Local musicians play, conduct in Croatia

Michael Kissinger, who runs the Bravo! Vancouver concert series, left for Dubrovnik, Croatia, last week.

He will conduct the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra’s performance Tuesday, which will include Dvorak and Mendelssohn.

While Kissinger plays clarinet for a Franz Kramar-Krommer concerto with the symphony, his wife, Maria Manzo, will conduct.

Dubrovnik is a city of about 40,000 people, but it has a full professional chamber orchestra. Kissinger serves as a U.S. guest conductor, and travels there four to six times a year.

“I love it. It’s a great orchestra,” Kissinger said. “Not many cities that size have a professional ensemble of that caliber.”

Kissinger hopes to bring more than classical music to Dubrovnik. He organizes the Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival at Esther Short Park each August, and he’s planning a sister jazz festival in Dubrovnik for May 2011.