Biography
The Croatian Baroque Ensemble is the most prominent Croatian ensemble specialized for historically authentic interpretations of instrumental and vocal and instrumental music from the baroque and similar periods, performed on original instruments and their quality replicas.
The ensemble was founded in 1999 and consists of esteemed musicians from the younger generation - both instrumentalists and vocalists, who are already renowned in performing baroque music.
Along with a continuous concert series consisting of seven concerts at the Croatian Music Institute with clear thematic programs that include Croatian and foreign baroque music, they are regular guests at numerous national and international festivals (Varaždin Baroque Evenings, Zagreb Baroque Festival, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Split Summer Festival, St. Donat’s Festival in Zadar, Histria Festival, Croatian Passionic Heritage, Organum Histriae, Concerts at the Eufrazijana, Rovinj Summer Festival, Brod Summer Festival, Osijek Summer Festival, Summer Festival on Pag, Festival Brežice, Festival of Croatian Music in Vienna, Festival of Central European Countries in Rome, Festival Tesori musicali Toscani in Pisa, etc.)
In their concert programs, the ensemble features prominent international and Croatian soloists and conductors, experts with an authentic approach in performing baroque pieces (Catherine Mackintosh, Herve Niquet, Werner Ehrhardt, Aapo Hakkinnen, Richard Egarr, Laurence Cummings, Peter Lonnerberg, Mimi Mitchell, David Staff, Theresa Caudle…).
The artistic leader of the popular Croatian Baroque Ensemble is the renowned violinist Laura Vadjon and the head of the Croatian Baroque Ensemble is Saša Britvić, a conductor.
Due to extremely proficient, stylistically pure and virtuoso interpretations, they are considered to be a superb Croatian musical performing group, both by musical critics and the audience.
The programs of the Croatian Baroque Ensemble methodically present Croatian baroque authors or those authors who have made artistic contributions in Croatia (F. Sponga-Usper, G. Usper, T. Cecchini, V. Jelić, I. Lukačić, etc.). A compact disc with Laura Vadjon and Mario Penzar performing Croatian and Italian baroque sonatas was released under the title «Cecchini & Co».
Apart from Croatia, the Ensemble has performed in Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Argentina, Cuba, Bolivia, Estonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Slovenia.
