Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra marks 25th Anniversary
A formal ceremony was held in the Barracks “Petar Zrinski” on 8 February 2017 to honour the 25th anniversary of the Orchestra of the Croatian Armed Forces.
The ceremony gathered the present and the former members of the Orchestra and by the Envoy of the Defence Minister and the State Secretary for Defence Tomislav Ivić, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Drago Matanović, the Commander of the Support Command, Major General Mladen Fuzul and the representatives of other units of the Ministry of Defence and of the Croatian Armed Forces.
“The Orchestra has contributed to the Croatian units since the early days, by doing what you do best Playing music for the Croatian soldiers you strengthened their faith in their own force and nurtured a victorious spirit which defended our homeland. You constitute a special component and dimension of the Croatian Armed Forces“, said the State Secretary for Defence Tomislav Ivić congratulating the Orchestra on the anniversary.
“It fills me with pride that the Croatian Armed Forces have a great Orchestra, famous within and outside the borders of Croatia. Your performances motivate and encourage the audiences, instill patriotism and the joy of living in them. Your brilliant performances have contributed to the success and development of the Croatian Armed Forces“, said the Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
The Commander of the Support Command, Major General Fuzul recalled the wartime days and the role of the Orchestra in boosting the morale of the Croatian defenders and of the Croatian people, through its performances in war-affected areas.
“The Orchestra has maintained its level of quality and at the same time it has received young members, highly motivated for new musical challenges“, said General Fuzul.
The Commander of the Orchestra, Lieutenant Colonel Miroslav Vukovojac- Dugan read out the history of the Orchestra and presented its current organisation and activity.
The ceremony was the occasion to present the meriting members with commendations and certificates of appreciation for the meriting members of the Orchestra. The posters of the Orchestra were displayed in Officers’ Club of the Croatian Defence Academy on the occasion, and the Croatian Navy’s Vocal Ensemble and the Brass Quintet of the Symphonic Wind Orchestra performed a musical programme.
The Orchestra of the Croatian Armed Forces is a representative Croatian orchestra founded in 1991, reorganised in 2008. It comprises the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of the Croatian Armed Forces, which includes the Jazz Band of the Croatian Armed Forces, which is based in Zagreb and the Croatian Navy Orchestra and the Navy Vocal Ensemble „“Sv. Juraj“ which are based in Split. In addition to ceremonial tasks which make its core activity, the Orchestra has performs extensively in Croatia and abroad. The major part of its repertory is made of original pieces for wind instruments, the national first performances of international, Croatian and modern composers’ pieces. The Croatian Navy’s Vocal Ensemble “Sv. Juraj“ performs the characteristic Dalmatian multi-part signing and some of their covers of famous songs have become hits.
The Orchestra comprises several chamber ensembles performing various musical styles ranging from classical music to jazz and informal performances. It continues the long tradition of army orchestras in the region and supports and incites a number ofactive non-professional wind orchestras in Croatia (more than 200). The Orchestra was conducted by and performed alongside some famous artists. In addition to concert seasons, it has performed at home and international festivals and received a number of music awards.
Assigned to the Support Command since 2008, the Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra is presently commanded and conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Miroslav Vukovojac-Dugan. It gives a number of concerts and performs a number of formal and ceremonial tasks in support to the Croatian Armed Forces.