Academy of Arts and Philosophical Sciences in Bari, Italy: We are appointing Ivana Marija Vidović as an Honorary Academician because of her extraordinary talent, primarily as a pianist, because of her dedication to music and culture in general, because of the international reputation she has achieved during her career so far. An artist of rare dedication to music and sensibility, Ivana Marija Vidović enchants audiences around the world.
Category: Culture And Arts
Dragutin Cifrek painting small birds – Tieeki
Dragutin Cifrek was born in 1951 in the village of Gornje Makojišće near the town of Novi Marof on the north of the city of Zagreb, Croatia. He is a top Croatian painter and graphic artist, educated at the at the Academy of Arts of the University of Zagreb. He lives in Slovenia. In 2025, he exhibited his fascinating portraits of small birds (tičeki) in the Cultural Center of “Ivan Rabuzin” in Novi Marof.
Dragutin Cifrek distinguished Croatian miniature painter and calligrapher
Dragutin Cifrek is distinguished Croatian painter, calligrapher and miniaturist, living in Slovenia. He completed his studies at the Academy of Arts of the University of Zagreb . In 2005, his self-portrait was awarded the first prize on an international competition organized in Finland. It was even chosen to appear on a postage stamp in Finland (on the photo)! Here we provide his very beautiful miniatures inspired by the rich tradition of Croatian Easter eggs painting. Mr. Cifrek was born in a village of Makoišće gornje on the north of the city of Zagreb.
Esperanto connecting Croatia globally
Croatian Esperanto literature has its beginnings since 1908. Croatian Esperanto-League (KEL, Kroata Esperanto-Ligo, Hrvatski espernatski savez ) was founded in Zagreb in 1909. Many Croatian literary books have been translated into various languages worldwide due to their translations into Esperanto. Especially interesting are translations into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Bengali, and Parsi languages. So, for example, children of Bengal can read Strange Adventures of Apprentice Hlapić by Ivana Brlić Mažuranić due to its translation from Croatian into Esperanto. On the photo – Mrs. Spomenka Štimec, former president of KEL.
Mario Viscovich: Punat ugostio pjesnike Hrvatske izvandomovinske lirike (HIL)
Ljeto, more, poezija i gitara sljubili su se na dvadesetčetvrtom susretu pjesnika “Hrvatske izvandomovinske lirike” (HIL), koji je održan u Puntu, otok Krk od 14. do 17. lipnja o.g. Pokrovitelji susreta su bili Općina i TZ Punat, Grad Krk i TZ Krk, Hrvatska matica iseljenika Podružnica Rijeka, Triglav studio apartmani i hostel Kantun. Organizator programa i utemeljitelj pjesničkih susreta HIL-a gospodin Mario Viscovich osmislio je bogat sadržaj pjesnicima HIL-a koji su stigli iz brojnih država od Australije do Amerike.
Croatian Library for the Blind in Zagreb visited by Joginder Singh Nijjar and Jane Sha
Mr. Jogdiner Singh Nijjar, president of the Croatian-Indian Society in Zagreb, accompanied with Jane Sha and Darko Žubrinić, have visited the Croatian Library for the Blind in Zagreb . Except of the library, this institution contains a printing house for the needs of blind persons. The building where the library is placed contains also The Blind Theatre Company “New Life” (the oldest blind theatre company in Europe! Founded in 1948), the Typhlological Museum, Radio Club, Chess Club, as well as Sports Club for the blind persons. On the photo: tamburitza orchestra consisting of blind children.
Armenia and Croatia marking the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 1995
Lipnja 2024. su koncerte pod nazivom ‘ Glazbeni pozdravi Armeniji iz Hrvatske ‘ i ‘ Hrvatska sakralna baština – pjevajuća molitva na izvoru kršćanstva ‘, te humanitarni koncert za Armenski Caritas pod nazivom ‘ Glazbeni zagrljaj Armeniji iz Hrvatske ‘ održali u Yerevanu hrvatski glazbeni umjetnici, sopranistica Nikolina Pinko, tenor Stjepan Franetović i pijanistica i orguljašica Evu Kirchmayer Bilić.
Symphony of Care dedicated to Nenad Bach created by BAI
Nenad Bach – a great person who has brought joy to so many people around the world with his music and whose fight for world peace and against Parkinson’s is a role model not just for me, but for thousands. He certainly deserved a song that honored his incredible commitment! But that it would be me, of all people, who would create this song is as hard to imagine as the fact that it is apparently even “pretty good”. Have a listen! … Text by Thorsten Boomhuis, a member of PPP in Germany. On the photo – a part of a drawing of Nenad Bach by Cynthia Nelms Byrne.
Hrvojka Mihanovic-Salopek: U ogledalu znanstvenih prosudbi II. sv.
Monografija je objavljena 2024. u izdanju poduzeća Biakova, Zagreb 2024. Bavi se književnim i likovnim analizama više autora: Frana Vinka Maroevića, Nikole Andrića, Miroslava S. Mađera, Marijana Matkovića, Jakše Fiamenga, Borisa Biletića, Gorana Gatalice, Josipa Botterija Dinija, Zvonimira Mihanovića, Slavka Ježića i Ive Frangeša. Autorica je ugledna hrvatska znanstvenica, suradnica HAZU i predsjednik Društva hrvatskih književnika.
Zlatko Josip Grgić Croatian guitarist playing Chaconne by J. S. Bach on the famous Torres guitar La Invencible
Zlatko Josip Grgić was born in Croatia’s capital Zagreb in 2001. From his earliest childhood, he has been surrounded by some of the best guitar players in the world. In the spring of 2018, he recorded Ennio Morricone’s Cinema Paradiso as a music video in Venice. In December 2018, he gave a successful concert in Barcelona on the famous Torres guitar, La Invencible (The Invincible), as Torres himself had named it, which is the only guitar among the National Treasures of Spain. On that occasion, the Spanish gave Zlatko Josip Grgić has the nickname Torres’ Whisperer .
Ivana Marija Vidovic a member of the pianist jury for PREMIO TUSCANY in Italy
Ivana Marija Vidović was on the jury in Tuscany for the first time, and at the personal invitation of the world-famous pianist Daniel Rivera, as the very first Croatian from Dubrovnik to join such jury and to decide the winners in all categories for solo piano. In addition to the Argentinian pianist Daniel Rivera, the jury included the president of the jury, the German pianist, organist, conductor and president of the Schubert competition in Germany, Roland Proell, and two Italian colleagues, Federica Monti and Vincenzo Marrone d’Alberti.
Lady Jadranka Beresford-Peirse a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) since 2024
Lady Jadranka Beresford-Peirse has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) as part of the King’s birthday honours list. This is an important moment for UK-Croatia relations, as Lady Jadranka has worked tirelessly for Croatia, and demonstrates how far we have come since the early 90s. An MBE is given for: ‘Achievement or service in and to the community which is outstanding in its field and has delivered sustained and real impact which stands out as an example to others.’
Yoko Nishii bridges Okinawa, Japan and Croatia performing Dora Pejacevic
The concert is organized by the Honorary Consulate of Croatia in Naha as a cultural exchange program between Croatia and Naha City. Also, as a charity concert, the proceeds will be donated through the Croatian Embassy to support the recovery from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. The program includes compositions by Dora Pejačević (1885-1923), the first Croatian women-composer. The concert will take place on 19th May 2024 in the Naha Cultural Arts Theater “NAHArt”, which was opened in 2021.
Croats in South America
In this article, we have only touched upon a vast subject of Croats in South America, covering their contributions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezula,… in numerous field of culture, art and science. among the best known such persons is Juan (Ivan) Vučetić, the father of scientific dactyloscopy (identification by fingerprints; on the photo). We mention also painters Kristian Kreković, Zdravko Dučmelić, Gustav Likan.
Ivana Marija Vidović from Dubrovnik in the prestigious jury in France, Provence 2024
Last week, the Dubrovnik pianist Ivana Marija Vidović was a member of the prestigious expert jury of the International Piano Competition Saint Paul Trois-Chateaux. Vidović was in the jury alongside maestro Marc Moncusi from Barcelona, pianist Sabrina Dente from Italy, pianist and organist Christoph Ewers from Germany, and pianist and director Pierre-Laurent Boucharlat from France. The jury chose the interpretation of Edward Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor and with that also chose the winner, twenty-four-year-old Shion Ota from Japan. The second and third prizes went also to Japan.
Humanitarni koncert za Opću bolnicu DUBROVNIK
Najavljujemo početak humanitarne akcije uglednih umjetnika različitih profila ali s istom srdačnom željom u ova sveto doba: “Kupnja suvremenog aparata za kardiološki odjel Opće bolnice Dubrovnik”. Pozivamo svih da nam se pridruže u hvalevrijednoj akciji: samostalne građane, poduzeća i sve pojedince da doprinesu koliko bili u mogućnosti. Upravo Božić nas uči biti boljima, biti dijelom velike ljudske obitelji. Podupiru: Klapa Ragusa, Radojka Šverko, Vladimir Babin, Suzi Sokol, Ivana Marija Vidović, Dijana Hilje.
Viktor Cizic Croatian pianist performing at Millenium Stage of the Kennedy Center 2023
On the 10th Anniversary of Croatia’s accession to the European Union, the Embassy of Croatia in Washington, in collaboration with the Kennedy Center, presented a concert by Viktor Cizic, a renowned pianist from Zagreb, Croatia. With critical acclaim and a lasting impression on audiences and reviewers, Viktor brought forth a diverse blend of compositions by George Gershwin, Margareta Ferek-Petrić, Davorin Kempf, and Franz Liszt, at times seamlessly transitioning into contemporary music.
Festival Epidaurus 2023 in Cavtat, beautiful late summer in Croatia
Under the motto ‘Living with Arts,’ the international music and art festival Epidaurus Cavtat took place for the seventeenth year in a row from August 27th to September 17th. The festival, recognized and renowned internationally, has made Cavtat the center of the art world at the end of each summer for 17 years, bringing over fifty performers and hosting more than 200 concerts and events. The founder and director of the Festival is Ivana Marija Vidović, Croatian pianist and poetesse.
Yoko Nishii recipient of the Commendation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan
The Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. Japanese pianist Yoko Nishii (on the photo) is a recipient of the commendation for 2023. She was awarded for her continuous promotion of Croatian and Japanese music during the past 25 years, and in particular of the pianist works of Dora Pejačević, the first Croatian woman-composer of international reputation.
Epidaurus Festival in Cavtat 2023, Croatia, will take place on Sunday, August 27th
Right from the first day of the 17th Epidaurus Cavtat Festival, visitors of this renowned event will be welcomed with a true delight – an evening that equally celebrates art and the importance of peace in the world. Cavtat is a lovely small town near the city of Dubrovnik. The 2023 Epidaurus Cavtat Festival officially opens on August 27th at 8 PM with the prelude programme Together for world peace along with the opening of the exhibition The Power of Music by the Dubrovnik Association of Visual Artists DuLu. The founder and director of the Epidaurus Festival in Cavtat is Ivana Marija Vidović, distinguished Croatian pianist and poetesse (on the photo).