300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARBANAS’ ARRIVAL IN ZADAR
Parish Choir of the Church of Our Lady of Loreto “Vicko Zmajević”
Mario Petani, conductor
Mixed Singing Choir “Condura Croatica”
Ivo Nižić, conductor
Suzana Petani, organ
The parish choir “Vicko Zmajević” began its work and regular rehearsals in 1948, thanks to the efforts of the then parish priest, Don Albin Česlar, and parishioner Dar Kalmeta. Among the choir members and as organists for a time were Kruno Krstić and Pavle Dešpalj, and Šime Dešpalj served as conductor. Initially, it was a male choir, but in the mid-fifties of the last century, it became a mixed choir. The choir is the carrier of liturgical singing at Sunday masses and on all major holidays throughout the liturgical year. Under the leadership of Don Josip Stepan in 1979, the first LP record was recorded, which contained 15 classical and newer church compositions. The pieces by renowned authors were performed at a high professional level. It was the first production of such music in the area of the former state, and the recording was done secretly, one weekend, in Zagreb. More than 150 singers have passed through the choir from its beginning until today. The choir often organizes concerts during the Christmas holidays and the parish feast of Our Lady of Loreto (Gospa Loretska). Through its singing, it preserves the church and national musical heritage, especially during the Lenten season (original singing of the chants Puče moj and Gospin plač).
In January 2009, former members of the Academic Choir of the University of Zadar founded a new choir named “Condura Croatica Zadar.” The choir is the successor to the first Academic Choir from 1992, which, during the difficult times of the Homeland War, spread word about Zadar by performing across Croatia and Europe. “Condura Croatica Zadar” continues the tradition of the Academic Choir by performing vocal music from the Croatian and world heritage, ranging from the early Middle Ages to contemporary music. In addition, the Choir performs specific musical forms that originated in Zadar and developed from the 12th to the 14th century, known as “Church Plays” (Crkvena skazanja) or “Passion Oratorios” (Pasionski oratoriji). The most famous oratorios performed by the Choir are Križina, Zadnja postaja, Plač Gospoje, and Svit za spasom vpaije… These works are inspired by the Glagolitic musical heritage of the island and mainland parts of the Zadar Archdiocese. The author of these works is the Choir’s artistic director and conductor, Ivo Nižić. In 2013, the Condura Croatica Zadar Choir won the Golden Cathedral—first place in the audience vote—at the Days of Sacred Music Cro patria in Split, in the category of new choral compositions, with the song Samo srcem (Only with the Heart) by Ivo Nižić. With the same composition, it won the award for the best performance of choral compositions by Croatian composers at the International Choir Competition in Zadar (2014). In 2015, the choir won Gold at the Aurora Cantat International Choir Competition in Karlovac and Bronze at the international Cro patria competition in Split, and in 2016, it won Silver at the Adria Cantat International Choir Competition in Šibenik.
300TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARBANAS’ ARRIVAL IN ZADAR
Parish Choir of the Church of Our Lady of Loreto “Vicko Zmajević”
Mario Petani, conductor
Mixed Singing Choir “Condura Croatica”
Ivo Nižić, conductor
Suzana Petani, organ
The parish choir “Vicko Zmajević” began its work and regular rehearsals in 1948, thanks to the efforts of the then parish priest, Don Albin Česlar, and parishioner Dar Kalmeta. Among the choir members and as organists for a time were Kruno Krstić and Pavle Dešpalj, and Šime Dešpalj served as conductor. Initially, it was a male choir, but in the mid-fifties of the last century, it became a mixed choir. The choir is the carrier of liturgical singing at Sunday masses and on all major holidays throughout the liturgical year. Under the leadership of Don Josip Stepan in 1979, the first LP record was recorded, which contained 15 classical and newer church compositions. The pieces by renowned authors were performed at a high professional level. It was the first production of such music in the area of the former state, and the recording was done secretly, one weekend, in Zagreb. More than 150 singers have passed through the choir from its beginning until today. The choir often organizes concerts during the Christmas holidays and the parish feast of Our Lady of Loreto (Gospa Loretska). Through its singing, it preserves the church and national musical heritage, especially during the Lenten season (original singing of the chants Puče moj and Gospin plač).
In January 2009, former members of the Academic Choir of the University of Zadar founded a new choir named “Condura Croatica Zadar.” The choir is the successor to the first Academic Choir from 1992, which, during the difficult times of the Homeland War, spread word about Zadar by performing across Croatia and Europe. “Condura Croatica Zadar” continues the tradition of the Academic Choir by performing vocal music from the Croatian and world heritage, ranging from the early Middle Ages to contemporary music. In addition, the Choir performs specific musical forms that originated in Zadar and developed from the 12th to the 14th century, known as “Church Plays” (Crkvena skazanja) or “Passion Oratorios” (Pasionski oratoriji). The most famous oratorios performed by the Choir are Križina, Zadnja postaja, Plač Gospoje, and Svit za spasom vpaije… These works are inspired by the Glagolitic musical heritage of the island and mainland parts of the Zadar Archdiocese. The author of these works is the Choir’s artistic director and conductor, Ivo Nižić. In 2013, the Condura Croatica Zadar Choir won the Golden Cathedral—first place in the audience vote—at the Days of Sacred Music Cro patria in Split, in the category of new choral compositions, with the song Samo srcem (Only with the Heart) by Ivo Nižić. With the same composition, it won the award for the best performance of choral compositions by Croatian composers at the International Choir Competition in Zadar (2014). In 2015, the choir won Gold at the Aurora Cantat International Choir Competition in Karlovac and Bronze at the international Cro patria competition in Split, and in 2016, it won Silver at the Adria Cantat International Choir Competition in Šibenik.
Dobrodošli u Zadar Region Guide, vašu inovativnu platformu osmišljenu kao nezaobilazan izvor informacija za istraživanje bogate kulturne baštine i prirodnih ljepota naše regije. Trenutno smo u Beta fazi i kontinuirano radimo na proširenju ponude, no već sada možete pratiti najnovija događanja, besplatno predati svoj event ili istražiti prve opcije smještaja i atrakcija. Naš cilj je pružiti vam vrhunsko digitalno iskustvo prilagođeno mobilnim uređajima kako biste s lakoćom planirali svaki trenutak svog boravka.
Welcome to the Zadar Region Guide, your new interactive companion for exploring the very best of our stunning region. We are currently in our Beta phase and working hard to expand our listings, but you can already browse upcoming cultural manifestations, list your own events for free, and explore initial accommodation and attraction options. Our goal is to revolutionize your stay by providing a seamless, mobile-first platform for planning every detail of your visit.
