Matulji Amphitheatre, and according to the announcement by the Matulji Municipality Tourist Board, admission is free. The audience can expect a programme combining traditional klapa songs, the musical expression of the Croatian Littoral and Istria, and arrangements of well-known Croatian and international compositions. The concert is being held as part of the Matulji Summer Evenings event - "The Tramontana Will Refresh You!", which presents musical, theatrical, folkloric, film and other programmes for different generations throughout June, July and August. In the event of rain or other adverse weather conditions, the performance will, according to the organiser's official announcement, be moved to the Matulji School Sports Hall.
Free concert on 9 August in the Matulji Amphitheatre
The concert by Women's Klapa Luka is conceived as an evening dedicated to multipart singing, recognisable melodies and a repertoire that goes beyond the strict boundaries of a traditional klapa performance. In its announcement, the Matulji Municipality Tourist Board emphasises that the ensemble combines traditional klapa melodies with popular musical hits, which can bring the klapa sound closer to audiences who are only beginning to discover this type of singing. The 9 p.m. start is adapted to the open-air summer programme, when the Matulji Amphitheatre becomes the municipality's central venue for evening cultural gatherings. Free admission additionally opens the event to local residents, visitors to the Opatija Riviera and everyone who happens to be in the Kvarner area on 9 August. Guests planning a longer stay in this part of the northern Adriatic may also find accommodation offers in Matulji and the surrounding area useful.
The official 2026 programme confirms that events are also being held in Mune, Škrapna, Bregi and Štacion, while the Matulji Amphitheatre is the central location for larger concerts and performances. The programme brings together professional performers with local associations, cultural and artistic societies and musicians. The performance by Women's Klapa Luka fits into this combination of local tradition, regional identity and content intended for a broad audience.
The Rijeka klapa that pushed the boundaries of the female klapa scene
Women's Klapa Luka was founded in Rijeka in 1985, and the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in Omiš describes it as the first female klapa from the northern Adriatic area to perform at national klapa competitions. This fact is important for understanding its place in the development of the female klapa scene. In public perception, klapa singing was long most commonly associated with male ensembles from Dalmatia, while the emergence of successful female klapas gradually expanded performance practices, the repertoire and the geographical image of the tradition. From the beginning, Luka cultivated not only the Dalmatian a cappella expression but also the musical heritage of the Croatian Littoral and Istria, thereby building a recognisable identity connected with Rijeka and the wider northern Adriatic area. In a publication marking the 40th anniversary, the City of Rijeka emphasised that it was also the first representative of Rijeka to begin performing at Dalmatian klapa competitions.
Over four decades of work, the ensemble has not remained confined to competition stages. According to the biography published by the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas, Luka has participated in music and stage projects, popular music festivals, theatre performances, and audio and video projects. Guest performances have taken it to Central European countries as well as China, where it presented Rijeka's and the Croatian Littoral-Istrian vocal expression to audiences outside Croatia. International appearances have demonstrated that the emotion and harmony of klapa voices can be understood even without knowledge of the language. The ensemble's longevity also testifies to its ability to renew its performing line-up without losing its recognisable sound.
Eighteen Omiš honours and five first jury prizes
The most important part of the competition history of Women's Klapa Luka is associated with the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in Omiš. According to the festival's official biography, the klapa appeared in the competition programme from 1990 to 2002 and won 18 awards during that period. These included five first prizes from the expert jury and two first audience prizes. The City of Rijeka states that Luka became the first female klapa in the history of the Omiš festival to win the highest distinction from the expert judging panel five times. After the end of its regular competition period, the ensemble continued participating in Omiš as a guest at gala concerts and evenings of new compositions.
The results achieved in Omiš are not the only honours in the klapa's collection. The Festival of Dalmatian Klapas lists more than 50 plaques, while in a more recent overview from 2025, the City of Rijeka listed more than 60 awards, plaques and recognitions collected over forty years. These include recognitions from festivals in Šibenik and Kaštela, city and county awards, and a professional recognition from the Croatian Musicians Union. The official publication by the City of Rijeka also mentions two Porin awards and the Status Award, placing the klapa's work beyond the narrow framework of traditional music. Such a series of honours confirms continuity and the ability to adapt the traditional form to different stages.
From the a cappella tradition to popular musical hits
Classical klapa singing is based on multipart singing, mutual listening and the harmonisation of voices without instrumental accompaniment. UNESCO, which inscribed the multipart klapa singing of Dalmatia on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012, identifies homophonic multipart singing, oral transmission, simplicity of musical structure and the pursuit of the most harmonious possible blending of voices as its key characteristics. Throughout its career, Women's Klapa Luka has combined this foundation with the musical heritage of the Croatian Littoral and Istria. Its repertoire therefore represents not only the preservation of already familiar melodies, but also a meeting place for different Adriatic vocal traditions. This breadth will also be important for the Matulji concert, which has been announced as a combination of traditional melodies and popular compositions.
In the programme for the 2025 anniversary concert "The First 40", the City of Rijeka stated that the klapa's repertoire ranges from traditional a cappella expression to well-known Croatian and international pop hits. Such openness does not mean abandoning klapa technique, but applying it to songs from other genres. In a klapa arrangement, the relationship between the voices assumes the leading role, giving a familiar composition a different dynamic, tone and emotional weight. The Matulji concert will therefore not be limited to only one type of melody.
Discographic information in the available official publications is not presented entirely consistently. The Matulji Municipality Tourist Board and the older biography published by the Festival of Dalmatian Klapas mention six sound recordings, including "Longing", "The Breaths of the Sea", "Time Flies", "Anthology - Five Golden Shields", "Klapa Luka" and "Days". The City of Rijeka and the Office of the President of the Republic mention eight sound recordings in publications from 2025, suggesting that the newer overview includes additional releases or classifies the discographic body of work differently. Regardless of the difference in the method of recording the information, the discography demonstrates two lasting directions of work: preserving the classical klapa repertoire and exploring new arrangements, original songs and collaborations. According to the festival biography, the album "Days", for example, featured Radojka Šverko, Oliver Dragojević, Tina Vukov, Žanil Tataj Žak and Klapa Fortunal.
Fortieth anniversary marked with the Charter of the Republic of Croatia
The year 2025 was important for Women's Klapa Luka because it marked 40 years of activity. On 9 June 2025, the Office of the President of the Republic announced that the klapa had been awarded the Charter of the Republic of Croatia for its outstanding contribution to promoting the musical heritage of the indigenous Croatian Littoral-Istrian and Dalmatian musical expressions. The recognition was accepted on behalf of the ensemble by the klapa's president, Jagoda Lesica. A few days later, on 13 June, the date on which the klapa was founded, the anniversary concert "The First 40" was held in Rijeka. At the time, the City of Rijeka announced that the klapa had eight members and that its artistic director was composer and musical artist Andrej Babić.
The Charter of the Republic of Croatia is not associated with a single concert, but with a long-term contribution to preserving and promoting musical heritage. In Luka's case, this contribution includes several generations of singers, the development of female klapa singing in the northern Adriatic, performances at important festivals and the presentation of its repertoire abroad. Despite changes in the music industry, the foundation of the performance has remained the same: the human voice, precise intonation, shared breathing and trust among the performers.
Klapa singing as living rather than museum heritage
The inscription of klapa singing on UNESCO's list in 2012 contributed to the international visibility of this musical tradition, but its actual sustainability depends on performances before audiences, the transfer of knowledge and the creation of new arrangements. A tradition that is only archived gradually loses its social function, while concerts, festivals and the work of active ensembles allow it to adapt to new generations. Women's Klapa Luka is an example of such continuity because it simultaneously performs traditional material, participates in new musical projects and draws on songs from popular culture. In this way, the klapa song remains present in everyday cultural life and not only at specialised festivals. The performance in Matulji therefore has a broader meaning than a single concert evening: it connects heritage with public space and an audience that gathers without formal barriers and with free admission.
Matulji is situated in the hinterland of the Opatija Riviera, in an area connecting the Kvarner coast with Kastav, Učka and routes towards Istria. The Tourist Board describes the local heritage through bell-ringer traditions, the Chakavian dialect, music and the customs of numerous settlements. A concert by an ensemble combining Dalmatian, Croatian Littoral and Istrian vocal heritage therefore has a natural setting there. The programme draws on local identity but remains open to visitors from other areas.
Matulji Summer Evenings combine concerts, theatre, folklore and film
The Municipality of Matulji has officially announced that the 2026 edition of the event will feature concerts, theatre and puppet performances, folklore evenings, traditional events, an open-air film screening and other programmes throughout the summer. Performers and programme participants include Zorica Kondža, Amira Medunjanin, Mauro Staraj, Klapa Skalin, Kerekesh Theatre, performers from the Jerry Ricks Blues Festival, and local associations and cultural and artistic societies. Admission to all events is free, and for programmes planned outdoors, the organisers have secured an alternative location in the school sports hall. This model enables programme continuity and reduces the risk of cancellations due to summer showers or other adverse weather conditions. The concert by Women's Klapa Luka is positioned in the central part of the August schedule, between Mauro Staraj's performance on 7 August and Zorica Kondža's concert on 16 August.
The event also demonstrates how a smaller community can build a summer programme that is not limited to only one type of audience. Families can choose children's and puppet programmes, theatre enthusiasts can attend performances, while the musical section includes klapa songs, sevdah, popular music, blues and local performers. The schedule across several locations encourages audiences to move through different settlements in the municipality and gives visibility to places outside the main coastal tourist centres. For visitors who wish to combine the concert with exploring the Opatija Riviera, the Kastav area or Učka, accommodation near the event venue can be a practical starting point. Nevertheless, music remains the focus of the evening on 9 August: the harmony of female voices and a repertoire shaped over more than forty years.
Practical information for visitors
The concert by Women's Klapa Luka will be held on Sunday, 9 August 2026, beginning at 9 p.m.. The planned venue is the Matulji Amphitheatre, and admission is free. The Matulji Municipality Tourist Board states that in the event of rain or other adverse weather conditions, the programme will be held in the Matulji School Sports Hall. Visitors are advised to check the organiser's latest announcement before departure, particularly if the weather forecast is unstable. Since this is a free open-air event and one of the more prominent musical dates in the August programme, arriving earlier may make it easier to find a place and enter the amphitheatre without haste.
Sunday evening in Matulji will bring together an ensemble with a long history of competitions and concerts and an audience for whom klapa singing may be a family tradition, a musical discovery or simply part of a summer stay in Kvarner. Women's Klapa Luka has decades of performances, awards and international guest appearances behind it, but every concert once again depends on the immediate relationship between the performers, the venue and the listeners. In an open amphitheatre, this relationship gains an additional dimension because the evening setting and proximity of the audience emphasise what klapa singing is based on: the unity of voices. The programme "The Tramontana Will Refresh You!" thereby continues its fundamental idea of summer gatherings through culture, while Luka's performance brings one of the most recognisable vocal expressions of the Adriatic area.
Sources:
- Matulji Municipality Tourist Board - official announcement of the Women's Klapa Luka concert, date, time, venue, free admission and alternative venue in the event of bad weather (link)
- Matulji Municipality Tourist Board - official programme of the Matulji Summer Evenings "The Tramontana Will Refresh You!" for 2026 (link)
- Municipality of Matulji - overview of the 2026 Matulji Summer Evenings programme, venues and performers (link)
- Festival of Dalmatian Klapas in Omiš - biography, festival awards, guest appearances and discography of Women's Klapa Luka (link)
- City of Rijeka - information about the 40th anniversary, recognitions, members and artistic director of the klapa (link)
- Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia - presentation of the Charter of the Republic of Croatia to Women's Klapa Luka in 2025 (link)
- UNESCO - description of multipart klapa singing and its inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (link)