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Brodosplit male choir from Croatia among the best in the world
World champions at the 5th World Choir Games in Graz, Austria, 2008
Vlado Sunko, distinguished Croatian conductor and composer
Brodosplit male choir from Split, Croatia, won gold medal in Xiamen, China
International Choir Competition, Budapest, Hungary, 1991, 1st prize winner of the polyphonic singing category
Choir Olympics, Linz, Austria, 2000, Olympic winners of the polyphonic singing category
16th Prague Days of Choirs, Prague, Czech Republic, 2002, 1st award of the polyphonic singing category of male choirs
Vlado Sunko
Vlado Sunko (Split, 1954.) a conductor and a composer, graduated at the Department of Music Theory of the Music Academy in Zagreb in 1979. Simultaneously he is an associate professor at the Art Academy in Split - University of Split, and the director of Art Academy Mixed Chorus that has been awarded many times for the most successfully performed compositions on the Festival of Sacred Music CroPatria. University of Split awarded him for his contribution to that institution's development in the year 2006.
Over the course of 1982. to 1992. he was a professor of theoretical subjects and a choral leader of the Girls’ Choir at the Secondary Music School Josip Hatze in Split. In 1991. he founded the Boys’ Choir and since then he has been its first conductor. In the year 1988. he became the conductor of the male chorus today known under the name City of Split Chorus, Brodosplit. Together with the chorus Brodosplit he has achieved the best awards both at numerous performances in Croatia and worldwide.
The heyday of his acknowledgements has been achieved by the anthological performance of the oratorio Muka Gospodina našega Isukrsta (The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ) by Boris Papandopulo. He is a member of the juries of numerous competitions (festivals of Dalmatian harmony-singing groups at Omiš, festivals of mandolin players, county, national and international competitions of the amateur choirs). Vlado Sunko is also a regular member of the HDS (Croatian Composers’ Society).
He was awarded for his creative and reproductive work by the City of Split in 2000. and was granted a wide range of acknowledgements and awards for his compositions on competitions and festivals. The awards went to the following compositions: Dona nobis pacem (Međugorje, 1994.), Capriccio cromatico, Intrada i ples (Intrada and Dance) (Mandolina Imota 1997. and 1999.), Oče naš (Lord’s Prayer), Cum Invocarem, Beatus vir, Tvoja i moja tajna (Your Secret and My Secret) (CroPatria 1997., 1999., 2001. and 2004.). A cantata for soloists, chorus and instrumental ensemble Zlato gospine milosti (The Sweetheart of Our Lady’s Mercy) 1996., a symphonic epic poem In memoriam 1998. and a Concert for Mandolin and Orchestra 2001. are to be pointed out as more complex compositions.
So far he has released twelve CDs: eight with Brodosplit, two with the Art Academy Chorus from Split and two with the mandolin orchestra “Sanctus Domnio”.
GZ Brodosplit - world champions at the 5th World Choir Games in Graz 2008, Austria, in the category of male chamber choirs.
Vlado Sunko is a conductor and a composer. He has been conducting Brodosplit Male Chorus since 1988 and he is also the director of the Art Academy Mixed Chorus. For 15 years, he is professor of the Split Arts’ Academy. He is a member of the juries of numerous competitions (festivals of Dalmatian harmony-singing groups at Omiš, festivals of mandolin players, county, national and international competitions of the amateur choirs). Vlado Sunko is also a regular member of the HDS (Croatian Composers’ Society).
He was awarded for his creative and reproductive work by the City of Split in 2000, and was granted a wide range of acknowledgements and awards for his compositions on competitions and festivals.
So far he has released twelve CDs: eight with Brodosplit, two with the Art Academy Chorus from Split and two with the mandolin orchestra “Sanctus Domnio”.
Vlado Sunko, composer and co-conductor of Workshop „F".
- Is this the first time that You are in Hungary?
- No, I have been here before, two times with the Male Choir „Brodosplit" in a Wine Song Festival. The artistic director was Dr. Tamás Lakner - we made good friends. I was honored when Dr. Lakner invited me to work together with him in the workshop „Roundabout the Wine"
- Why was this workshop shared?
- Dr. Lakner had many other tasks during the festival. First of all, he was the artistic director of entire Pécs Cantat, then a particular challenge: the world premiere of János Vajda's Pannonii Carmen, and, in addition to this, he led the daily Open Singing sessions at Dóm square with great success.
- What was your experience with your group?
- There were only seventy people in my group coming from Serbia, Finland and of course Hungary among others, so we were not that many. However, I bet I had the most difficult task, because my singers were between 16 and 70! That's a real challenge musically as well as for the style of communication, including the different disciplinarian methods for almost every person. The elderly ones were always afraid a little of singing, since they would have need more time to adapt the different languages and styles, while the younger singers were apt at this point. The more matured singers were slower to react as well, so a lot of plus energy was needed to explain things, in a language that was foreign for me as well as for them... but that was okay, since every workshop-leader had an interpreter. I have to emphasize that none of the participants were professional singer, but all of them were committed and devoted - they came because of their love for music and many of them were really experienced and excellent singers.
- Any funny moments...?
- On the whole, we had very good time, often teasing one another, as it is quite common among men, and ease the stress of the hard work in the workshops. What I will never forget: a large group of singers, in the morning, during the warm-up, or rather instead: turning the head towards me - and all the eyes were closed...
Brodosplit shipyard is located in Split, the regional center of the eastern Adriatic coast and the second largest city in Croatia, whose history dates back to the Roman emperor Diocletian. Significant development of shipbuilding in this area began by establishing several smaller repair shipyards and their merging in 1922. The shipyard Brodosplit has been in its current location since 1932. Its location in the northern side of Split, in Kaštela bay, is extremely convenient, providing all the necessary infrastructure and superstructure for the shipbuilding business. The passenger and cargo port (which are among the biggest ones in Croatia and Meditteranean by the amount of cargo and No. of passengers) are in the immediate vicinity; the international airport is twenty miles away, while the town center, with all the historical and cultural monuments, is only a ten minute walk away.
At this point Brodosplit grows into the largest Croatian shipyard, today covering an area of 560 000 square meters. Brodosplit’s wider expansion within the demanding international market started in the second half of the past century.
The authority of Brodosplit among the international shipbuilding circles and the trust of many clients in the company’s experts are the result of many years of successful operation and high quality of its wide product range.
Each ship must be safe, durable, efficient and reliable at sea and in port. Brodosplit offers the design and building of all types of ships known today and meets the special needs of clients, enriching their fleet with these products. Ships with Brodosplit’s signature are recognizable around the world as a business success for the customer as well as the builder.
Brodosplit's production program is wide and varied. Basic and most important products of the company are, of course, ships: commercial, passenger, container, ships for the transport of liquid and bulk cargo, dredgers... and other special types of ships, mostly built for international clients.
In professional circles, Brodosplit is regularly being referred to as a company that not only sells standard products, but also produces „tailor-made“ ships. Working with clients from the very beginning, designing team of the shipyard is able to design, and production team is ready to successfully implement the project according to very specific needs and desires of the shipowner. This is Brodosplit’s biggest advantage.
Everything from design to delivery is done within the shipyard. Getting a modern and sophisticated vessel within a short construction period is no longer "mission impossible”, thanks to the creative solutions of Brodosplit experts and a network of quality subcontractor companies, suppliers and associates.
High level of Brodosplit products is based on excellent projects, usage of innovative engineering methods and technological achievements, thus providing a strong reputation among clients and shipowners.
Broad application of modern computer technology, which provides speed, accuracy and optimal production, has a special role in building. Such an approach greatly helps the processing of construction and preparation of data for the successful operation of modern machinery in the Split shipyard.
The company provides full service design, CAD / CAM system with complete engineering and consulting. Different methods of welding are being used. Shipyard’s workshops can produce cast products, tools and provide many other production services. Experts of Brodosplit are able to create a project in a short period of time, after which the process continues with extensive tests at the scientific-research Institute of Naval Architecture in Zagreb. The best variant of the project is chosen on the basis of tests results.
Combination of under water plasma or oxy-acetylene cutting is being used for cutting steel plates, as well as for cutting of profiles, with two robotic devices. Cutting capacity at work in mirror mode is 1,200,000 meters of cut per year, or about 137 meters of cut per hour.
Production lines are supported with automated and robotized cells. Strict quality control is implemented and guarantee period is determined for all the vessels during which all the detected anomalies are quickly and effectively eliminated in the close collaboration of the shipyards' and clients' experts.
A number of quality projects have been created and tested through this process, such as the recent P-Max concept. It is a result of successful collaboration between Brodosplit and Concordia Maritime company in building a series of tankers with 65,000 t dwt for transport of oil products through ice areas. These are specially designed ships that can carry up to 30% more cargo than conventional tankers of this size due to their construction, with minimal additional costs and the highest level of safety.
Ships of this type are broader than other ships in their category, but with the same draught, two separate and isolated engine rooms, two engines with separate fuel supply, as well as two propellers and rudders, which enables them to carry more cargo without losing speed and maneuverability.
Brodosplit can build ships over 160,000 tons dwt. It has two modern equipped slipways as well as extensive machinery, equipment, resources and facilities. The first slipway can be used for the construction of Suezmax tankers up to 300 meters long and 50 meters wide, with two cranes of 600 kN and two of 1000. Slipway No.2 is used for building ships up to 250 meters long and 42 meters wide, with a lift of 600 kN and two of 1000 kN.
In the last seventy years the shipyard has delivered more than 350 ships with a total of over 10 million tons dwt. 80% of Brodosplit´s production is made for the international market. Many of these ships have received recognitions from prominent international institutions. Only in the last twenty years, ten ships from Brodosplit´s slipways were chosen as the best projects in their categories. They were awarded with the title "Ship of the Year" by members of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects in London (RINA), American maritime journals Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and Marine Log, as well as Australia's "Ships and shipping”. Among the winners, a prominent place belongs to “Amorella”, “Isabella” and “Frans Suell”, ferries built in the late eighties and early nineties for the Scandinavian companies Viking Line and Sealink, as well as previously mentioned tankers of the P-Max series, which were awarded by three international professional recognitions in the past five years.
Brodosplit owns the record for the largest tanker in the world ever launched in one piece: a ship of 280 meters with 166,000 tons dwt built for Tankerska plovidba Zadar. Since 2007 the company has the certificate of quality management system ISO 9001.
An integral part of management’s well-planned business policy is systematic investment in quality education of Brodosplit´s employees through training and employment of professions in demand of, such as welders, crane operators, pipers and fitters, as well as through scholarships for students in shipbuilding occupations.
The company continuously monitors the modern world achievements in the field of shipbuilding. Its experts successfully apply those achievements in practice by own efforts and in cooperation with scientific research institutions. Competitive price, high quality and excellent maritime performances of Brodosplit’s ships are expanding the list of clients, which today consists of many reputable ship-owners and companies from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, England, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Poland, German, Switzerland, Russia, India, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Mexico and the United States.
The innovation and expertise of our shipbuilders in construction of sophisticated ships of different types – passenger ships, containers, cargo vessels. oil product tankers or basically, whatever the client desires – are the main features and strongest points of Brodosplit as a successful and worldly recognized shipyard.
Formated for CROWN by prof.dr. Darko Žubrinić Distributed by www.Croatia.org . This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!
