The festival, held under the auspices of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), will be organised by the Association of Slovenian Composers between 27 September and 2 October.

Mihelčič, the dean of the Ljubljana Academy of Music, has told the STA that the 2003 festival in Ljubljana was a "total success". The performance of the symphony orchestra of public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and a concert by the girls' choir Carmina Slovenica were highly acclaimed, he added.

According to Mihelčič, the successful organisation of the festival twelve years ago helped Ljubljana get the event one more time. "It was not simple, but it was incomparably easier than the first time. Expectations are high, while there is much less money than 12 years ago."

He expects the festival will ofer at least 16 concerts, featuring between 80 and 100 pieces of music. A total of 488 works have applied for the festival, which will undergo the selection by an international jury.

A majority of concerts will be held in the building of the Slovenian Philharmonic, but many events will also be performed in other venues in Ljubljana as well as in other cities and towns.

The final concert will be played in the Cankarjev dom arts centre by the orchestra of the Slovenian Philharmonic, which according to Mihelčič will be an alternative-music marathon.

The motto of the festival is "Plečnik's Triple Bridge", symbolising three directions the event wants to pursue - the tradition of the 20th century, the contemporaneity of the 21st century and the search for new musical expressions for the future.

If sufficient funds are secured, the idea is to also organise installations and special open-air events, including concerts on the water and underground, a musicology conference, music workshops and discussions after concerts.

A majority of pieces of music will be performed by Slovenian artists of all generations. Young artist and those who are still studying and have not fully shown their potential will get a special opportunity, Mihelčič announced.

The festival will also feature many new works and a special jury will pick the winner of an award for the best piece by a composer under 35.

The cost of the festival, which includes a meeting of the ISCM general assembly, has been estimated at EUR 280,000. The Ministry of Culture has promised to chip in EUR 50,000, but the application from the organisers is still being assessed.