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Double success of Croatia in the Davis Cup finals against the winning Argentina in Zagreb 2016
In November 2016, unusually manyu Argentinean tennis fans visited Zagreb, due to the Davis Cup finals in Croatia's capital. Even prior to the match, Croatia secured the double success: being in the finals (after eliminating such superpowers like the USA and France), and the fact that the selector and trainer of the Argentinean team, Daniel Orsanic (on the photo), has Croatian origin on his father's side. This is the first win of Argentina in the Davis Cup, after as many as four finals.  Croatia already had one title of the Davis Cup champion in 2005. It is interesting that the final in Zagreb was attended by famous soccer player Diego Maradona, whose great-grandmother also has Croatian roots. 

Ivana Marija Vidovic had exciting pianist concert tour in China in October 2016
Very successful and interesting pianist tour of Ivana Marija Vidović (on the photo, right, with Carrie Ren) throughout China, during several weeks, jointly with Albanian clarinetist Fatos Qerimaj (Duo cLAVinet), included the following cities: Beijing, Baoding, Liuzhou, Nanning, Fuzhou, Wuxi. This tour was her first encounter with ancient and friendly civilisation, which has left her in the state of total euphoria.

Zagreb AdvEnt Days among the most interesting in Europe
The Zagreb Advent Days are among the most beautiful events of this kind in Europe, accompanied with a peaceful mood, specific music, domastic food, and unusual sceneries in richly decorated Croatia's capital. In the recent years, Zagreb was voted the best Christmas place in Europe. On the photo the advent wreath created by members of the OZANA Association for persons in need.

Vukovar 1991 - 2016 and music inspired by the destiny of the Baroque city on Danube river
Twenty five years have passed since the 1991 Vukovar tragedy. We provide several music expressions inspired by the events which marked Croatian contemporary history, as well as that of contemporary Europe. Among others, we provide music by Nenad Bach, Tomislav Ivčić (on the photo), Veritas aeterna, Dalmatino, Klapa Adriaticum, Buco, Miroslav Štivčić and others.

Marija Miletic Dail exhibiting her Five medallions of Croatian history in San Pedro on 19 Nov 2016
The first panel was named "Seoba Hrvata" - "Croatian Migration", the second "Krstenje Hrvata" or "Christening of Croats", the third "Matija Gubec" or "Matija Gubec's crowning"; the 16th century revolutionary, put to death with a hot iron crown. The fourth "Ante Starcevic - Otac Domovine", "Ante Starcevic, father of our homeland. And the fifth "Alojzije Stepinac", our cardinal and Blessed Martyr, imprisoned by communists. The opening of the exhibition will be on 19 Nov 2016 at 6:30 PM in Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los Angeles.

Christian Pulisic rising USA soccer star in Germany has Croatian roots
Christian Pulisic's grandfather Mate, on the father's side, was born in Croatia on the island of Olib. Jurgen Klinsmann, the head coach of the U.S. national team, revealed his delight about Pulisic’s development and onward potential: “This player’s potential is limitless.” Pennsylvania native, now just 18 years old (born in 1998) and being hailed as the next great hope of American soccer by his coaches and teammates, plus pundits and fans.

OZANA nonprofit organization for persons in need founded in 1991 in Croatia's capital Zagreb
OZANA is a non-profit organization for persons in need founded in 1991., upon the initiative of Katica Radonić, who worked in the Camphill, in Scotland, and wanted to share her great experience in her native city. OZANA was founded with the mission to enhance the quality of lives of children and young persons with developmental difficulties, as well as of their families. Various activities are organised through different workshops, using mostly natural materials. In 2016, OZANA celebrates 25 years of existence. On the photo Vjera Lukavečki, director of OZANA.

Daniel Orsanic captain of the 2016 Argentinean Davis Cup representation has Croatian roots
Daniel Orsanic, the current 2016 captain of the 2016 Davis Cup representation of Argentina, has Croatian roots on his father's side. More specifically, his grandparents Ivan and Ivana Orsanic originate from Croatia's capital Zagreb. We owe this information to Carmen Verlichak, Croatian writer in Argentina, who also sent a nice photo of his grandparents taken in Croatia in 1941.

Miro Gavran's play "All About Men" translated into Estonian and premiered in Tallinn in Nov 2016

Miro Gavran's play "All About Men" has been premiered in Tallinn, capital of Estonia in Vana Baskini Theatre on November 11th. So far it had 16 premieres in theaters from Rio de Janeiro to Zagreb, Moscow, Prague and Krakow. It was translated into ten languages which helped promote this Croatian writer whose work was translated into 38 languages and whose plays had more than 300 premieres and 3 million viewers all around the world.

Astrid Kuljanic participating A Concert Benefiting the Syrian American Medical Society in NY Nov 29th 2016
Featured performance, of which Astrid Kuljanić will be a part of: "He Will Be Our Brother," A Concert Benefiting the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Tuesday, November 29th, 2016, Saint Peter’s Church at 619 Lexington Ave, New York, NY. Special performances by renowned New York City musicians, including Edmar Castańeda, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Kevin Hays, Gregoire Maret, John Ellis, Matt Clohesy, Magos Herrera, Vitor Gonçalves, Rogerio Boccato and Asaran Earth Trio. The admission is free and open to public. Hope you can join us in helping this extremely important fundraiser!

Bojan Bogdanovic Croatian basketball player in NBA scored a career-high 44 points

Bojan Bogdanović is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national basketball team. Standing at 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in), he plays at the shooting guard and small forward positions. On 22 July 2014, Bogdanović signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets. On 15 March 2016, he scored a career-high 44 points in a 131–114 over the Philadelphia 76ers, to match Drazen Petrovic's Nets record.

Hrvojka Mihanovic Salopek presenting Croatian Mariological Heritage of the Sisak Bishopric
Veneration of Mary, Mother of Mercy, in the city of Sisak near Croatia's capital Zagreb is the ninth film in the series Digital Recording of the Croatian Mariological Heritage, under the auspices of the Committee for Education, Science and Culture of the Croatian Parliament and the Council for Culture of the Croatian Conference of Bishops. The project leader, scenarist and director is Hrvojka Mihanović-Salopek, Ph.D, who deserves our deep gratitude for her excellent work, as well as the producers, Alojzije Prosoli and Krešimir Renzo Prosoli. On the photo two angels from the Sisak bishopric.

6 Croatian Tech Firms Make 2016 Deloitte Fast 50
The highest-ranked Croatian firm on this year’s Deloitte Technology Fast 50 was Osijek-based software developers Gauss in 19th place. Next on the list was electric car and parts manufacturer Rimac automobili in 20th spot, followed by software design and development firm Axilis (22nd), Zadar-based digital marketing company Telum (23rd), mobile phone manufacturers and tech firm Hangar 18 (28th) and software development outsourcing firm Serengeti from Zagreb in 39th place.

Vinkovci Automns - Vinkovacke jeseni 2016 Croatian folklore manifestation presented by Yoko Nishii
Vinkovačke jeseni (Vinkovci Automns) is a Croatian folklore manifestation organized each year in the city of Vinkovci since 1966. The impetus to prepare this presentation of Vinkovačke jeseni came from Yoko Nishii, Japanese pianist. She is a well known guest in Vinkovci, where she already had several concerts organized by Matrix Croatica, promoting, among others, Dora Pejačević, the first internationally known Croatian woman composer. In September 2016 she had a concert just during the Vinkovačke jeseni manifestation, and offered us her beautiful photos, a selection of which we are happy and proud to present for the readers of the CROWN.

Goran Filipec of Croatia awarded by the prestigious Grand Prix du disque F. Liszt in Budapest in 2016
The Ferenc Liszt Society from Budapest announced the results of the 39th International Grand Prix du Disque, awarded to the world best recordings of the music of Liszt. Goran Filipec is this year’s recipient of this prestigious award with his album Paganini Studies, published by Naxos. The Liszt Society inscribed his name in the illustrious line of past winners, such as Vladimir Horowitz, Claudio Arrau, Zoltan Kocsis or Alfred Brendel with the mention that "Liszt himself would have greatly appreciated his performance". The ceremony award took place on October 20th 2016 in the former Academy Liszt in Budapest, during which Goran played the Reminiscences of Norma.

Stanko Bilinski's rhombic dodecahedron discovered in Croatia in 1960 and nicely described by Matt Parker
Academician Stanko Bilinski 1909-1998, was distinguished Croatian mathematician, an expert in the field of Geometry. In 1960, he discovered the rhombic dodecahedron. A consequence of results from his PhD dissertation defended in 1944 (published in 1948, both at the University of Zagreb) is that there are precisely 14 semiregular (Archemidian) polyhedra. His results are cited and discussed by distinguished geometers like Coxeter, Grünbaum, Miyazaki, Tekada, and others. In May 2016, Matt Parker from the University of London (Queen Mary) created a very interesting and entertaining video in Dubrovnik, dealing with this nice geometric object.

FORUM G2-2 synergy initiative between Croatian diaspora and homeland
Josip Hrgetić and his wife Mara Vitols are the founders of the FORM Centre in Zagreb, which organized an important  very successful G2-2 Meeting between Croatian diaspora and homeland in October 2016. Among distinguished guests were Mark Begich, representative of Alaska at the US Senat, Ivan Hrvoić, Croatian scientist and enterpreneur in Canada, and many other. The Meeting discussed various possibilities of improving economic cooperation between Croatian enterpreneurs throughout the world with similar organizations and institutions in Croatia. On the photo senator Mark Begich with Josip and Mara Vitols Hrgetić, during the G2-2 Meeting in Zagreb.

Dr. Peter Frankopan Interview About: The Silk Roads - A New History of the World
Dr. Peter Frankopan (left) is Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research at the University of Oxford. His new book, The Silk Roads: New History of the World has become a best-seller and it's being hailed all over the world as a literary masterpiece. It has already won history book of the year by several media and journalistic outlets. William Dalrymple of the Guardian writes that this book, "is history on a grand scale with a sweep and ambition that is rare" and "a remarkable book on many levels.” 

Mario Hezonja young and very successful Croatian basketball player in the NBA
Mario Hezonja is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association. He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. When a player like Mario Hezonja is taken in the top five of the NBA Draft, there will be big expectations for them. NBA organizations must hit on high draft picks and have confidence in the prospects that they choose. Especially if they are international players. Mario has 203 cm, 99 kg and has a great future as an NBA player.

Mikela Ristoski is Paraolympic champion in triple long jump in Rio 2016
  Mikela Ristoski is a multiple world champion in both long jump (2011) and in triple long jump (2015). It is therefore not such a big surprise that she won her gold medal in triple long jump at the 2016 Paraolympic Games in Rio. However, a big surprise is continuity of her excellent results, since in this category Croatia has practicaly no tradition at all. Mikela lives in the city of Pula in Istrian peninsula, on the western part of Croatian coast.

Training with Andrej Gacina at Westchester Table Tennis Center, September 24-25, 2016
This weekend the Westchester Table Tennis Club in Westchester, New York is proud to welcome one of the top table tennis players in the world, Croatia's Andrej Gacina. Gacina is world-ranked #20 by the ITTF. He is five-time national champion of Croatia, a medalist at two European championships, and a three-time Olympian. He'll play in the open event on Sunday, starting at 2 pm -- competing for the grand prize of $1,500. For more information keep reading.

Croatia in the finals of the 2016 Davis Cup after the victory against France in the city of Zadar
We have witnessed a big success of Croatian tennis team, winning France in the city of Zadar 3 : 2. Especially important was the role of Marin Čilić, who brought Croatia to vicotry. Croatia was the winner of the Davis Cup Tournament in 2005. The first known traces of tennis playing in Croatia date from 1878 (in Zagreb and Samobor). The first Davis Cup match in Croatia was played in Zagreb in 1927. In the finals of the 1939 Davis Cup match for the European zone, held in Zagreb, the Croatian team defeated the representation of Germany.

Sandra Paovic of Croatia winning gold medal in table tennis at the 2016 Paraolympic Games in Rio
Paovic’s career in the able-bodied side was cut short on 30 January 2009, by a life threatening car accident en route to the airport in Paris following a match. She suffered a severe cervical spinal injury leaving her with limited use of her legs. “What motivated me to come back to table tennis is the love that I have for table tennis and sport in general,” she said. “Many people were there for me on my way to success, but most important was that I believed in myself and that I never gave up.” Sandra was born in the city of Vukovar.

Katja Markotic Croatian mezzo-soprano interpreting chants by Mexican composer Manuel M. Ponce
Katja Markotić is distinguished Croatian mezzo-soprano singer and since 1996 the artistic director of the Rovinj Summer Festival in her native city of Rovinj. Except in Croatia, she is a frequent guest on concert podiums in Austria, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom and Mexico. She has achieved remarkable success during the evening recitals at the International Festival "Cervantino" in Mexico, with a final performance at the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), in 1991 and in 2002. She lives and works as a freelance artist in Croatia's capital Zagreb.

Kreso Mikulic bigmustache Croatian carpenter, engineer, Olympic gymnast, alpine skier and winemaker
What do devotion to the Blessed Mother, the fuel pump in the B-1 bomber, and a popular Colerain Township winery have in common? The answer is Kreso Mikulic, age 79, native of the Medjugorje region of Bosnia, patent holder of the B-1 fuel pump and owner and master vintner at Vinoklet Winery.  Mikulic, an ethnic Croatian, has imported white and red wines made by Podrumi Andrej in Medjugorje and labeled with a portrait of the Blessed Mother, whom local tradition holds appears there annually since 1981.

Amira Medunjanin Tour October-November 2016
In recent years, singer Amira Medunjanin (left), an outstanding successor of the Bosnian traditional music Sevdah, has become one of the most important voices of the Central Europe. ​Her dignified voice is as smooth as silk yet at the same time as solid as rock, and is able to interpret the strength of fearless emotions. In the form of a trio, Amira Medunjanin will be accompanied by: Ante Gelo (guitar) and Zvonimir Sestak (Upright bass). She will be touring North America for the first time from October 28 to November 20th. Read on to see the complete list of cities and dates.

Stipe Miocic successfully defending his UFC heavy weight world title vs A. Overeem in Sep 2016 in Cleveland
Stipe Miočić, USA, born in 1982 to Croatian immigrants, is an American mixed martial artist competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he is the current UFC World Heavyweight Champion. In Sep 2016 he successfully defended his title in Cleveland in the match with Alistair Overeem, a well known Dutch martial artist and kickboxer who was Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion. Preparing for this match, Stipe spent a part of the summer 2016 in Croatia with Mirko Filipović - Crocop. Stipe Miočić is married with Ryan Marie Carney.

Goran Filipec young and charismatic Croatian pianist of pronounced virtuosity
As laureate of several international piano competitions such as Concorso Franz Liszt – Premio Mario Zanfi, Concurso de Parnassos and José Iturbi International Music Competition, Goran performed in Europe, United States, South America and Japan. His Carnegie Hall debut took place in 2006, followed by performances in venues such as Mariinsky Theatre, Auditorium di Milano, Minato Mirai Hall or Philharmonie de Paris, among others. Musician of fiery energy and well defined artistic personality, he reveals a particular leaning towards classical and romantic repertoire and music of pronounced virtuosity.

Sven Maricic a pioneer of 3D printing technology in Croatia
  A team of doctors at the Clinical Hospital in the city of Rijeka, Croatia, have recently and successfully attached a 3D printed ear to an elderly patient whose biological ear had to be removed because of skin cancer. The operation was executed as a joint effort between the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka and the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic at the local hospital and marks yet another successful implantation of a 3D printed prosthetic. The 3D printed ear model was designed by Dr. Sven Maričić and his associates Sanjin Fućak, and Duje Kalajžić and was based off of measurements made of the patient’s original ear.

Yoko Nishii Japanese pianist has six concerts in Croatia in Sep 2016
In September 2016 Yoko Nishii, Japanese pianist and proponent of the music of Dora Pejačević (the first Croatian women composer), arrives to Croatia again with a series of six concerts (Rovinj, Sisak, Vinkovci, Cavtat, Ludbreg, Zaprešić), as well as in Kotor and Budapest. On the photo Yoko Nishii with Vjeko Martinko, her host in Villa Astra in the town of Lovran in which she graduated piano studies in 2000. Yoko is fluent in Croatian language. In the Spring of 2015, Yoko Nishii issued an important double CD in Tokyo, containig complete pianistic works of Dora Pejačević.

Mother Teresa proclaimed a saint in 2016 and her connections with Croatia
Saint Mother Teresa was deeply connected with Croatian people. Croatian Jesuits stand at the beginning of her spiritual path, and her close collaborator in India was Ante Gabric, SJ, Croatian missionary and a good spirit of Bengal. In 1995, in Kolkata, she obtained an official Croatian passpoirt from the then Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia dr. Drago Stambuk, as an authorized representative of the Republic of Croatia for Humanitarian Aid. Saint Mother Teresa had spiritual speaches in Croatian language in the Zagreb Cathedral on several occasions. The photo on the left is from her Croatian passport. We also provide some anthological photos of Mother Teresa by Zvonimir Atletić, distinguished Croatian photographer.

Epidaurus Festival in Cavtat celebrates 10 fruitful years of existence in 2016 - congratulations!
Ivana Marija Vidović, distinugished Croatian pianist and poet from Dubrovnik, is the founder of artistic director of the Epidaurus Festival in the town of Cavtat near Dubrovnik. The Epidaurus Festival celebrates 10th anniversary in 2016. It has hosted numerous musicians and artists from Croatia and abroad. In the name of the readers of the CROWN, we express our deep gratitude to Ivana for her perserverence and hard work, and for having established numerous very interesting and fruitful music contacts between Croatia and other countries. 

Ivica Kostelic Summer Ski Camp on the island of Mljet in Croatia
Ivica Kostelić, the greatest Croatian male skier in history, invited a number of his friends, mostly skiers, to spend a part of their summer vacations on the island of Mljet, one of the most beautiful Mediterranean islands. The resulting series of six videos provides a lots of information about this island, as well as about Ivica and his guests. The island of Mljet is the one on which the shipwreck of St. Paul the Apostle occured in the first century AD, described in the Acts of the Apostles (Chps. 27 & 28) of the New Testament in the Bible. On the photo Ivica with his beautiful wife Elin Arnarsdottir from Iceland.

Ivana Masic exhibiting her works of art in Amsterdam Whitney Gallery NY 26 Aug - 27 Sep 2016
Ivana Masic was born and raised in White Plains, New York. She graduated from Manhattanville College with a Masters in Art and Education & a BFA double major in Business Management and Fine Art. She proudly teaches High School Art at Valhalla High School in NY. Ivana collaborates often with various artists, musicians, producers, directors, writers, educators & healers. Notably, Ivana also acted as art director for the NY based company called The Last Automat Press and designed over 30 book covers.

Croatian young students double winners of the 2016 Middle European Mathematical Olympiad (MEMO)
Participating at he the 2016 Middle European Mathematical Olympiad organized in Austria, Croatian team of young mathematicians won both in the individual and team competition. Each competition lasts five hours. The problems are of the “olympic” type, typically divided into four areas: algebra, combinatorics, geometry and number theory. In the individual competition, the students solve one problem from each area. The team competition consists of eight problems, two from each area. Each of the ten participating countries (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland) has six competitiors, and out of 60 competitors, about half of them are awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals. On the photo Patrik Papac from Dubrovnik, gold medal.

Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic won Croatia's first ever gold medal in Olympic sailing in Rio 2016
Šime Fantela and Igor Marenić are the current European and World champions in sailing. Should it come as a surprise if they won gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio? Definitely no, but this was Croatia's first gold in Olympic sailing. This medal, as well as the silver medal by Tonči Stipanović (Laser category), is among others a consequence of the fact that Croatia is not only a Middle-European country, but also a Mediterranean country, situated along the coast which many consider as the most beautiful in the world, interspersed with more than a thosand islands.

Sara Kolak of Croatia wins gold in javelin throw at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio

Young Croatian javelin thrower Sara Kolak (21) is probably the greatest surprise of the athelitc part of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, winning her gold medal which nobody has expected. This is the second Croatian gold in athletics, after Sandra Perkovic won her olympic gold in discus throw in Rio. Also, Sara was the youngest girl in the finals. This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian sports.

Damir Martin Croatian rower winning silver medal of golden glitter at 2016 Olympic Games in men's single sculls
  Probably the most dramatic event in rowing at the Olympic Games in Rio was held in the finals of men's single sculls. Croatian rower Damir Martin finished simulateneously with Mahe Drysdale of New Zealand. However, photo-finish showed that the difference was a portion of a centimeter, so that Damir Martin was decorated with silver medal. It is a huge success of Croatian sports. Both competitors finished with the same result of 6:41:34, i.e. with equal within one hundredth of the second. According to the current FISA rule, this result is then a dead heat, and both competitors should have been decorated with gold medals. However, the Olympic Committee in Rio did not respect the FISA rule.

Sandra Perković won olympic gold medal in discus throw at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
Sandra Perković is one of the most dominant figures in contemporary world athletics, in the discipline of discus throw. In Rio de Janeiro she won her second consecutive title of Olympic Champion. She thus became one of only two women in the history of discus throw to have two gold olympic medals. The year 2016 was the most successful for Croatia till now. With 5 gold medals, Croatia won 17th place among 198 countries. Furthermore, it is 7th among 27 countries of European Union.

Sinkovic brothers win gold medals for Croatia in Double Sculls at 2016 Olympics in Rio
  Brothers Valent and Martin Sinković won their only missing trophey - Olympic gold in Rio in 2016. They belong to most dominant contemporary figures in Double Sculls in the world: they were the double world champions and the double European champions in this sport, as well as the current European champions. For the last two years, they did not lose any international competition (they won 29 races in a row!). They have an outstanding trainer, Nikola Bralić: in 2015, he was proclaimed the best rowing trainer in the world. On the photo, on the left of Martin is Manuela, his wife.

MEETING G2.2 10-12 October 2016 in Zagreb invitation to Croatia and its diaspora for new business opportunities
  The aim is to connect Croatians abroad with people and business opportunities in Croatia via practical online and offline knowledge-sharing, matchmaking and networking forums. The vision is to secure a future where possibilities, opportunities and dreams of doing business with or in the homeland will drive a new era of Croatian economic development, growth and productivity. On the photo Josip Hrgetić, director of the Forum Center in Zagreb and Project director of G2.2 conference to be held at the Forum Centre in Zagreb from 10th to 12th October 2016.

Croatia - Spain 72 : 70 in basketball match at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
Dario Šarić's powerful block at the end of a difficult basketball game agains Spain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, secured the 72 : 70 win for Croatian team. Among Croatian players, especially successful was Bojan Bogdanović with his 26 points. The Spanish team is considered as one of the major candidates for the highest position at the Olympics, along with the American team. We recall that at the 1992 Olympic Games held in Barcelona, Croatia won the sensational silver medal in basketball.

Josip Glasnovic wins Croatia's first gold of the 2016 Olympics
Croatian army officer Josip Glasnovic won Croatia's first gold of the 2016 Olympics in the trap-shooting, beating Italy's Giovanni Pellielo in a four-shot sudden death shootoff. Edward Ling of Great Britain took home bronze. Glasnovic, a 33-year-old who also competed in Beijing in 2008, hit a perfect 15 of 15 in the semi-final but missed two in the final. He then fired four of four in the sudden death round. Glasnovic succeeds Giovanni Cernogoraz who won gold for Croatia in London 4 years ago in the same event.

Croatian American Community Announces "40 Under 40" Program for USA

On August 1, 2016, the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCA) announced a nationwide search for nominations for Croatian Americans who are rising stars and notable within their profession. The NFCA Cultural Foundation collaborating with the Croatian Fraternal Union (CFU) and Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP), will work together, to find, nominate and then select "40 Under 40" winners who will be announced in late October.

The Magic of a Christmas in Croatia
We often recall Christmas with our Croatian grandparents; the celebration of the birth of Christ throughout the holiday season, the special customs and the aromas of special foods. All of Europe has focused on Zagreb during the Advent season as, Zagreb has won the title as the City with the “Best Christmas Market” in all of Europe. Join us for this exciting and fun tour of Croatia and neighboring Slovenia where we will enjoy the spirit of the Christmas season as celebrated in the city squares and festive Advent markets. You’ll be back in time for Christmas, perhaps with a few unique and memorable gifts for your friends and families!

Natasha and Volodimir Balyk distinguished Russian-Ukrainian music duo living in Croatia
Nataša and Volodimir Balyk, better known as Duo Balyk, is a music family of Russian and Ukrainian provenance, both of them excellent musicians playing domra, a sort of mandolin, and bajan, a sort of button accordion, respectively. They live in Croatia since the 1990s, in the town of Lovran, and are performing throughout Croatia, as well as all over Europe. Their repertoire is enormous, ranging from classical pieces to traditional, folk and jazz music. Both educated at the Moscow Conservatory, they are lecturing in Croatia at the Music School of Mate Ronjgov in the town of Krk, as well as in the town of Rab, in respective departments for guitar & mandolin (Nataša), and Accordion (Volodimir).

Yoko Nishii Japanese pianist has a series of concerts throughout Croatia in Sep 2016
Yoko Nishii is known as a leading promoter of the music of Dora Pejačević, after having published the complete pianist works of the first Croatian woman composer in Tokyo in the Spring of 2016. Yoko-san is preparing her new concert tour in Croatia for September 2016, starting in the town of Rovinj on the Sep 8th. Having studied piano in Japan, Yoko-san continued her specialisation in Croatian town of Lovran. She is fluent in Croatian language, and in the past years visited as a pianist numerous Croatian towns. This time, by the courtesy of Mr. Vjeko Martinko, she will also be hosted among others by Hotel Villa Astra in Lovran, where she will meet her numerous friends.

Ante Gugo: In the Eyes of the STORM
Croatian war reporter’s, journalist’s and writer’s Ante Gugo’s best-selling non-fiction book in Croatia “Storm Which We Could Not Avoid” first released in 2015 in the Croatian language, twenty years after Croatia’s August 1995 swift and skillful Operation Storm liberated Krajina part of Croatia’s territory occupied and ethnically cleansed by Serb forces in early 1990’s, has now been translated into the English language and its title is “In the Eye of the Storm”. According to Dr. Slobodan Lang, "Storm" was humanitarian operation that prevented genocide. Congratulations on the occasion of Victory Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders on 5th August.

Nenad Bach's exciting summer 2016 in Croatia and in the USA
Nenad Bach, a world renowned musician and composer, has collaborated with a number of famous musicians, did what he promised to the city Šibenik, founded in 1066 AD - a unique ambient sound greeting for King Krešimir's city on its 950th birthday. At 9:50 every day, Bach and his students had a promenade through the streets of Šibenik, drumming and chanting 900, 900, 900 - 50. Also, Nenad has been interviewed this summer for the TV show from Nashville, Waking Up in America, hosted by Tatiana Tajči Cameron, distinguished Croatian spiritual singer.

Brenda Brkusic won her 5th and 6th Emmy Awards at the Television Academy's LA Area Emmy Awards
Croatian American Brenda Brkusic (left) won her 5th and 6th Emmy Awards  at the Television Academy's LA Area Emmy Awards held on July 23, 2016.  She was recognized as Executive Producer of "Variety Studio: Actors on Actors" and "China's Challenges: Can China Be Harmonious?" Last year she took home an Emmy for Producing "Mia: A Dancer's Journey" a film about Croatian-born ballerina Mia Corak Slavenska.

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