The Association of Citizens of Italian Origin "Rino Zandonai" Tuzla organized the first Italian Music Forum on classical music and opera, in the Tuzla Youth Center on Friday, October 17, 2025. from 6 p.m. The guest of the Forum was Irina Dobnik, who presented Italian classical music and opera, and especially her own experiences in opera, theater, films and TV series where she has been playing roles for more than 25 years. The one-hour program hosted by Tihomir Knežiček featured Italian classics Vivaldi, Verdi, Rossini and Puccini, whose music was heard in the performance of famous opera arias Traviata, Rigoletto, Nabucco, Aida, Barbiere di Siviglia and Turandot.
Irina Dobnik has performed in operas and plays from the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Arena in Verona to the BUNKA KAIKAN Theater – Tokyo and the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome. She has acted in films and has also had roles in the series "Mad, Confused, Normal". The audience had a unique opportunity to learn how opera "works" in which there are more than a hundred dancers, actors and singers on stage (including horses in the opera "Aida"), and a hundred instrumentalists play in the orchestra. Irina Dobnik is part of that atmosphere, and her views of the performance environment in the world's great musical and theatrical metropolises are something extraordinary. After the musical performances of the arias, Irina Dobnik commented on certain details, which was interesting for people who are not fans of opera and classical music. After the Forum, the gathering continued with snacks and refreshments in the premises of the Tuzla Cultural Center. The Forum was supported by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports with the project "Italian Music Forum in Tuzla 2025", and the Forum was supported (as always) by the Tuzla Cultural Center. The next Forum is planned for November 4, 2025 with a guest appearance by Dragutin Matošević on the topic of Sanremo music and pop-rock music in Italy.
