100 Minutes of Slava

Since in 2004 we organised (with CAN and the Embassy) the first Croatian film festival in more than 30 years, we are seeing more and more of Croatian films in the UK. Do join us if you can for the best of the contemporary Croatian cinema.

CSYPN's First Book

This project has a number of aims, and the most important are:

• to increase/create the awareness of Croatian culture and language among members of the British society in general and in academia
• to 'refresh' the knowledge of Croatian language and culture among Croats in UK

In 2001 we organised three lectures:

• prof. Branko Franolic at Trinity College, Cambridge
• prof. Mateo Zagar at SSEES, UCL , and
• Dalibor Brozovic at the Croatian Embassy

We got two of these talks into a nice 110 pages book with lots of beautiful illustrations.

Renata Pokupic is an esteemed mezzao-soprano singer from Croatia, who regularly performs at events across Europe.  On Thursday, 17 April, Renata will be performing at the Barbican, in Handel’s opera, Flavio.

Flavio had apparently flopped when it was first performed in London in 1723, however, we’re sure you’ll be satisfied with Handel’s artistic genius this time-around, and its performers, including our Renata of course.

Viva la Vida! @ Vinyl Bar

This coming Saturday will feature a special guest, Seraphim Codex (Robert from Bjelovar), who is one of the best Croatian DJs and was a finalist of Heineken DJ World Championship in Las Vegas last year.

This promises to be a great night out and it would be great if you could join us.

A Wonderful Night in Split

His Excellency Josko Paro, the Croatian Ambassador to the UK, said:

"I am delighted that for the first time this small selection of Croatian films will be shown at the prestigious Filmhouse cinema in Edinburgh. I hope this is only the beginning of a regular appearance of Croatian films in Scotland. Croatian cinema is enjoying a revival and the quality of recent films is becoming recognised both locally and internationally." 

The Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Society (LACCS), with the support of the Slovenian Embassy is organising a concert of Zarko Ignjatovic, Croatian/Slovenian classical guitarist at the Leighton House Museum. Zarko will play Slovene, Croatian, Italian and Mexican music. 

A CSYPN member Stephanie McNamara has already entertained us with her lovely voice in the past. There is another concert on Saturday, 10th November.

"We  Divas Rouge - are giving another concert with voice, clarinet  and piano and we'd love it if you'd come along! As usual we'll take  you through the centuries with some lovely music including pieces  from Schumann, Verdi, and Rossini, all the way up to Cole Porter  and Kurt Weill. Wine and refreshments are included in the ticket  price."

Josip Lizatovic, a CSYPN member, has invited us to the opening of his new exhibition, In Situ. The Private View will take place  on Friday, 19 October 2007 at 7.30pm, while the exhibition continues through 1st November 2007.

Closer Croatia

The Festival, also entitled Closer Croatia, will again take place in the Riverside Studios, Thursday 11th - Sunday 14th October 2007. The programme is made of contemporary eight feature films and ten short films. We hope you will join us!

Fragile by Tena Stivicic

"Amidst tabloid paranoia about migrant workers and the blurring of national boundaries comes this sparkling multiple award-winning play by Tena Stivicic. I swear this city will eventually sink with all these worn out dreams holding by their teeth. A Croatian actress, a Serbian stand-up comedian, a human trafficking victim, a Norwegian journalist, a Balkan mafioso. All escaping. All pursuing fragile dreams. In London."

Still by Jelena Blagovic

The range of media on show includes photographs, book art, mixed media work and video. Many pieces manipulate London and its inhabitants, including the photographers themselves, into starting points for the exploration and transgression of traditional genres. 

Salvador Dali

After inspecting the exhibition we shall head to the nearby The Founders Arms pub for a drink as well as chat and artistic discussion.

Ballet Troupe Croatia

Svebor Secak, principal dancer of the Croatian National Theatre and an internationally acclaimed artist is bringing his Ballet Troupe Croatia back to London.

Maksim Mrvica

Sibenik born Maksim Mrvica knew he wanted to play the piano when, aged just eight, he caught a glimpse of the instrument at his best friend Alexanders house. Nothing could stop Maksim realising his dream, not even bombing of Sibenik nor Serbian snipers. Now, 22 years on, he is one of the most famous classical pianists in the world.

A CSYPN's own Stephanie McNamara has already entertained us with her lovely voice in the past. And there will be another opportunity on the 21st April. The programme will feature everything from Bach to Cole Porter in a variety of music for voice, piano and clarinet (and combinations of the above!). Following the concert, we will be off to the pub round the corner.

There is an opening of an exhibition by a very talented young artist and our member, Suncica Perisin Tomljanovic. 

Josip Lizatovic, a CSYPN member, has invited us to the opening of his new exhibition, Momento. The Private View will take place on Friday, 17 November 2006 at 7.30pm, while the exhibition continues through 1 Dec 2006. 

We know that you have a thirst for art, so we shall go and see the exhibition of Russian abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky at the Tate Modern which opens late on Fridays. 

Darko Rundek in London

"Following two sold out shows for the recent London Jazz Festival, Croatian star Darko Rundek makes a triumphant return to London. Resolutely defying all musical categories, this artful maverick leads his exuberant Cargo Orkestar sometimes in Ramones-tempo Balkan folk-jazz-jams, at other times creating moody gypsy pop with Arabic melodies, taking listeners to a cabaret of broken promises and lost dreams. Darko's shows have been likened to those by irony-drenched troubadours such as Tom Waits and Paulo Conte, his performances shining with "sparks of brilliance and timelessness", Songlines.

Katarina Livljanic (vocals) Albrecht Maurer (lirica, fiddle - a traditional Croatian stringed instrument) are performing a music-drama called 'The Agony of Judith' in the Southbank Centre on 26 April.

The performance retells the biblical story of Judith and Holofornes through vivid and dramatic poetry from Venetian and Croatian texts and music from Beneventan and Glagolitic sources. 

Born on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, Katarina Livljanic trained at the Zagreb Music Conservatory, before moving to France to study. She is the founder of the vocal group Dialogos, who are based in Paris and who specialise in recreating medieval music.   

Pips Chips & Videoclips will have a live concert in Spitz club on Wednesday 19 April at 7pm. The normal ticket price is £8. However, CSYPN members (£5.00) and their guests (£6.50) can enjoy a nice price reduction. 

"Thematically provocative and taking in everything from cabaret pop to heavy punk, Pips, Chips and Video Clips are Croatia's finest. Their fifth album, the splendid sounding Drvece i rijeke (Trees and Rivers), was produced by Dave Fridman of Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Mogwai mixing fame, and went on to win appropriate acclaim from the British press. Post rock mood pieces, slow-eyed Slav-Jazz, noise eruptions and delicate meditations: Pips, Chips and Video Clips proffer a 'wicked mix of unpredictable Croatian folk and nice, clean New York beats' (The Face)."  

Don Drago Berisic of the Croatian Catholic Mission has informed us that there will be the Easter Mass in Croatian at 4pm on Sunday, 16 April, 2006 at the Church of Sacred Heart.

Moreover, there will be additional services on Easter Friday at 3pm, and on Easter Saturday at 9pm, in the same church.   

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Their flagship London saleroom is situated in prestigious New Bond Street in the heart of Mayfair, and will exhibit works by the Croatian artist, Vlaho Bukovac (1855-1922), between 23 to 29 March, 2006.

Bukovac is a well-known figure, both in Croatia and internationally. He has painted grand historical and religious pictures, sentimental figure subjects, nudes and portraits. His work comprises about 400 portraits and more than 150 other paintings and compositions.  

Ervin Dubrovic, Director of the Museum of the City of Rijeka, will introduce his major new publication, entitled 'Adamićevo Doba 1780-1830' / 'Adamic’s Era: Rijeka’s Merchant in a Time of Great Changes'.

Malcolm Scott Hardy, will also be talking about his publication, 'The British Navy, Rijeka and AL Adamic, War and Trade in the Adriatic 1800-25'.

Copies of the publications will be available at a special reduced price at this event. Wine will be served at the event.