These days, Skopje hosts big world music names, who will present their musical expression to the audience within the 22nd edition of the traditional "Off-Fest", which takes place from June 7 to 10 in The National Opera and Ballet and in MCC.

On that occasion, a guest in "Morning Press" was the festival organizer, music reviewer, critic and promoter Kostadin Shurbanovski-Shurbe, with whom we talked about this year's "Off-fest" and the significance of such events in our country.

"Practically all the guests at the festival are with us for the first time, which does not speak well of our concert life in the city and in the country, but what is here is that we are proud to always premiere names at Off-fest.

It will be the same this year, after the opening with the great fado singer Mizia, who was one stone in the mosaic that we have been missing all these years, the program will continue with the performances of the Estonian folk fairy Marie Kalkun with her strange traditional instrument and unique vocals.

On the same evening, our Zarina Prvasevda will have her own concert together with her band, and they will present the new album. On Friday we have two more concerts, the duo Justin Adams and Mauro Durante and our New Yorker Krste Rojevski, the favorite of the Macedonian audience.

The last evening will be held at MCC, first with the documentary film dedicated to the couple Irena and Wojtech Havel, who will perform live in the "Frosina" cinema right after the documentary.

And the closing of the festival this year will be in the Dancing Hall in MCC, with the Moroccan-French combination "Bab l' Blues", one of the most exciting world music bands in the world, and the nine-piece orchestra of the legendary name of Congolese rumba, guitarist Dizzy Mandjeku & Odemba ok all-stars", says Schurbe about this year's rich program of "Off-fest".

Organizing this type of festival in our country is a very complicated and difficult process, says Schurbe, but the satisfaction of the audience after the concerts is what moves him forward.

"There are many things that are more painful than beautiful, especially when you organize a concert in Macedonia, but I always like to refer to the beautiful things.

What moves me the most is when I hear the applause, the standing ovation of the audience at the end of the concert, it fills me up and shows me in some way that what I'm doing makes sense.

"Because nowadays many people ask themselves, 'Does what I do make sense,' especially we in the culture asked ourselves that question very often", says Schurbe.

Regarding the new audience and the interest among young people in this type of festivals, Schurbe says that every year it is a challenge to attract new, young people who will become lovers of good quality sound.

"We are really trying to build and form a new audience because slowly the old audience is leaving." We have a small problem with the young audience, and that is especially the part of people we consider close to us, moving out.

The party soldiers remain, who are not very interested in cultural events, especially of this type, however, the fight continues, we don't give up and we fight for every person in the audience as if they were our children", says Shurbe.

You can watch the rest of the conversation with Shurbe at the following link: