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On Thursday, May 25th 2023 at 8 pm in the Church of St Chrysogonus a concert by Vocal ensemble Brevis from Osijek, Croatia, will be held on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the 13th International Choir Competition Zadar.

Entry to the concert as well as the competition is free. Full Schedule.

Vocal ensemble Brevis, Osijek, Croatia
Antoaneta Radočaj-Jerković, conductor
Davor Dedić, piano

Programme:

Vocal Ensemble Brevis is a renowned female choir from Croatia and a long-term artistic project of conductor Antoaneta Radočaj-Jerković and piano accompanist Davor Dedić. From its foundation in 1996 until today, the ensemble has established itself as a leader in the development and enrichment of Croatian choral art. All of the Vocal Ensemble Brevis’ members are singers with many years of soloist and choral experience, and many are professional musicians.

The choir’s artistic identity consists of its singers’ high level of vocal ability, its recognizable choral sound, the originality of its choral repertoire, and the unique stage charm with which the ensemble completes the artistic impression of each performance in a particularly impressive way. Created in this way, its artistic activity intensely and deeply affects the experience of the ensemble and its connection with the audience, so it is no surprise that the choir has won the hearts of a broad base of fans and supporters in person and via social networks numbering in the thousands.

The choir’s repertoire is stylistically diverse, consisting of compositions ranging from the Renaissance to those from contemporary composers, and is characterized by vocal and interpretative authenticity and a programmatic aspiration to integrate its repertoire into a broader artistic conception. The ensemble has achieved a number of successes so far, which include performing at various world festivals and winning top awards at competitions in Croatia, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria (1st prize Varna Choral Competition prof. Georgi Dimitrov), Germany, Hungary, Great Britain (1st prize Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod), Austria, France (3rd prize Florilege Vocal de Tours), Sweden (1st prize Helsingborg Choral Competition), Russia (1st prize Youth Choral World Championship), Canada, China (gold medal World Choir Games), the United States, Australia (1st prize Australian International Music Festival) and elsewhere. 

Brevis considers its greatest successes to be its two published albums and unforgettable concert performances in the world’s most prestigious concert halls: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Grand Philharmonic Hall, State Academic Capella in St. Petersburg, and the Sydney Opera House.

Dear lovers of music and choral singing, we are pleased to announce that 14 choirs in three categories will perform at the 13th Zadar International Choir Competition from May 25 to 28, 2023. The following choirs passed the selection of the program committee:

Category A: mixed choirs

• Choeur la Gloire, Kinshasa, DR Kongo
• Coro a Graça, Luanda, Angola
• Croatian Music Choral  Society “Zoranić”, Zadar, Croatia
• Chamber mixed choir "Lola", Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Mixed choir “Pomlad”, Novo Mesto, Slovenia
• Mixed choir of Blagoje Bersa Music school in Zadar, Zadar, Croatia
• Moraviachor (mixed choir), Czech Republic
• National Student Chapel Choir of the Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
• Youth choir "Josip Kaplan", Rijeka, Croatia
• Vocal studio Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
• Haxhi Zeka University Choir, Peć, Kosovo

Category B: men's of women's choirs

• Moraviachor (women’s choir), Czech Republic
• Vocal ensemble “Samoborke”, Samobor, Croatia

Category C: vocal ensembles

• Girls’ choir of Music school "Dr. fra Ivan Glibotić", Imotski, Croatia

We are looking forward the competition for the Gold, Silver and Bronze Cross of Abbess Čika as well as for the Grand Prize of the City of Zadar in front of the expert judging committee and the Zadar audience in the Church of St. Chrysogonus.

13th International Choir Competition will be held in the Romanesque Church of St Chrysogonus.

The Church of St Chrysogonus got its name after one of the patron saints of Zadar, and it was consecrated by Zadar bishop Lampridius in 1175.

It was built on the site of the Roman emporium and the Church of St Anthony the Hermit from the 6th century.

The Church of St Chrysogonus was built in the 10th century, with later adaptations, enlargement and consecration. Today the Church is the only part remaining of the former great Medieval male Benedictine Monastery. In 1387 the late Croatian-Hungarian Queen Elizabeth Kotromanić was buried in the Church of St Chrysogonus, and was later transferred to the Cathedral Basilica of Székesfehérvár. Together with the Cathedral of St Anastasia, this Church represents the most significant monument of Romanesque art in Dalmatia.

The church is characterized by excellent acoustics, which are especially suitable for choral performances. We are sure that all choirs participating in the Competition will present their best performances in this exceptional space.

We hereby present to you An Anthology of Croatian Choral Music, a selection of the most important Croatian choral compositions by editor Jasenka Ostojić. At this year's choir competition, we are giving away one copy to each choir.

Conceiving the Anthology as a source for domestic and international choirs and wishing to make Croatian choral music more frequent, not just in the International Choir Competition in Zadar, but also on a broader international scene, only a cappella compositions for mixed, men’s and women’s choirs were selected. In the process of selection the main criteria were the distribution of works among various technical requirements and levels of complexity, as well as the diversity of textual bases between works of spiritual and worldly content, folklore and poetry, which provides a broad overview of Croatian culture and heritage. We have sought to give this edition a uniform appearance and to adjust the notation with it. All notation markings are universally Italian and the translation is provided in order to make the Anthology more accessible and comprehensible to a wider audience.

The selection includes the works of prominent Croatian composers whose creativity has remained permanently recorded in the history of Croatian music. Following the chronological order, the collection begins with the composition Ego sum qui sum by Julio Skjavetić, one of our most valuable Renaissance composers from the sixteenth century. Then, there are the unmissable choir To Battle! Ivan pl. Zajca, Moonlight, from Blagoj Bersa's Three Landscapes, Josip Hatze's Evening Bell, Ivan Matetić Ronjgov's poignant My Father, I confess to Almighty God op. 25 Krste Odak, Barcarolle, from The Littoral Suite by Jakov Gotovac, From Stone the Water Springs by Josip Štolcer Slavenski, Evensong, from Around the Harvest Wreath by Zlatko Grgošević, Traditional mourning Song by Josip Vrhovski, A Circle Dance, from the cycle Traditional Nupital Songs by Boris Papandopulo, A Fruit Tree After Rain from Two Lyric Pictures by Adalbert Marković, Baptismal Font od Duke Višeslav by Antun Dolički and finally, White-Red by Igor Kuljerić, a composer whose work extends into the 21st century.

All the compositions of the Anthology are valuable works in the oeuvre of their creators, confirmed by concert practice over decades, and sometimes even centuries, communicating as vividly with their ancient contemporaries as with today's audience. Constant recognition by generations of listeners and resistance to the grind of time are the ultimate tests for any value, including musical value, which is why the compositions in the Anthology deserve their place.

Reviews

Undoubtedly, this collection will be an incentive to numerous conductors, singers and choirs; furthermore, I think it will also be an encouragement to young composers, who will be inspired to create new compositions in the field of choral music.

Ivan Repušić

This collection is greatly useful and needed – it communicates to a wide circle from amateurs to professionals, with the edited text and a good choice of compositions, reaching in the historical context in order to show the way the vocal music has been treading through until the present day.

Tomislav Fačini

The Zadar International Choir Competition is announcing 13th edition of the choir competition, which will be held from May 25 to 28, 2023. Amateur mixed, women's or men's choirs and vocal ensembles can apply by filling out the online application form and fulfilling the competition rules.

The choirs will perform in front of an international expert committee, and the three choirs with the highest number of points will be awarded the Grand Prix of the City of Zadar in the amount of 3,000 euros.

Choirs can also enter the competition via video recordings.

More details on the website: Zadar Choirs

The deadline for sending applications is January 31, 2023 (until 11:59 p.m.).

It is our pleasure to invite you to the 13th Zadar International Choir Competition which will be held from May 25 to 28, 2023.

The competition is open to amateur choirs who can compete in three categories:

• - A Category: mixed choirs (at least 16 singers)
• - B category: male or female choirs (at least 16 singers).
• - C category: vocal ensembles (maximum 12 singers)

The competition program must contain:

• - one composition by a composer born in the 16th century or earlier
• - one piece of contemporary choral music
• - one composition from the national musical literature of the competing choir
• - one or more songs of your choice.

It is recommended to perform one piece by a Croatian composer.

More information coming soon.

We look forward to meeting you in Zadar!

Administrative Council of the Zadar International Choir Competition

In category B (men’s or women’s choirs), the Academic Men’s Choir of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Zagreb, Croatia under the direction of Josip degl ’Ivelli won 75 points and the third prize. In category A (mixed choirs) the second prize was shared by the choir Gita Advayatva from Jakarta, Indonesia under the direction of Kenar Pradipt with 83.33 points and the choir Camerata Vocale Mixed Choir, Split, Croatia under the direction of Sara Dodig Baučić with 87 points. The Camerata Vocale Mixed Choir also received the Prize of the City of Zadar in the amount of HRK 5,000.00.

Friday, 21 MAY 2021

11:00
OPENING CEREMONY AND PROMOTION OF THE COLLECTION “AN ANTHOLOGY OF CROATIAN CHORAL MUSIC”

18:00 – 20:00
CHORAL MUSIC IN THE TOWN’S STREETS AND SQUARES

Saturday, 22 MAY 2021

11:30 – 12:30
COMPETITION via video recordings

11:30 – 11:50
Academic Men’s Choir of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Zagreb, Croatia

11:50 – 12:10
Camerata Vocale Mixed Choir, Split, Croatia

12:10 – 12:30
Gita Advayatva Choir, Jakarta, Indonesia

20:00
CLOSING AND AWARDS CEREMONY

Dear friends, choral music lovers, singers and conductors,

We are pleased to inform you that the 12^th International Choir Competition Zadar will be held from May 20 to 23 2021. The competition will be adapted according to the current epidemiological situation. The rules and the application forms will be published soon. Stay tuned!

Administrative Council of the International Choir Competition Zadar
 

The choir thrilled with a sophisticated and expressive performance, and the enthusiastic audience got up on their feet and rewarded him with long applause!

The following Choirs were singing: 

Chamber Choir Glasis (Markovci, Slovenia), Women’s Choir Dangė (Klaipėda, Lithuania), Academic Choir of VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (Ostrava, Czech Republic), University of Louisville Cardinal Singers (Louisville, U.S.A.), Zoranić Croatian Choral Society (Zadar, Croatia), Christophorus Kantorei (Altensteig, Germany), Stockholm University Choir (Stockholm, Sweden)

The following choirs were singing:

Schola Cantorum Mixed Vocal Ensemble (Split, Croatia), Palma Academic Choir of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Zagreb (Zagreb, Croatia), Mater Libertatis Vocal Ensemble (Zagreb, Croatia), Josip Štolcer Slavenski Choir (Čakovec, Croatia), Samoborke Vocal Ensemble (Samobor, Croatia), Mixed Choir of the Arts Academy in Split (Split, Croatia) and Schola Cantorum Women’s Vocal Ensemble (Split, Croatia).

The choral weekend of the 11^th International Choir Competition in Zadar ended in a cheerful and festive atmosphere with the awards ceremony and the competition for the Grand Prix of the City of Zadar on Saturday, May 26, in the Croatian National Theatre Zadar.

Louisville University Cardinal Singers (USA) enthralled both the International expert jury that consisted of Jasenka Ostojić, president (Croatia), Zapro Zaprov (Macedonia), Damijan Močnik (Slovenia), Davor Bobić (Croatia) and Christian Balandras (France), and the big audience at the competition and at the final awards ceremony.

In the category of mixed choirs Cardinal Singers, led by their conductor Kent Hatteberg, have won 95 out of possible 100 points, and have won the Abbess Čika’s Golden Cross!

In the competition for the Grand Prix of the City of Zadar, the American choir competed with Glasis Chamber Choir (Slovenia, led by conductor Ernest Kokot), who won Abbess Čika’s Silver Cross, and with the Christophorus Cantorei (Germany, led by conductor Michael Nonnenmann), who won the Abbess Čika’s Bronze Cross.

Having achieved the absolute victory, the Cardinal Singers performed again causing a standing ovation of the audience.

The second prize in the category of mixed choirs was won by the following choirs: Stockholm University Choir (Stockholm, Sweden), Academic Choir of the Faculty of Mining and Geology of the Technical University in Ostrava (Ostrava, Czech Republic) and the Choir of the Arts Academy in Split (Split, Croatia).

The third prize in the category of mixed choirs was won by Zoranić Croatian Choral Society (Zadar, Croatia), Palma Academic Choir of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Zagreb (Zagreb, Croatia), Schola Cantorum Mixed Vocal Ensemble (Split, Croatia), and Josip Štolcer Slavenski Choir (Čakovec, Croatia). A certificate of participation in this category was awarded to Mater Libertatis Vocal Ensemble (Zagreb, Croatia).

In the category of women’s choirs the second prize was won by Schola Cantorum Women’s Vocal Ensemble (Split, Croatia) and Samoborke Vocal Ensemble (Samobor, Croatia). The third prize in this category was won by Dangė Women’s Choir (Klaipėda, Lithuania).

The Croatian Composers’ Society, represented by the Croatian composer Davor Bobić, awarded their Charter for the best performance of a Croatian composer to Schola Cantorum Women’s Vocal Ensemble (Split, Croatia) for the performance of “Zdravo Marijo” by Vlado Sunko.

Last weekend, the citizens of Zadar have had the opportunity to enjoy the competition for the first time in the Bersa Brothers Concert Hall of the Rector’s Palace and in direct transmission on large displays in front of the Rector’s Palace. Moreover, the choirs also performed in promenade concerts on the Roman Forum, on People’s Square, Sea Organ and Greeting to the Sun. The choral singing was ubiquitouson the streets and squares of Zadar; but, it has been particularly joyful at the final party for all participants in the Zadar “Ledana”.

We would like to thank the City of Zadar for their absolute support and Zadar Nautical School and Zadar Archdiocese for their help.

The next competition is to take place in May 2020!

With kindest regards,

Organisers of the International Choir Competition Zadar

You can download catalogue for 11th International choir competition

The schedule for 11^th International Choir Competition has been released. You can find it with terms of acoustic rehearsals and promenade performances in the following link.

Dear choral music lovers,

we can proudly announce that 14 applications were submitted for the 1^1th International Choir Competition in Zadar.

All 14 choirs from Slovenia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Germany, USA, and Croatia have passed the Programme Committee selection and have been invited to Zadar to participate in the Competition.

We are looking forward to a great competition for the Golden, Silver and Bronze Abbess Čika’s Cross in two categories: A -  mixed choirs, B - women’s or men’s choirs.

You can find the list of the competitors in the following link.

On Thursday, May 24th 2018 at 8 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Anastasia a concert by Slovenian Philharmonic Choir will be held on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the 11th International choir competition.

The Slovenian Philharmonic Choir was established as a professional choir under the name the Slovenian Chamber Choir in 1991. It is led by Sebastjan Vrhovnik.

This 40-member choir, which has been part of the Slovenian Philharmonic since 1998, performs an average of 35 concerts each season, and as many different programmes. It focuses primarily on a cappella compositions from various musical periods, which feature especially in the Philharmonic’s Vocal Series, but it also collaborates with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as other Slovenian and foreign orchestras, in the performance of vocal-instrumental works.

The Slovenian Philharmonic Choir is frequently involved in recording projects. Its substantial discography numbers more than 80 compact discs in the collections Musica sacra Slovenica and Slovenska zborovska glasba, presenting an anthological selection of Slovenian choral music, both sacred and secular.

Sebastjan Vrhovnik mastered the choir conducting at the Music Academy in Graz in 2008.. Since 2014., he has been employed as a lecturer for choir conducting at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. He is the head of various workshops in Slovenia and abroad, and is a member of numerous juries at competitions. He has won numerous first prizes and special prizes at competitions in Slovenia and abroad and has recorded numerous sound carriers with the most famous Slovenian ensembles.

At the concert in the acoustically impeccable space of the Zadar cathedral of St. Anastasia, everyone is welcomed.

Entrance is free of charge.

Zadar Grand Prix 2016. went to Stockholms Musikgymnasium Mixed Choir!

Congratulations!

On Thursday, May 19, at 9 p.m., the Antiphonus Ensemble is to open the 10^th jubilee International Choir Competition in Zadar with a concert in St Anastasia’s Cathedral.

The manifestation of amateur choir competition is almost always opened by performances of professional ensembles. This year, it is the ensemble led by maestro Tomislav Fačini that enjoys an excellent reputation in the national classical music scene and is also one of the most estimable ambassadors of Croatian music in Europe.

HPGD ZORANIĆ
Mixed choir CONDURA CROATICA
Academic Choir of the University of Zadar

Thursday, 5 May, 2016
St Donat's Church, 8 p.m.

The participants schedule of the 10th International Choir Competition Zadar is random determined.

We kindly ask you to download it at the following link.

Dear choral music lovers,

we can proudly announce that 23 applications were submitted for the 10^th International Choir Competition in Zadar, which has been a record number of applications so far.

20 choirs from Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Croatia have passed the Programme Committee selection and have been invited to Zadar to participate in the Competition.

We are looking forward to a great competition for the Golden, Silver and Bronze Abbess Čika’s Cross in three categories: men’s, women’s and mixed choirs.

The list of accepted choirs can be found via the following link.

On Thursday, the 19 of May 2016, the 10th International Choir Competition in Zadar will be opened by a concert of Antiphonus Vocal Ensemble in St Anastasia’s Cathedral.

Since its founding in 2008, Antiphonus has been giving its best to thrill and amuse its audience, in many Croatian festivals and abroad, with their enthusiastic programmes reaching from mediaeval to contemporary authors. Madrigals, motets, operas, pastorales, organa, oratorios, Gregorian chant and all other possible genres are used as a bow with which Antiphonus, as a musical Amor, shoots its arrows through the heart of the audience.

In the venue of the Zadar Romanesque beauty, the Cathedral of St Anastasia, the ensemble will perform selected works of Croatian and Italian masters of Baroque and contemporary music, conducted by maestro Tomislav Fačini.

The concert begins at 9 p.m.

Entry is free of charge.

The members are :

Jasenka OSTOJIĆ, Zagreb / Croatia
Marko VATOVEC, Ljubljana / Slovenia
Marta KIERSKA-WITCZAK, Wrocław / Poland
Tomislav FAČINI, Zagreb / Croatia
Zapro ZAPROV, Skopje / Macedonia

Details on page JURY