Petra Stojaković (1996) is a guitarist from Zagreb, Croatia. She currently teaches at the Ivan Zajc Music School in Zagreb and is actively performing as a member of the Guitar Duo Stojaković–Čižmek. She is a memeber of the organizing team of Youngmasters – International Young Musicians’ Summer Class and the Ida Presti International Guitar Competition. In 2024 she published an article for the professional magazine Gitara.

She graduated in 2021 from the Music Academy in Zagreb in the class of Tomislav Vukšić, and spent the final year of her studies at Musikene – Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco in Spain, in the class of Marco Socías, as part of the Erasmus+ program. She began her guitar education at the Zlatko Baloković Music School and continued her secondary music education at the Blagoje Bersa Music School in Zagreb, studying with professor Morana Pešutić.

Throughout her education, she attended numerous masterclasses with renowned guitarists and teachers and participated in both Croatian and international guitar competitions. Among her notable achievements are the third prize at the Concurso de Guitarra “Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga” in Spain (2021), the second prize at the Concurso José Tomás Villa de Petrer in Spain (2019), as well as several awards at national competitions. She was awarded the City of Zagreb Scholarship for Excellence for her academic achievements.

In addition to her chamber music activities, she has performed solo concerts at festivals such as Youngmasters in Samobor, Sasso Masterclass in Split, and Fortissimo possibile in Lipik.

Actress and singer Renata Sabljak excels equally on theatre stages and concert platforms in front of live audiences, as well as in front of cameras and microphones in the studio.

A versatile artist, over more than two decades of an intensive performing career, she has explored nearly all areas of musical and dramatic arts: she has become the iconic face and voice of musical theatre in Croatia, taken on numerous acting roles in stage productions, films, and television projects, performed as a singer with ensembles ranging from jazz bands to symphony orchestras, recorded radio dramas, and provided voice work for animated films.

As an external associate, she also teaches at the Academy of Dramatic Art at the University of Zagreb.

Ivana Črnjak finished the Accordion Study in 2000 at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Graz (Austria) in the class of renowned experts for the classical
accordion James Crabb and Geir Draugsvoll. After graduating, she continued her postgraduate studies in the soloist class of professor James Crabb and post graduated with excellent success in 2002. Except solo accordion class, she also finished pedagogy Instrumental-Gesang-Pädagogik (IGP – direction of instrumental music pedagogy) and violoncello as the other main subject.

At the end of her postgraduate studies, she enrolled the doctorate of philosophy in Graz, also at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Graz, and in 2008 she passed the Rigorosum exam, and has become Doctor of Philosophy. The theme of her dissertation was Das Akkordeon in Kroatien (“Accordion in Croatia”) which is closely related to her
professional commitment.

She improved her music education by regularly attending numerous seminars where she cooperated with well-known world-class pedagogues and soloists, and she proved and
confirmed her acquired knowledge at numerous national and international competitions, where she has won a lot of awards.

After completing her studies, she returned to Croatia where she has been working at the Music School Zlatko Baloković in Zagreb since 2003 as a professor of the accordion, cello and chamber music. Since September 2023. she is accordion teacher at the Music School “Ferdo Livadić” in Samobor. After her education, she has been dedicated to pedagogical work, and her students regularly participate in numerous competitions and win numerous awards. In 2015, based on her achieved results, the Ministry of Science, Education and
Sports of the Republic of Croatia and the Education and Training Agency, promoted her in professor mentor and in 2020 she was promoted in the status of professor counsellor.

Ivana Črnjak is the author of the primer book for the accordion called ‘HOKUS POKUS HARMONIKUS!’; published in 2018, which combines two different right-hand system on the accordion (keys and buttons) as well as two left hand manual systems (standard bass and baritone bass). The method in this primer book allows equal use for those students who play piano accordion, as well as students who play button accordion. The primer book HOKUS POKUS HARMONIKUS! can be used by students who play instruments with standard bass only, as well as those whose standard bass instruments have additional melodic bass. The primer book is completely coordinated with the Curriculum and the program for the first grade of accordion of the elementary music school, and it is approved by the Education and Training Agency.

Ivana Črnjak is a member of many judiciary commissions of national and international competitions for accordions, and she is a mentor of accordions trainees. She has also been a member of the Committee for Professional Examinations at the Education and Training Agency for many years.

Beside her teaching work, she writes professional articles in the field of pedagogy and accordions methodology, lecturer at seminars and professional meetings, and, throughout the range of her various activities, she actively promotes classical accordions. She is also a member of Matica Hrvatska for many years.

As a reproduction artist, she plays with different ensembles (Accoquartet, Cantus ensemble, Acoustic project).

Ieva Pranskutė joined the Grammy award winning Kremerata Baltica, a chamber orchestra of musicians from the Baltic states led by the famous violinist Gidon Kremer since 2012. While touring in some of the most prestiges halls in the world, she has played with G. Kremer himself as well as other famous artists, such as Mischa Maisky, Martha Argerich, Gábor Boldoczki, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Andrei Korobeinikov, Heinrich Schiff, Sergei Nakariakov, M. W. Pletnev, Yulianna Avdeeva and others.

Ieva Pranskutė was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. Being just 6 years old she already played her solo debut with the Lithuanian chamber orchestra. As a soloist she has performed concertos with the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Chamber Orchestra, Junge Philharmonie Wien etc.

In addition to Ieva’s impressive career achievements and performances, Ieva Pranskutė is also a prolific content creator. Her musical journey includes collaborations with renowned brands like Larsen strings and Gewa strings.

Pranskutė is a prize winner of various international competitions (e.g. “Olympo Musicale”, the International Competition of Saulius Sondeckis, “Pavasario Sonata”). Together with cellist Mislav Brajković she won “Kodály Award” for an outstanding performance of Duo, op. 7, at the ISA Prague-Vienna-Budapest festival. Together with Xylos trio members Ieva has won Fidelio competition in Vienna.

Among many concert activities Ieva is cooperating with other artists. She had performed in India, Belgium, Estonia, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Hungary and Lithuania.

Ieva Pranskutė has taken up studies in Vienna, Austria in the class of Pavel Vernikov at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna and in the class of Johannes Meissl member of the Artis-Quartett at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna , where she also graduated. She was a visiting student at the Lyon CNSMD (National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon, France) in the class of Marianne Piketty.

Ieva is often invited to be a concertmaster in the different projects. Her performances have been broadcast on ORF, Ö1 in Austria and National Radio Television of Lithuania.

She has worked with such composers as K. Penderecki, F. Cerha etc.

As an enthusiastic chamber musician Ieva participated in the international festivals of classical music, such as “MUSIQUE AUX QUATRES HORIZONS” in France, “Wien Modern”, “Steirisches Kammermusik Festival”, “ISA Festival” in Austria, “Holland Music Sessions” in the Netherlands, “Accademia e Festival Internazionale di Musica di Cagliari” in Italy, “Academie-villecroze” in France, “National Young String Quartet Weekend” in UK, European Parliament in Brussel and in the famous Wigmore Hall in London. She has cooperated with such artists as Vilmos Szabadi, Lieke te Winkel, Marianne Piketty, Jan Talich, Romain Garioud, Lars Anders Tomter, Markus Schirmer, André Cazalet, Mislav Brajković.

Since 2014 Ieva Pranskutė has been a member of the Doreen Quartet participating in various projects, master classes and playing in prestigious Austrian concert halls, such as Wiener Konzerthaus, Wiener Musikverein, F. Schubert Geburthous, A. Schönberg Center, Austrian National library, Altes Rathaus. Ieva has played solo in Vienna Hofburg “FESTAKT GEGEN GEWALT UND RASSISMUS” event.

Ieva Pranskutė won the contest to become an artist of the British music organization Live Music Now, established by the legendary violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin.

She has been participating in diverse music projects as a soloist and chamber musician since her early age. Not only has she played with the Lithuanian chamber orchestra and other orchestras in Lithuania, but has also worked with many world-famous masters such as professors of violin Igor Ozim, Shmuel Ashkenazi, Stephan Picard, Sergei Malov, Petru Munteanu, Sergei Krylov, Tanja Becker-Bender, Dora Schwarzberg and Vadim Gluzman as well as cellists Heinrich Schiff, Reinhard Latzko and Chu Yi-Bing.

As an active violinist performing in Austria, Ieva Pranskutė has received special acknowledgment from the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Vienna for promoting Lithuanian culture internationally. Ieva has also received acknowledgements from the President of Lithuania for international awards and achievements.

Petar Čulić is a Croatian classical guitarist, teacher and composer. He enrolled as an “especially gifted” student before graduating from secondary school at the Academy of Arts, University of Split in the class of prof. Goran Listeš and received his master’s degree in 2008. He won two rector’s awards in the academic year 2005/2006 – for outstanding results achieved during studies and for outstanding artistic achievements. Upon completion of his studies, he received a commendation from the dean for the outstanding results achieved during his studies. He continued his education at the postgraduate study in Koblenz (Germany) at the private academy “Koblenz International Guitar Academy” in the class of prof. Hubert Käppel, and graduated in May 2010 with the highest success, a grade of 1.0, earning a degree of a concert soloist.

Lovro Peretić is an internationally award winning classical guitarist from Zagreb (Croatia). Lovro started studying guitar at a young age under tuition of prof. Xhevdet Sahatxhija in Zagreb. After that, he graduated with distinction at the Music academy in Zagreb in the class of prof. Darko Petrinjak spending one year in a student exchange program at L’École Supérieure Musique et Danse Hauts-de-France in Lille (France) with prof. Judicaël Perroy. Later, he specialized in music performance in Geneva (Switzerland) where he studied with Judicaël Perroy at the Haute Ecole de Musique Genève. He has been awarded the Dean’s award and Rector’s award of University in Zagreb. Today, he is regarded as one of the leading guitarists of the younger generation, regularly giving concerts and winning numerous awards at some of the most prestigious classical music competitions.

Lovro has greatly benefited from numerous masterclasses with musicians and scholars such as Zoran Dukic, Marcin Dylla, Lorenzo Micheli, Ana Vidović, Paolo Pegoraro, Łukasz Kuropaczewski, Marco Socías and more. He has given concerts all around Croatia and in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Poland, Spain, Finland, Estonia, Italy, France, Austria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Hungary and Greece as a soloist and a chamber musician. He has performed and given masterclasses in many of the worlds most prestigious guitar festivals and music concert series’, including Paris International Guitar Festival, London International Guitar Festival, Music Festival “Vladimir Spivakov” in Moscow, Zagreb Guitar Festival, Antwerp International Guitar Festival, José Tomás Villa de Petrer International Guitar Festival and many more.

He has won over 30 prizes in international competitions, including the International Concert Artist competition of GFA (USA), Eurostrings guitar competition, Changsha International Guitar Competition (China), Andres Segovia guitar competition in Velbert (Germany), Anna Amalia guitar competition in Weimar (Germany), Zagreb Guitar Festival (Croatia), Boris Papandopulo music competition in Zagreb (Croatia), Antwerpen Guitar Festival (Belgium), Enrico Mercatali guitar competition in Gorizia (Italy), Fernando Sor guitar competition in Rome (Italy), Volos Guitar Competition (Greece), Concours international de guitare d’Antony (France), Peja International Guitar Festival (Kosovo), Sarajevo International Guitar Festival (B&H), “Paola Ruminelli” international chamber music competition (Italy), Split Guitar Festival (Croatia), Mörski festival kitare (Slovenia), International guitar competition ”Porečki tirando”, Brussels International Guitar Competition ”Ilse and Nicolas Alfonso” (Belgium), International guitar competition ”Ida Presti” (Croatia).

In 2020, Lovro won the 3rd Eurostrings competition, arguably the biggest competition for guitar in Europe, which brought him an opportunity to give numerous concerts and master classes in 18 European countries.

Last year, he won the International Concert Artist competition of GFA (USA). As the winner, he is having an extensive concert tour, playing around 50 concerts throughout USA and Canada in the season 2023/2024. Also, he recorded his debut album for the recording label Naxos which is being released this year.

Except as a soloist, he regularly performs in various chamber music groups among which the most significant one is guitar trio Evocación, with whom they recently released their first album named Evocación. As a soloist, he played with the Symphony orchestra of Croatian radio television, Dubrovnik symphony orchestra, Zagreb soloists and more.

Jelena Očić The late Siegfried Palm, great interpreter of contemporary music, wrote of Jelena Očić, “she is one of the leading talents for contemporary music”. Bernard Greenhouse, founding cellist of the Beaux Arts Trio, said “I know no superior female cellist in her generation.” Jelena Očić was born in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Having completed her musical studies in her native city with honors at an early age, she took up residence in Germany to further her artistic spectrum under the guidance of esteemed American-born cellist Michael Flaksman at the Musikhochschule in Mannheim, where she is currently the youngest member of the string faculty. Among her students are winners of international competitions and members of major orchestras. Spectacular in temperament and profound in her interpretations of the cello literature from Beethoven to Ginastera and living composers, Jelena Ocic leaves an unforgettable impression on her audiences. Her flaming red hair and dramatic gesture enhance the communicative power of her unique cello tone. Not only Palm and Greenhouse but also Leslie Parnas, Mischa Maisky and Heinrich Schiff, have given inspiration on her way to becoming a unique and powerful musical personality. Yehudi Menuhin Festival, Kronberg, Ascoli Piceno are some of the festivals in which she has appeared as soloist or in chamber music, and she has been featured with leading chamber orchestras such as “Solisti di Zagreb”, the “German Chamber Orchestra”, the “Chamber Orchestra of Padua and the Veneto” and the “Korean Chamber Ensemble”, and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe. Among her chamber music partners have been Konstantin Bogino, Ulrike-Anima Mathé, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Yuri Gandelsman and the recently deceased Greenhouse, to whose memory her most recent Challenge CD (Beethoven’s “Kreutzer Sonata”) is dedicated. Numerous composers (Cornell, Šenderovas, Dott, Sorg, Prohaska, etc.) have dedicated works to her. Her recordings with Federico Lovato for Challenge Classics of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” transcription, sonatas by Ginastera, Hindemith and Kabalewsky, as well as contemporary works, have been adjudged superb by the critics.

Jelena Očić regularly performs at the Samobor Autumn Music Festival, mostly colaborating with esteemed soloists and chamber musicians. Despite the rich concert schedule throughout the season, she gladly responded to our invitation and will hold a cello masterclass in August 2022, for the first time ever at Youngmasters.