Antonio Rumenović, prof.

Antonio Rumenović, academic musician, guitarist, and guitar teacher.

Prof.Antonio Rumenovic, born on 30th May 1983 in Varaždin, Croatia, now also working in Varaždin and Zagreb, Croatia. He finished Elementary music school and High music school in Varazdin, in class of prof. Moreno Vincekovic. In 2001, he enroled into Music academy „Ino Mirkovic“ Lovran, Croatia, in class of prof. Carlo Marchione and assistant Neno Munitic. Graduated 2005. in University of Zagreb at Academy of Music, in class of prof. Istvan Romer. In 2006. enrolls to Postgraduated study and Master’s degree study in Hogeschool vor Musik at Conservatiorum Maastricht, Netherland and gets Master’s degree in June 2008, in class of prof. Carlo Marchione.

As a student, he recieved gratest honor at guitarist competition „Ivan Padovec“ in Zagreb, 2005. where he recieved an invitation to be the guest of honour by Miroslav Miletic, most famous Croatian composer, at final concert of event “The Music Days of Miroslav Miletic” in Sisak, Croatia.

As a musician he performed around Croatia and Europe – Netherland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, Macedonia. Since 2011, he is an active member of chamber ensemble „Laurum“.

After graduation in 2005. starts working in Art school „Fortunat Pintaric“ in Koprivnica, Croatia, where he worked until 2019.. With his great love to guitar, classical music and teaching he achieved many notable successes with his students: they compete on almost every competition in Europe and continuously accomplish high rankings.

For his teaching and students achievements, he recieved highest award in Croatia from Education and Teacher Training Agency, a part of Institute of Education of the Republic of Croatia, for excellence in working with students in academic year 2010/2011 and 2014/2015.

In last eight years he is a member of jury in various guitar competitions (Zagreb Guitar Festival, Festival Internacinal de Gutarra Guimaraes, Omiš Guitar Fest, Enrico Mercatali Gorizia, Tremolo Skopje, Sarajevo International Guitar Festival, Guitar Art Beograd, Porečki Tirando, Pula Guitar Fest, Sonus Križevci…) and is active as a lecturer and masterclass teacher.

Also is a Vicepresident of Classical guitarists’ Association „Allegro“ Koprivnica. „Allegro“ has many projects from organizing concerts and masterclasses, but the main project is „Summer guitar school Koprivnica“ where he is Artistic director and main lecturer since 2011.

From 2016. he is acting as “Zagreb Guitar Festival” competition coordinator. From 2017. he is acting as EuroStrings Competition Coordinator.

Slađana
Čolović
mag.mus.

Slađana Čolović is an academic musician and guitar teacher with over 15 years of experience of working in music schools. She has brought up numerous generations of students, some of which have decided to follow in her footsteps, which she is particularly proud of.

Every child she taught has left their mark and wonderful memories.
Being a teacher is a calling, not just a job. Love for music is the most important task we give our students.

In her rich career, she guided her students through numerous performances, won awards, and participated in various classical and contemporary music projects.

She currently works at Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School Rijeka.

She plays in various chamber ensembles and bands and gives memorable performances throughout Croatia and abroad.

Davor
Juretić
mag.mus.

Davor Juretić finished his primary and secondary music education in Rijeka. He continued his music education at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, where in 2014 he obtained the title Master of Music – teacher of music theory subjects.

He started his artistic career in 2005, while still a student.

He is currently the artistic director of the mixed choir ‘MPZ liječnika Rijeka’, the vocal ensemble of the folklore society KUD ‘Zvir’, and the high school female choir of Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School Rijeka. As a conductor, he gave numerous performances in Croatia and abroad, achieved remarkable results, and won many awards and acknowledgements.

As a choir director and conductor he studied with renowned artists. Aside from his artistic career, he dedicates special attention to cultural management and production. He was a member of the organization committee for the ‘Grobnički tići kantaju’ festival for many years.

Since 2014 he has worked at Andrija Ljudevit Adamić high school in Rijeka, and since 2015 at Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School Rijeka.

Neno Munitić

Neno Munitić master of musical arts and prof.

After winning the 1st absolute prize at the 8th international guitar competition “Citta di Casarza Ligure” 2002.Italy, performs as a soloist and as a member of various chamber ensembles throughout Europe.

For the last 30 years, he has been engaged in intensive pedagogical work in several countries at various institutions. He also worked as an assistant to prof. Carlo Marchione at the ”Ino Mirković” College of Musical Arts in Lovran and then as a Senior Lecturer at the same institution. For the past ten years, he has been working as a teacher in the OGŠ “Lovro pl. Matačić” in Omiš and as a teacher in SGŠ “Makarska“.

His students and pupils have won more than 70 absolute first prizes at international and national competitions. Due to his success in teaching, he has received numerous awards from state institutions related to education, and in recent years, special awards as a mentor to students who won the “Oscars of Knowledge” for winning 1st place at state competitions in various solo and chamber categories.

In addition to pedagogic work, he is also engaged in composing, and in addition to popular and stage music, he composes pieces for the guitar and various chamber ensembles. He received special credit for the successful international guitar festival “Omis Guitar Fest“.

He regularly holds master workshops and acts as president and member of the jury at numerous international competitions Gorizia (Italy), Pleven guitar fest (Bulgaria), Sarajevo guitar fest (BiH), Zruč nad Sazavou (Czech Republic), Bale (Croatia), Montenegro guitar fest (Montenegro), Tirana guitar fest (Albania), Skopje tremolo (Macedonia), etc.

Ivan Pešut

Ivan Pešutis a professional session musician, author, producer, and live-performer.

He was born in 1983 in Rijeka. His primary instrument is the guitar, and he has been active as a music professional since he was 15 years old. Throughout the years he played on numerous Croatian and foreign records and concerts, simultaneously attending university and becoming a German language and literature teacher and informatics teacher.

He won four STATUS awards; three of them for ‘Best electric and acoustic guitarist’, and he has been a nominee in that category every year since 2008. The fourth award came in 2019, for a special category ‘Best fusion musician’. As an instrumentalist or arranger/producer he participated in numerous editions that won the most prestigious Croatian music award Porin. In 2020 he received the same award in the category ‘Best instrumental album’ for the album ‘Timeline’. That same year he was also nominated in the category ‘Best instrumental performance’ for the song ‘Phoenix’. In 2021 he was nominated for Porin in 7 categories.

In 1999 he received the first prize at the solo guitarist competition ‘Zlatna distorzija’ for the best rock guitarist in Rijeka. In 2009 he received the ‘Fender’ award from Mega muzika/Art centar in the category of the most promising young musician.

Since 2002 he has often been a member of numerous TV or festival orchestras (Porin, Zagrebački festival, Festival dalmatinske šansone, Olja’zz band, Orkestar prof. Vladimira Babina, Aurea fest, etc.).

He has been involved in music pedagogy since 2009 as a guitar teacher and as head of an ensemble performance course. In 2015 he initiated a music workshop project, sponsored by the Croatian Musicians Union – ‘Back To School’ / ‘Glazbenici u klupama’ in collaboration with a few high schools, the City of Rijeka and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Since 2019 he has been giving regular music lectures on ‘Basic concepts of arranging and improvising’ in Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School Rijeka, and occasional lectures, such as ‘Music as language – basic concepts of improvisation’ at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka or at Rijeka’s First Croatian High School.

He has been a member of the Main Board of the Croatian Musicians Union since 2014, and since 2015 of the Croatian Association of Featured Musicians (CAFM). In 2018 he was elected president of the Croatian Musicians Union (Rijeka branch), and president of the Main Board of the Croatian Musicians Union (at the national level).

In 2019 he became a member of the Management Board of the Croatian Association of Featured Musicians (CAFM).

Zelda Bašić, univ. bacc. praesc. educ.

Zelda Bašić was born in 2001, and even as a young child she noticed music was one of her main areas of interest. When she was four years old she started playing the fipple flute at the Music studio Oz, and afterwards she enrolled in Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School Rijeka, where she studied under professor Slađana Čolović. She continued her music education, and after finishing music high school, she obtained the title ‘musician guitarist’.

She has always known she wanted to work with children, regardless of the field. After high school she enrolled at the Faculty of Teacher Education to study early and preschool education, and upon successfully finishing the undergraduate program, she became a Baccalaureate of Early and Preschool Education. She is currently in the same graduate study program of the mentioned Faculty.

Throughout her education she found her greatest joy in working with children through music. She has held music workshops for preschool children, directed a children’s choir, and works as a guitar teacher at a guitar course.

Ana Horvat, univ.bacc.paed.

Ana Horvat is a session musician, an arrangement and scenography designer and a Baccalaureate of Early and Preschool Education.

She was born in 1991 in Bjelovar. She finished Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School Rijeka and the School of Applied Arts in Rijeka, after which she graduated from the Faculty of Teacher Education, where she studied early and preschool education.

From 2014 to 2023 she worked as a kindergarten teacher. She led a verified music program at the kindergarten ‘Poneštrica’. She is intensively involved in pedagogical work in the field of art and holds numerous music, art, creative, and educational workshops.

She started her music journey in elementary school, attending choir at the Vladimir Nazor Rovinj primary school, in which she performed as a soloist. She performs at various events and festivals in Croatia and abroad (Grobnička Skala, Melodije Istre i Kvarnera, Čansonfest, Nazorov mikrofon, Countryfestivalen Seljord, Country Bauska, Muenzbach Country Festival, CountryStopa Dudince).

In 2011 she won the award for best interpretation at the festival Grobnička Skala, and in 2012 the award for best new singer at the famous MIK festival. Until 2014 she was a member of the vocal-instrumental ensemble ‘Intermezzo’, and as part of the ensemble she performed in numerous music-theatre pieces, the most memorable being ‘Dragi moji’ at the Kastafsko kulturno leto in 2013. She was a vocalist in the musicals ‘Chicago na Kantridi’ (2013) and ‘Briljantin na Kantridi’ (2014). From 2013 to 2016 she was a member of the band ‘Crooks & Straights’ that performed all over Europe at country music festivals, and they also recorded an album called ‘Way Out of Town’. She collaborated with the band ‘Atmospheric’ by recording the vocals for a few songs and designing music videos (‘Možda’, ‘To ipak nismo ti i ja’, ‘Park bez lišća’). She regularly performs with the ensemble SoundArt Duo and is a member of the band ‘Western Express’. She performed as the lead singer of the band at the MIK festival in 2017.

Igor Čupković, prof. baleta

Igor Čupković began his ballet path at the Ballet studio of the Croatian national theatre in Split. He finished ballet high school at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana. From 2004 to 2014 he worked (danced) as a ballet dancer at the Croatian national theatre Split, Slovene national theatre Opera and ballet Ljubljana , and National theatre in Belgrade.

In his house theatres he participated in the complete ballet repertoire, from grand classical ballet pieces to the contemporary repertoire, both as a member of the ensemble and as a soloist.

Shows: The Swan Lake, Don Quijote, Bajadera, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Cadet’s Dance, Kraljica Margo, The Sleeping Beauty, Gisele, La Dame aux Camélias, Ko to tamo peva, Jesenje cvijeće, Interval, Viva la vida, Plesovi Erosa, „Six dances“ i „Step lightly“, Aida, Nabucco, Carmen, La Traviata, Zaljubljen u tri naranče, Ero s onoga svijeta, Oluja and many others.

Guest performances: Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Romania, Spain, Columbia, and Mexico. As a member of the National theatre theatre in Belgrade, he won the ‘Dimitrije Parlić’ award, given by the Serbian ballet association for his artistic and technical achievements in the show ‘Six Dances & Step Lightly’.

Since 2015 he has worked as a classical ballet teacher at the Primary school for classical ballet and contemporary dance at Vežica primary school in Rijeka. In 2017, he became the head of classical ballet at the same school.

From October 2019 until December 2020 he worked at the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana as a classical ballet teacher. In 2021 he graduated from the program Higher ballet dancer of the mentioned Conservatory.

He is currently in his final year of ballet pedagogy at the Academy Alma Mater Europaea in Ljubljana.

Throughout the years he participated with his students at many events and festivals in Croatia and abroad, and he won numerous awards at regional, state, and international competitions.
As a member of the Croatian association of music and dance pedagogues he was chosen for a three-member committee to create regulations for the category of classical ballet for the 61st competition of pupils and students of music and dance that will take place at the county and state levels in 2023.

His love for the art of ballet and ballet pedagogy is his inexhaustible inspiration for constant development on his professional path.

Sergej Božić, musician singer

Sergej Božić was born in Rijeka on May 28, 2004. Since early childhood, music has been his biggest motivation, while singing holds a special place in his heart.

At the age of 11, encouraged by his class teacher Svjetlana Vukić, he took a more serious approach to singing and entered RTL’s show “Zvjezdice”, where he achieved excellent results. He continued performing at numerous festivals for children, winning many awards.

He finished elementary music school Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Rijeka, where he studied classical guitar under professor Slađana Čolović. He continued his high school education at the same school as a classical singer, studying under professor Ingrid Haller. During high school he attended numerous seminars and competitions and achieved remarkable results at the national level. He graduated in 2023, obtaining the title ‘musician singer’.

He loves modern and classical singing and is successful in combining both styles. His wish is to transfer his knowledge onto younger generations and encourage them to follow their dreams.

Zvonimir Radišić,
mag.ing.el.,mag.mus.

Zvonimir Radišić, who was born in Rijeka in 1991, began taking guitar lessons at age nine and in 2009 he completed the secondary school of music Ivan Matetić-Ronjgov in the class of Professor Nikola Jedrlinić. In May 2016 he graduated from the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka with a degree in electrical engineering. In June 2020 Zvonimir graduated jazz from the Gustav Mahler Privatuniversität für Musik in Klagenfurt, Austria; he studied under Professor Thomas Wallisch. He earned a two-year master’s degree from the same academy in January 2023 (jazz guitar under Professors Agostino Di Giorgio and Primus Sitter, and jazz composition and arrangement under Professor Reinhold Pleschberger- Schmölzer). First national and international formal acknowledgments and awards began to arrive while Zvonimir Radišić was still a student. After completing his education in classical music, he took up classes in modern guitar playing with Ivan Pešut. He also attended seminars, took individual classes, and attended music workshops by many renowned Croatian and international guitarists (Jonathan Kreisberg, Charles Altura, Russ Spiegel, John Stowell, Alessio Menconi, Vlatko Stefanovski, Miroslav Tadić, Primož Grašič, Jan Sturiale, Jani Moder, Elvis Stanić, Darko Jurković - Charlie, Ivan Pešut, Zoran Majstorović, Spartaco Črnjarić). New Horizons is the name of his original debut album published in August 2022 with Henry Radanović on double bass and Tonči Grabušić on drums as Zvonimir Radišić Trio. Members of the Vortex Strings quartet were guests on this album. The CD comes complete with a video of recording on BD. In February 2023, this album was nominated for the national music award Porin in three categories: the best jazz album, best arrangement, and new performer of the year. Zvonimir Radišić performs regularly as a member of several ensembles: Henry Radanović Quartet, Vedran Ružić Trio, Dino Ivelja Quartet, Denis Razz Adjustable Group, and Aldo Foško Collective.

Ivana Marčelja, prof. savjetnik

Ivana Marčelja was born in Rijeka in 1984. She simultaneously attended “Sveti Matej” Viškovo elementary school and Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Rijeka elementary music school. She continued her secondary music education, and in 2003 enrolled at the Zagreb Academy of Music. She graduated from the Academy’s Department of Music Pedagogy in 2007. She has worked as a music teacher, choir director, and has lead composition workshops in elementary schools Drago Gervais, Klana, and Sveti Matej Viškovo since 2008. Since 2019 she has taught music theory subjects in Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Rijeka music school. Her talent and interest in music have been obvious since school years. She participated in numerous festivals for children, where she won prizes awarded by the jury and the audience. She continued to successfully participate at renowned festivals, promoting the Čakavian dialect and music. She published two albums in the Čakavian dialect, and in 2008, as part of the event Kastav Summer of Culture, she performed a musical program “Mojoj vile”, through which, together with her guests, renowned names of the Čakavian scene, and accompanied by an orchestra, she promoted the album of the same name. Directing school choirs, a parish choir “Nebeske iskrice”, and holding Čakavian music workshops for elementary school students enables her to share with her students her love of the Čakavian dialect and tradition, as well as of spiritual music. For many years she has successfully participated with soloists and choirs in projects and competitions at county, state, and international levels. She has received numerous awards as the composer of the songs her choirs or soloists she mentored performed at music festivals. She finds special joy and purpose in participating in humanitarian programs and organizations, some of which are “Samo je nebo granica” and “Vidimo sE”, organized by the Down Syndrome Association – Rijeka 21, which encourages the community to promote awareness of people with disabilities as well as their inclusion in society.

Margareta Peršić

Margareta Peršić lives and works in Zagreb, where she graduated from the Faculty of Teacher Education with the thesis “Priča, slika, slikovnica”. For the past thirty-or-so years she has lived art. She paints, writes, illustrates, forms toys and dolls, creates films and ‘doll-paintings’, scenography, shapes interiors, directs and performs in plays. She has participated in numerous pedagogical projects in Croatia and abroad, and has held many puppet, theatre, storytelling and art workshops.

As a storyteller, she performs in storytelling plays in cultural and educational institutions, at weddings, on rooftops, at funerals, in caves, at various festivals, manifestations, and as an associate to Školska knjiga at literary meetings. She is a member of the Croatian Freelance Artists Association, the Croatian Society of Fine Arts, the Croatian Association of Applied Arts Artists, and the Croatian Centre for Theatre Education. She has held forty-three solo exhibitions and has participated in ninety group exhibitions. She has illustrated nineteen picture books, one of which was her own, and has received numerous awards for her work. In 2017 she graduated from the Institute for Waldorf Pedagogy in Zagreb (IWP). Her first illustrated poetry collection called “Brodarica” has just been published and will be promoted this summer together with an exhibition of the same name. The poetry collection has been declared a souvenir of the city of Krk in 2023.

David Petrović

David Petrović is an actor-puppeteer and has been the leading actor in the Rijeka City Puppet Theatre since 2006. He completed his professional training in Charleville Mezieresu (France) in 2011. In 2019 he participated in Tim Webb’s workshop called “Hear Our Voice”, which took place at a multi-sensory theater in Galway. He staged four of his original plays produced by the Rijeka City Puppet Theatre, namely “Palačinka mog života", "Beba Bebač", "Trsatski zmaj" i "Mrljek i Prljek".. He has won 20 professional awards for animation, acting, and dramatization at the festivals “SLUK”, “PIF”, “Mali Marulić”, “Assitej”, and “Zlatna iskra (SRB)”. He is the screenwriter, director, and producer of Rijeka’s first feature rock film “Yunaci rocka”, which premiered at the 69th Pula Film Festival in 2022, which was followed by 15 additional screenings throughout Croatia. He is the author of the short film “Klaun”, which won the viewer’s choice award for best movie, and the award for best cinematography at the 45th KRAF in 2014. In 2018 he won the Ri Rock award for his debut stop motion animation music video for the song “Raindrop shadow” by Sunshine Madness. He is the author and director of four plays for adults produced by Ri Theatre, two of which, namely “Smrad” and “Dnevnik nogometaša” received the viewer’s choice award for best plays. In 2017 he started collaborating with the association “Studio Maraton” in his original project “Magic Musical”, which was brought to “Vatroslav Lisinski” concert hall and TMP Pibrac (France). He was the voice over actor for two animated movies produced by “Rijeka sport”. He has collaborated with Erste bank as the animator for a commercial video, with Nova tv as an actor in the documentary show “Potraga” and has filmed a children’s puppet show “Doktorica Zdravka” at HRT. He collaborates with Radio Korzo as a commercial voice over artist. Apart from puppetry, which is his primary activity, he is also involved in acting, directing, writing scripts, and motion picture arts.

Valnea Žauhar

Valnea Žauhar was born in 1985. She graduated from Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School (piano and music theory), and obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka. She works at the Psychology Department of the same Faculty, where she teaches experimental and cognitive psychology. She also teaches psychology of music at the Academy of Music in Pula. Her research includes, among other things, remembering sheet music and the habits of listening to music. She holds music workshops for children with developmental disabilities at the Music Association A. Jug Matić in Rijeka.