Croatian Apple Farmers in Calfornia

The following appeared in the Register Pajaronian and concerns an
exhibit concerning apple farming in Pajaro, California. As noted,
Croatian immigrants played a big role in running the local apple farms.

John Kraljic

Labeling history
Jan 27 2004 12:00AM By

By TARMO HANNULA

OF THE REGISTER-PAJARONIAN

Old apple boxes receive colorful stamps for agriculture exhibit

It's not easy to slap a label on history. And on Saturday, about 10
volunteers at the Ag History Project were busy doing just that -
carefully re-labeling old wood apple boxes with brilliant, colorful
company labels.

The newly labeled apple boxes will be used as part of a new exhibit
being built inside the Codiga Center and Museum that will focus of the
growing, packing and shipping of Pajaro Valley apples, said John
Kegebein, chief volunteer for the Ag History Project.

Many of the handsomely labeled boxes will be stacked, just like the
early days, on two-horse drawn orchard wagons, known as the "fifth
wheel."

Buak, Elk, Morning Star, Owl, Sun Flavor, J.M. Lukrich, Lake View and
Jensen - just to name a scant sampling of the nearly 100 company labels
(mostly from Watsonville) - all had dazzling, colorful apple labels that
boasted the company, the type of product and, in cases, amazing
graphics.

The labels, which are high quality copies, represent a valuable slice of
Pajaro Valley History, Kegebein said.

"Some of the first apples were planted around 1865 here in Watsonville
on what was then Riverside Road," Kegebein said. "By the 1890s and up
through the 1950s, this region was one of the major apple growing areas
in the United States. We hope to preserve and share some of that
history."

Indeed, the labels are striking with their radiant colors, high design
lettering, original artwork that shows landscape scenes, birds, fish,
night scenes and gorgeous women. All have a unique vibrancy that rarely
is used in modern-day packing and advertisements.

At one point during the height of the apple industry, there were 18
local companies with apple dryers, said Nita Gizdich, owner of Gizdich
Ranch. The dried apples were in high demand in Europe, especially in
France, Germany, Italy and England, she said.

As much as 50 percent of the early apple growers in the Pajaro Valley
were Croatian, while other ethnic groups included Irish, Italian and
Portuguese, Gizdich said.

The blossoming local apple industry changed substantially, however, with
the advent of controlled atmosphere storage, Gizdich said.

Growers once honed their skills and the timing of their harvest to
demand. In addition, controlled atmosphere storage companies could
bypass much of the state ordinances - especially with apples lasting as
long as two years in cold storage.

©Register-Pajaronian 2004

Old Croatian Family on Staten Island, New York

The following article comes from the Staten Island Advance. For those
non-New Yorkers, Staten Island is one of the 5 boroughs which make up
New York City. There was a small Croatian community in Mariner's
Harbor, Staten Island which was also the site of a CFU lodge.

John Kraljic

A simple life in simpler times
The stories of a Croatian family that settled in Mariners Harbor around
World War I make for an interesting look backward
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
By KATHRYN CARSE
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

When Anne Devlin was growing up she was often told by her parents, to
listen because "everyone has a story." As it turned out, some of the
richest stories she would hear were the ones involving her own family.

Many of them were told by her maternal grandmother, Anna Stipcich Zec,
born Anna Poulec, an illiterate immigrant from Croatia who outlived two
husbands and hung on to the age of 94.

An extended illness before her death gave Ms. Devlin's mother, Anne
Stipcich Stenglein, the chance to pass on more of the family's legacy of
stories about life in Mariners Harbor during the Depression and World
War II. And photos taken by Ms. Devlin's father, John Stenglein, a
lifelong amateur photographer, provided pictorial stepping stones
through the family history.

The stories are rooted long ago, back when the shipbuilding and repair
industry industry along the northwestern coast of Staten Island kept
thousands employed.

More than anything, the "waste not, want not" life of Ms. Devlin's
grandmother and parents gave meaning to the word frugal, observed Ms.
Devlin, though she is quick to qualify a word that is often used to mean
"cheap."

"They were frugal in the best sense of the word," said the New Brighton
resident. "They managed well with very little and never lived beyond
their means."

The matriarch of the family lived most of her life in a bungalow -- a
deceptively roomy, two story house -- on Holland Avenue at the edge of
Downey's Swamp, one of the major ponds that makes up what is now known
as Mariners Marsh. It was a kind of no-man's swatch of wetlands that
roll over the western shore of Staten Island. As it is now, it was a
refuge for wildlife such as muskrat and a haven for kids in the
neighborhood who would fish and ice skate there depending on the season.


Mrs. Zec, her first husband Ignace Stipcich and a few of their children
arrived in Mariners Harbor in 1912, when she was 25. They did not stay
for long, leaving to seek work as far away as Michigan and returning to
Pennsylvania, where they had been tenant farmers, and New Jersey where
their daughter Anne was born in Rahway. They settled for good in
Mariners Harbor sometime around World War I.

The Croatia Mrs. Zec left behind was a land of a tribal people who were
part of the Austria-Hungary Empire. After World War I, the Croats were
taken over by Yugoslavia. They did not gain independence until 2000. For
her, Croatia was a chaotic place where marauding invaders plundered
villages in search of males to abduct for conscription. As a girl with
poor eyesight, her life was no less embattled as she was denied an
education in her native country and relegated to indentured servitude.
From the age of 7, she worked as a scullery maid in an aristocratic
house. She impressed her employers with her cooking skills at an early
age and moved up in status.

Fittingly enough, after arriving in Mariners harbor, her kitchen on
Holland Avenue was the center of family life. The resourcefulness and
skill that the young servant girl employed in her native land resurfaced
during the Depression years when she appropriated land from the swamp
area and farmed vegetables to distribute and barter for goods in the
community of Polish and Slavic immigrants who lived in the area.

Having raised livestock in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Zec raised pigs (one at a
time) on her "farm" on Holland Avenue. An African-American man who lived
on the block helped her slaughter each pig for which he was paid in pork
and a good meal.

The pig farm was hardly within the zoning laws, but flouting the law for
the necessities of living and smoothing the way by offering a hardy meal
came naturally to Mrs. Zec. In true European style, she produced her own
wine and whiskey. Her daughter, Anne, Ms. Devlin's mother, related that
when the authorities showed up periodically to investigate, her mother
would feed the "detectee" in the kitchen while she ran into the swamp
with the still.

At her funeral, Mrs. Devlin was touched by the number of people who told
her "your grandmother fed my family."

In another, more enlightened time, Mrs. Zec might have been a shrewd
businesswoman. In addition to bartering her produce for goods, she took
in boarders.

The will to survive and work overshadowed all other values, and the
young Anne Stipcich Stenglein and her siblings were, in turn, put to
work at an early age. In fact, her mother and father actively blocked
their education so that might work.

Despite the disruptions in her education from the many moves the family
made and the lack of parental support, Anne succeeded not only in
securing a high-school education by walking to Port Richmond High
School, but taught herself to read and write in Croatian, her first
language and to become fluent in French.

She worked at the Electric Boat Co. in Bayonne, a company that built PT
boats during World War II, a time of intense activity on the waterfront.
She also organized socials that promoted ethnic food options and folk
dancing. They were held at Bukovac's on Simonson Avenue, one of a few
establishments that the Bukovac family owned.

Several Bukovac family members were musicians, and Ms. Devlin remembers
going to family weddings where the food was plentiful and a tamburitza
band would play as the polka and kolo, a circle dance, was danced.

The establishment was the center of neighborhood social life and
continues today as a tavern and catering hall called the Eagle's Nest.
John White, the present owner, is aware of its place in the community.
One legend he has heard is that Buffalo Bill stayed upstairs when he was
in Mariners Harbor with his Wild West Show.

When the young Anne Stipcich and her sister, Mildred, were decorating
for one of these socials, a handsome police recruit, John Stenglein,
offered to hold the ladder she was on.

Stenglein, parents of German immigrants, lived first on Van Pelt Avenue
and then on Richmond Terrace in a house whose architectural details have
been muddled by alterations over the years. Still, the grand mansard
roof is visible, indicating a social status somewhere between the humble
bungalow on Holland Avenue and the mansions of oyster captains along
South Avenue, ornaments of wealth from a bygone era.

Stenglein's parents were educated in Germany. His father was an
accountant with a firm on Roosevelt Island.

An outstanding football player with the Stapleton Arrows, the young
Stenglein was offered a college scholarship in Connecticut. He had to
forgo it, however, after his father died unexpectedly from pneumonia and
he had to help support his mother.

He didn't have to go far for work. Across the street was the Great Lakes
Dredge and Dock Company where he got a job as a blacksmith. The company,
a worldwide operation based in Chicago, Ill., is still operating on the
Terrace.

According to Charles Sachs, in "Made on Staten Island," in the early
years of the 20th century, the northwest corner of the Island saw a boom
in shipbuilding and repair plants with a work force of 6,806 people by
1920. The 1940s saw a second surge, especially with the establishment of
Bethlehem Steel shipyard which employed 12,000 workers.

In comparison, Brian Goetchius, yard superintendent at Great Lakes, says
that there may have been 30 to 40 employees not long ago, though today
there are just six or seven fulltime employees, the rest transient
workers who come to do the dredge work.

Stenglein went on to be accepted in the police department. He served in
the 6th Precinct for 26 years.

When Anne Stipcich and Stenglein married, they lived in the Holland
Avenue house. On warm summer nights, Stenglein, who had bought a 16mm
projector, would put a sign up, "Movies tonight." He attached a screen
to the side of the barn, and when darkness fell, neighbors would gather
for entertainment and refreshments baked by Mrs. Stenglein.

The young family moved to Port Richmond in the 1950s, but Stenglein kept
his ties to Mariners Harbor, especially through athletics. In the days
before Little League and Babe Ruth leagues, he reinvigorated the
Mariners Harbor Democrats (not a political club), whose members cleared
the lot across from Weissglass Dairy to make Decker Field.

Among the many fellows who were given something to do and kept out of
trouble was Nick Bruno, a standout Port Richmond basketball and baseball
player who was a beloved teacher at PS 44, Mariners Harbor.

Ms. Devlin, a librarian at Egbert Intermediate School in Midland Beach,
reflects on the balanced life her parents lived with attention to manual
tasks like baking, sewing and carpentry, physical fitness and the
intellectual stimulation of reading poetry -- Kipling, Tennyson, Whitman
-- together.

What they also did, she said, was live a simple life in a way that they
believed. "You really do make a difference if you think that we are all
in this together." tail Kathryn Carse is the Flip! editor of the Staten
Island Advance. She can be reached at carse@siadvance.com .

Priblizavanjehrvatske kulturne bastine svijetu

www.matis.hr

Matica Iseljenika Hrvatske

Mr. Nenad Bach
P.O. Box 145
Croton On Hudson, NY 10520
USA


Zagreb,27.sijecnja2004.


Postovani gospodine Bach,


obracam Vam se kako bih Vas iscrpnije upoznao s radom i planovima HMI-a za 2004. godinu, a i za buducnost, o kojima sam Vam vec nesto rekao u nasem nedavnom telefonskom razgovoru. Nadam se da ce nasa suradnja uroditi plodom na obostrano zadovoljstvo i zadovoljstvo hrvatskih iseljenika u Americi i diljem svijeta. Ne bih zelio zlorabiti Vasu blagonaklonu spremnost da nam pomognete u realizaciji tih projekata, niti Vase dragocjeno vrijeme, ali Vas moram ukratko upoznati s radom HMI-a kojim gradimo partnerstvo s iseljenim Hrvatima i njihovim potomcima, s udrugama koje djeluju diljem svijeta. Cilj nasega djelovanja je stvaranje cvrstih spona iseljene Hrvatske sa domovinom.

Svi nasi dosadasnji projekti koje smo ostvarili u domovini i izvan nje kao sto su podukahrvatskog jezika i kulture, projekti nakladnistva, skola folklora, sviranje tradicijskih instrumenata, seminar ŤStvaranje kazalistať i dr. bili su usmjereni k tome cilju; promicanju vrijednosti hrvatske kulturne bastine kako bi hrvatski covjek sacuvao svoj etnicko-kulturni identitet u sredinama u kojima zivi.

Pored tradicionalnih projekata koji su vec sazivjeli i s kojima i dalje nastavljamo nasu djelatnost ove godine pokrenuli smo i neke nove, vrlo zanimljive, projekte (Tecaj cipkarstva, Hrvatska kulturna bastina-ljetna skola o graditeljskom nasljedju, Seminar o hrvatskoj gastronomiji, Skola klapskog pjevanja i dr.). Medju najznacajnijima je svakako Nacionalni muzej hrvatske dijaspore u Zagrebu koji ce biti kombinacija virtualne i klasicne koncepcije Muzeja. Taj Muzej trebao bi biti okupljaliste nasih iseljenika kao i znanstvenika, eminentnih strucnjaka, umjetnika.

Osim ovoga projekta Matica pokrece jos dva nova projekta o kojima sam s Vama razgovarao i za koje ste pokazali interes. Potaknuti upravo Vasim uspjesima na promicanju hrvatske glazbene kulture u svijetu i, jer je glazba najsnazniji izraz prepoznavanja identiteta jednoga naroda, odlucili smo se za projekt etno glazbene radionice pod nazivom Glazba sjeverozapadne Hrvatske – Medjimurje. Ovim projektom zelimo predstaviti tradicijsku glazbu sjeverozapadne Hrvatske te pridonijeti cuvanju i razvijanju kulturne tradicije u hrvatskim zajednicama diljem svijeta, te istraziti mogucnosti njene primjene u kontekstu hrvatske etno glazbe. Ovo je samo pocetak istrazivanja kojim zelimo obuhvatiti sve tradicijske glazbe hrvatskih regija.

Drugi nas novi projekt je Slikarska radionica naivne umjetnosti, a za nju smo se odlucili jer je hrvatska naivna umjetnost vec prepoznatljiv izricaj hrvatskog identiteta u svijetu. Interes za nju ne prestaje o cemu svjedoci i izlozba nasih naivaca postavljena 2000. godine u Muzeju lijepih umjetnosti u Saint Petersburgu na Floridi.

Na kraju ovoga sazetog prikaza nasih djelatnosti zamolio bih Vas da u okviru Vasega slobodnog vremena i Vasih mogucnosti budete promotor nasih projekata. Cjeloviti opis svih maticinih projekata i aktivnosti mozete pogledati na nasim novim web stranicama: www.matis.hr

Obracam se Vama, jer sam procijenio da nase aktivnosti i Vase djelovanje, narocito na promicanju glazbe u svijetu, imaju zajednicki cilj; priblizavanje hrvatske kulturne bastine svijetu i ocuvanje svijesti nasih iseljenika o svojim korjenima. U nadi da cemo ostvariti suradnju zelim Vam unaprijed zahvaliti, te Vas prilikom skorog dolaska u Zagreb pozivam da budete gost Hrvatske matice iseljenika.


S postovanjem,

R A V N A T E LJ

Nikola Jelincic, dipl.iur.

Coca-Cola Hellenic complete buy in Croatia

Note: to freeze animation, right-hand click on 'Play'.

- 28/01/2004 - Coca Cola's bottling company in Greece, CCHBC has completed its acquisition of Gotalka, the Croation mineral water company.

CCHBC's acquisition will involve a production company at Budins. Ina and Gotalka's mineral brand Bistra. Doros Constantinou, CCHBC's managing director said that the ” Brista brand has significant potential” for the company and will”enable the business in Croatia to expand into promising water segment there.”

The company has selected a range of acquisitions that have given it an advantage in specific markets. For example in October last year the company strengthened its position in Poland after buying out Polish mineral water company Multiva.

The trend of acquisitions coupled with the launch of new products last year helped to lift the company's total volume sales for the first half of 2003 by 6 per cent to 647 million unit cases.

However, the managing director noted that this acquisition was to have limited financial consequences.

” It is a small acquisition with no material impact on the groups financial results, and is very much in line with our strategy to broaden the selection of non-alcoholic beverages that we offer to our consumers,” Constantinou added.

Coca Cola HBC is one of the world's largest bottlers of products for the Coca Cola company. It has operations in 26 countries that serve a population of over 500 million people.

http://www.beveragedaily.com/news/news-NG.asp?id=49472

Croatia Selects Scientific-Atlanta Europe Technology to Upgrade

Complete Transmission Infrastructure

Press Release Source: Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.

OiV Croatia Selects Scientific-Atlanta Europe Technology to Upgrade Complete Transmission Infrastructure
Thursday January 29, 4:15 pm ET

KORTRIJK, Croatia and ATLANTA, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scientific-Atlanta (NYSE: SFA - News), one of the largest technology innovators for the broadcast and broadband industries, has announced that Croatian network operator Odasiljaci i Veze (OiV) will upgrade its entire terrestrial distribution network using its equipment. Having recently completed a thorough acceptance test deployment of the equipment, OiV will begin immediately revolutionising the country's TV and radio transmission infrastructure with the enhancements to its new network.

ADVERTISEMENT
OiV controls a network of 21 main transmitter sites and approximately 300 transposer sites in Croatia which are used for delivering terrestrial television content to the country's 1.5 million television households. The company has signed a contract for a complete DVB-compliant digital platform from Scientific-Atlanta, providing TV and radio distribution, studio-to-studio contribution, as well as a full system management solution.

While OiV currently transmits three national channels, one of its key objectives is to include more contribution from regional news providers in its existing national programming, all on the same network. Thanks to the advanced Scientific-Atlanta encoders, OiV will be capable of inserting local news in specific time-slots within national programming for broadcast in six regional networks. The Scientific-Atlanta solution provides cost-effective, near- seamless splicing technology to minimize costs while maximizing performance.

Its new Scientific-Atlanta platform will also convert the digital transport signals into traditional analogue for terrestrial transmission to the home. As part of the overall system, OiV has bought Scientific-Atlanta's ROSA(TM) network management system to give it complete control of network performance at all times. The network will also have automatic redundancy switching which will help to enable OiV to provide high-quality, reliable service at all times.

Nikola Percin, Member of the Board at OiV says, "We selected Scientific- Atlanta as a result of its proven track record of working with broadcasters and content distributors. This breadth of experience meant that they understood our objectives from both a technical and a business perspective which enabled us to get the very best solution for our specific requirements.

"Our new content delivery network in Croatia will improve the viewer experience and provide us with the additional bandwidth we need to support the growth of television in the country. We are delighted to be working with Scientific-Atlanta Europe to implement this incredibly significant project for our company which is now in position to offer services to public and commercial broadcasters as well. We found Scientific-Atlanta's cooperation and acceptance of our proposals for technical solutions very useful in leading to the desired results."

George Stromeyer, VP and Managing Director, EMEA at Scientific-Atlanta Europe explains that this project is indicative of the growth currently taking place across the whole of Eastern Europe. "Broadcasting in Central and Eastern Europe is currently undergoing radical and exciting changes, both in terms of the content that consumers are demanding and the development of infrastructure. This will enable broadcasters, like OiV, and content providers to deliver new and exciting services to subscribers. Scientific-Atlanta is committed to supporting OiV's network upgrade project over the next 18 months and beyond.

"Scientific-Atlanta Europe offers broadcasters and consumers the technology and the expertise to help them transform their viewing experiences and, as a result, will play a significant part in the broadcast evolution throughout Eastern Europe."

About Scientific-Atlanta

Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. (NYSE: SFA - News; http://www.scientificatlanta.com ) is a leading supplier of digital content distribution systems, transmission networks for broadband access to the home, digital interactive set-tops and subscriber systems designed for video, high-speed Internet and voice over IP (VoIP) networks, and worldwide customer service and support.

"Forward-looking statements," as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may be included in this news release. A variety of factors could cause Scientific-Atlanta's actual results to differ from the anticipated results expressed in such forward-looking statements. Investors are referred to Scientific-Atlanta's Cautionary Statements (Exhibit 99.1 to the Company's most recent Form 10-Q), which statements are incorporated into this news release by reference.

Scientific-Atlanta and the Scientific-Atlanta logo are registered trademarks of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. ROSA is a trademark of Scientific- Atlanta Europe NV.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040129/clth003_1.html

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK3.story&STORY=/www/story/01-29-2004/0002099277&EDATE=THU+Jan+29+2004,+04:15+PM

 
http://www.callalarga.com

With an excellent rating from The New York Times, three stars from Newsday and “Restaurant of Choice” award
from the Single Gourmet Dining Club, Calla Larga is a cozy restaurant with a friendly and efficient waitstaff.
The contemporary Mediterranean decor of pale peach with pictures of seascapes sets the mood for light
Mediterranean cuisine that you will enjoy here.

The bread basket consisting of a variety of warm delicious rolls will entice you while you choose from the
menu of pastas, meats, fish, veal and poultry. Chef-owner Denis Vidas, from Croatiais responsible for the
dishes which are wholesome and many of them his own creations. He doesn’t use butter in his recipes and uses
only the freshest ingredients available. Denis has a passion for cooking and likes to experiment with simple
ingredients to create a whole new dish. He uses different fish from all over the world, which he selects
himself at the market. They have become his signature dishes. Co-owner Daria Vidas, Denis’ wife, helps him run
the restaurant and bakes the luscious desserts. Daria graduated from culinary school in her native Dalmatia
with a specialty in pastry and desserts. She has won awards for her delectable creations. The wine list,
featuring 80 kinds of wine from Italy, France, California, Long Island, Oregon and Washington, was carefully
chosen by Denis.

Whether you order from the menu or choose one of the many “specials of the day”, you won’t be disappointed at
Calla Larga.

TASTING DINNERS; FIXED PRICE DINNERS; WINE DINNERS; DAILY SPECIALS; PRIVATE PARTY ROOM; ON & OFF PREMISE
CATERING; HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE


ANTIPASTI - ANTIPASTO
Calamari Dalmata - sauteed & grilled with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley & natural juices
Oysters Royale - baked & sauteed with bread crumbs, extra virgin olive oil, garlic & champagne sauce
Verdura Alla Griglia - grilled vegetables
Carpaccio Di Manzo - sliced filet mignon with arugula, parmigiano, shiitake mushrooms, lemon vinaigrette

RISOTTI - RICE
Risotto Dalmata - mixed seafood

FRUTTI DI MARE - FRUITS OF THE SEA
Scampi Alla Dalmata
cognac, fresh tomato, white wine, herbs
Zuppa Di Pesche
jumbo shrimps, scallops, fillet of fish, white wine, herbs
St Peter’s Fish
grilled olive oil or with Italian Gaeta olives & tomatoes
Orata - grilled with olive oil
Chilean Sea Bass - covered with tri color chopped salad

POLLI - POULTRY
Polla Dalmata
double breast with balsamic vinegar, rosemary & garlic

CARNI - MEATS
Costolette Di Agniello
roasted rack of lamb & flambe with cognac
Filetto Di Manzo Calla Larga
filet mignon with red wine, cognac,
shallots & portobello mushrooms

BELLEROSE
247-63 Jericho Turnpike
516-775-4388

callalarga.com

CUISINE
Northern Italian
Adriatic

AVERAGE CHECK
Appet & Entree pp w/o drinks
$20 - $30

RESERVATIONS
Necessary on Week ends

CREDIT CARDS
AMEX VISA MC
DINERS CLUB

HOURS
Lunch
Tues - Fri
12:00 - 3:00
Dinner
Tues - Thurs
5:00 - 10:00
Fri & Sat
5:00 - 11:00
Sunday
2:00 - 9:00

ATTIRE
Casual Neat

Monday Closed

Tuesday 12-3, 5-10
Wednesday 12-3, 5-10
Thursday 12-3, 5-10
Friday 12-3, 5-10
Saturday 5-11
Sunday 2-9

Tamara Obrovac

http://www.tamaraobrovac.com

...jazz je moja sloboda, a korijeni su moja istina...

...jazz is my freedom and my roots are my inner truth...

...che esso ha nella formazione della mia identita' personale e musicale...
 

u potrazi za originalnoscu glazbenog izricaja
shvatila sam vrijednost i smisao osjecaja
za vlastiti zavicaj
jezik
i tradiciju
kao i njegovu ulogu u stvaranju
mog osobnog i skladateljskog izraza
jazz je moja sloboda, a korijeni su moja istina
 

The singer flutist and composer Tamara Obrovac was born 1962 in Croatian city of Pula where she finished High school of music for flute.She is one of the most important artists on the Croatian music scene, and in the past few years she has become very popular due to the influence of the Istrian folk music that has been the creative force of her works. Istria is a beautiful Croatian region, a North Adriatic peninsula, particular for It’s musical and dialectal tradition. She also writes lyrics in a local dialects.
In addition to here international concert activities she composes for theatre performances, cartoons, movies, musicals, etc. and she is also a member of the international Balkan winds ensemble.
This creative musician has become known for her highly aesthetic performances, her interpretations are
suffused with spontaneity, inventive improvisation, freedom, humour and the ability to communicate with the
audience. Her musical career began in Zagreb where she went by the beginning of the 1980ies to study sociology - it was then that she formed her own band that played her compositions. She slowly began discovering the jazz scene of Zagreb and Ljubljana and began to perform with young Croatian and Slovenian jazz musicians, to finally enroll in the jazz singing classes at the High School of Music in Ljubljana. With her natural inclination towards exploration and experimenting she always participated to projects that brought something new and as a person of powerful imagination and ideas she strived to dedicate herself to her own, personal projects. However, by the beginning of the nineties the war in former Yougoslavia quieted many things, and so it quieted club performances in both Croatia and Slovenia - it was at this time that Tamara returned to her native Istria, untouched by war, where she dedicated herself to her own musical progress and prepared her first CD entitled “Triade”, issued in 1996.This CD was a compilation of sorts, in which she presented three areas that
were most present in her work at the time: jazz standards, original jazz compositions, and compositions
inspired by Istrian folk music. With this CD she introduced freshness and a new way of thinking on Croatian jazz scene. A stylistically more refined CD entitled Ulika followed 1988, on which all her compositions are sung in dialect. This is an exceptional work of unusual strength, distinctiveness, intellectual but also spiritual permeatedness with the roots, habits, folklore, language, music and spirit of Istria and the Istrians. At that time she began to perform with here quartet in the neighbouring countries, Italy, Slovenia, Austria.A new page in her musical development was opened by the CD ”Transhistria” on which she inaugurated a new ensemble and a different sound with which, remaining faithful to the musical expression rooted in her native Istria, she definitely proved herself as an extraordinary artist that has created, by using elements of tradition, a distinctive musical expression with which she has become increasingly more present on the European musical stage. Through the communion of different musical forms and improvisation, the last CD “Sve pasiva” (All fades away) conveys an even more profiled authorial approach, creating a unique authorial form that, inspired by the vastest Mediterranean tradition, has established the “personal poetics” of the author, while in the alchemy with her extraordinary musicians she creates an incredible lightness of expression that truly characterizes only the greatest artists.

Tamara Obrovac within the Istrian cultural context
Transcript from the magazine La Battana, no. 130, December 1999, page 106, 107,

author Loredana Bogliun

We seldom encounter authors that create a new style drawing their strength from the existing poetic sources. Tamara has understood that if she intelligently picked from and artistically handled the traditional values at her disposal, she could draw from a well of infinite, creative and original stories. She understood that this approach would give her a strong artistic identity and that by creating melodies, lyrics and different
interpretations she can best express herself and her artistic singularity: to live with art - a privilege of
only few. I feel that these few are those who have felt the calling, the need for a complete dedication to
art, the gift of their own beauty to the beauty of others.

The language of truth is always universal. But the universality also needs a Voice. For Tamara Obrovac that Voice is Istria; more precisely, the cultural matrix of chakavian Istria, that typically rural, strongly
rooted Istria, characterised by a distinctly melodious speech. The authenticity of this musical story and the
interpretations of the same derive precisely from Tamara's sense of belonging to this Istrian soil. On the
concert, when she interprets her songs, she is the soil from which the wheat grows, the sun that scorches at
noon, the woman that knows the hardships of life, the impudent and innocent fury of the Istrian peasant that
was always trodden upon by the historical events, the rebellious song of the American Negro, the voice that gently caresses and strongly requests; in beautiful harmony with the musicians that during their performance become one, communicating to us the magic of rhythm, music, sound… The modern rendition of culturological archetypes is wonderful.

Contact:

Tamara Obrovac
Carlijeva 1, 52100 Pula, Croatia
tel: ++385 52 50-58-89
e-mail: tamara.obrovac@pu.hinet.hr 


Pjevacica, flautistica, skladateljica i autorica tekstova Tamara Obrovac rodjena je 1962. godine u Puli, gdje je zavrsila srednju glazbenu skolu za flautu. Jedna je od najznacajnijih i najsvestranijih osobnosti na Hrvatskoj glazbenoj sceni, a zahvaljujuci utjecajima istarske narodne glazbe koje koristi u kreiranju svog glazbenog izraza, u nekoliko je posljednjih godina stekla i veliku popularnost. Uz internacionalnu koncertnu aktivnost sklada glazbu za balet, kazaliste i film, a stalni je clan medjunarodnog ensemblea Balkan Winds (CD u pripremi) Ova kreativna glazbenica postigla je prepoznatljivost i visoku estetsku razinu, a njezine interpretacije prozete su spontanoscu, inventivnim improvizacijama, slobodom, humorom i snaznom komunikativnoscu. Najzahtjevnije aranzmane izvodi sa lakocom i jednostavnoscu svojstvenom samo najvecim umjetnicima. Njena glazbena karijera zapocela je u Zagrebu u koji pocetkom osamdesetih dolazi na studij sociologije - tada osniva vlastiti band koji svira njene skladbe. Polagano otkriva zagrebacku i Ljubljansku jazz scenu i pocinje nastupati sa mladim Hrvatskim i Slovenskim jazz glazbenicima, a u Ljubljani upisuje jazz pjevanje pri srednjoj glazbenoj skoli. Sklona trazenju i eksperimentiranju, uvijek je sudjelovala u projektima koji su donosili nesto novo, a kao osoba snazne imaginacije i ideje zeljela se posvetiti vlastitim projektima.No pocetkom 90-tih rat je utihnuo mnoge aktivnosti pa tako klupske svirke u Hrvatskoj i Sloveniji - tada se Tamara vraca u rodnu Istru netaknutu ratom gdje radi na vlastitom glazbenom usavrsavanju i priprema svoj prvi CD “Triade” koji izlazi 1996. Bila je to svojevrsna kompilacija u kojoj je predstavila tri podrucja prisutna u njezinu radu : jazz standarde interpretirane jezikom suvremenog jazza, originalne jazz skladbe pjevane na engleskom, te skladbe inspirirane istarskom narodnom glazbom. Ovim CD-om najavila je svjezinu i novi nacin razmisljanja na nasoj jazz sceni. Uslijedio je stilski profiliraniji CD Ulika, na kojem sve svoje skladbe pjeva na dijalektu. To je iznimno djelo neobicne cvrstine, posebnosti, intelektualnog, ali i duhovnog prozimanja obicajima, folklorom, jezikom, glazbom i duhom Istre i Istrana. U to vrijeme zapocinje nastupati i u susjednim zemljama, Italiji, Sloveniji, Austriji. Novu stranicu u svom glazbenom razvoju otvara CD-om
”transhistria” inaugurirajuci novi ansambl i drugaciji zvuk kojim se, ostajuci vjerna izricaju vezanom uz
rodnu Istru, definitivno potvrdjuje kao iznimna umjetnica koja je koristeci elemente tradicije stvorila
osebujan glazbeni izricaj kojim je sve vise prisutna na Europskoj glazbenoj sceni.
Kroz suzivot razlicitih glazbenih formi i improvizacije posljednji CD “Sve pasiva” donosi jos profiliraniji
autorski pristup stvarajuci unikatnu autorsku formu koja, inspirirana opcom Mediteranskom tradicijom, etablira “osobnu poetiku” autorice, a uz alkemiju sa izvanrednim glazbenicima postize nevjerojatnu lakocu izricaja svojstvenu zaista samo najvecim umjetnicima.



TAMARA OBROVAC U ISTARSKOM KULTURNOM KONTEKSTU
Loredana Bogliun

Rijetko susrecemo autore koji stvaraju novi stil crpeci snagu iz postojeceg poetskog. Tamara je shvatila da iz tradicionalnih vrijednosti ukoliko ih inteligentno zaokruzi te umjetnicki obradi, moze crpiti izvor
neiscrpnih, kreativnih, originalnih prica. Razumjela je da joj ovakav pristup pruza snazan umjetnicki
identitet i da ona, stvarajuci melodije, tekstove i dajuci razlicite interpretacije moze najbolje iskazati
sebe i svoju umjetnicku osobnost. A to je: zivjeti sa umjetnoscu - privilegija rijetkih. Mislim da su ti
rijetki upravo oni koji osjecaju poziv, tu potpunu predaju umjetnosti, poklanjanje vlastite ljepote ljepoti
drugih.Istinski govor je uvijek univerzalan. Ali i univerzalnost treba Glas. Taj Glas je za Tamaru Obrovac Istra; preciznije receno kulturna matrica cakavske Istre, ona tipicno zemljoradnicka, snaznih korijena i posebne govorne melodioznosti.autenticnost ove muzike price i interpretacije iste izlaze upravo iz Tamarine pripadnosti istarskoj zemlji. Dok na koncertu interpretira svoje pjesme, ona je zemlja iz koje raste zito, sunce koje przi u podne, zena koja pozna nedace, ljutnja drska i nevina onog istrijana koji je uvijek bivao pregazen povijesnim dogadjajima, buntovno pjevanje americkih crnaca, glas koji njezno miluje i snazno zahtijeva; u predivnom skladu glazbenika koji se u izvodjenju spajaju u jedno, prenoseci nam magiju ritma, glazbe, zvuka…..Moderna izvedba kulturoloskih arhetipova je velicanstvena.

VOTE: GLASAJTE: for WORLD AWARDS 2004
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2004/vote/audienceaward.shtml

Moto poruke: kocekomenegosvojsvome...

                WORLD MUSIC:

ETNO GLAZBENA RADIONICA

GLAZBA SJEVEROZAPADNE HRVATSKE - MEĐIMURJE

Nositelj projekta: Hrvatska matica iseljenika,www.matis.hr

Suorganizatori : Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku,www.maief.ief.hr

                           Hrvatski glazbeni centar,www.hgc.hr

Voditelj projekta: Melita Matijevic, e-mail:melita@matis.hr

Mjesto održavanja: Cakovec

Vrijeme održavanja: od 11. – 19. srpnja 2004. godine

Ocekivani broj polaznika: 20

Cilj radionice jepredstaviti tradicijske glazbe sjeverozapadne Hrvatske

(Medimurje) i istražiti mogucnosti primjene u kontekstu hrvatske etno glazbe.

Ovim  projektom želimo pridonijeti cuvanju i razvijanju kulturne tradicije u                        hrvatskim zajednicama diljem svijeta i predstaviti ovaj, za etno glazbu, inspirativni dio hrvatske kulturne baštine glazbenicima širom svijeta.

Tradicija se najbolje cuva njenim življenjem i neprestanim njegovanjem, stoga su nastojanja onih da posebnosti glazbe Medimurja ucine dijelom popularne suvremene kulture hvale vrijedna.

    Posebnost medimurske glazbe su jednoglasni napjevi s naglašenom emocionalnošcu

    melodije koja izvire iz molskog tonaliteta uz pratnju osebujnih glazbala poput

    tambure, citre i cimbala. Ta raznolikost, ljepota i bogatstvo zvuka vezani uz iskonske

    vrijednosti, prirodu i tradiciju a prilagodeni modernom vremenu, vrijednosti su koje

    cine ovu umjetnost održivom.  

                     Rad glazbene radionice odvijat ce se u tri dijela:

I.   teoretski dio - tematska predavanja  (teme po izboru iz                  etnomuzikologije Hrvatske):

-        pregled hrvatske tradicijske glazbe po regijama;

-        prikupljanje, zapisivanje i izdavanje tradicijskih napjeva (od 19. stoljeca do danas);

-        veza izmedu world music i tradicijske glazbe;

-        hrvatska glazbena etno scena;

-        tradicijske glazbe Medimurja;

-        podjela tradicijskih medimurskih pjesama prema formi i sadržaju;

-        hrvatska tradicijska glazbala.

                       II.  prakticni dio - moderne percepcije tradicijskoga:                      

                  A

-        izvodenje medimurskih pjesama (ucenje napjeva i stihova,                                                

      osmišljavanje i uvježbavanje glazbene pratnje);

-        primjena glazbala u izvodenju  tradicijske glazbe;

-        primjena tradicijskih glazbala u izvodenju etno glazbe;

                                                      B

-        susreti s glazbenicima;

-        susreti s KUD-ovima;

-        posjet puhackom orkestru;

-        posjet radionici glazbala Vladimira Proskurnjaka.

III.   izvannastavne aktivnosti:

-        vecernje projekcije dokumentarnih filmova (tematski vezanih uz sadržaje radionica);

-        obilazak znamenitosti medimurskog kraja (posjet Muzeju Medimurja Cakovec);

-        jednodnevni izlet sa strucnim vodstvom u Zagreb (razgled  grada, posjet Muzeju grada Zagreba i Etnografskom muzeju).

Pozivamo sve ljubitelje etno glazbe da dodu u našu radionicu koju ce voditi vodeci hrvatski etnomuzikolozi i glazbenici (Lidija Bajuk, Stjepan Veckovic…).

Dobro došao svaki glas i svaki instrument!

Za sve dodatne obavijesti javite se na adresu:

Hrvatska matica iseljenika

Melita Matijevic

Trg Stjepana Radica 3

10000 Zagreb, Croatia

tel.++385 1/6115 116, faks ++385 1/6111 522

e-mail:melita@matis.hr

WORLD MUSIC: ETNO GLAZBENA RADIONICA

 2004

WORLD MUSIC: ETHNO-MUSIC WORKSHOP

WORLD MUSIC: TALLER DE MUSICA ETNICA

11. - 19. srpnja /July 11-19 / 11 - 19 de julio

PRISTUPNICA -  APPLICATION - FICHA DE INSCRIPCION

Ime i prezime/First & last name

Nombre y apellido__________________________________________________________

Adresa/Address

Direccion_________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Tel. & Fax._____________________________      

E- mail:___________________________

Datum rodenja/Date of Birth / Fecha de nacimiento

____________________________________

Muško/Male Masc.   *               Žensko /Female Fem *

Mjesto rodenja/Place of birth / Lugar de nacimiento

___________________________________

Država rodenja/Country of birth /Pais de nacimiento 

____________________________________

Obrazovanje: navedite ime škole/studij/glavni predmet studija

Education/School/major course / Educacion: nombre de la escuela y titulo obtenido

____________________________________________________________________

Sadašnje zanimanje/Current occupation / Ocupacion actual  

____________________________________________________________________

Bavite li se glazbom?/profesionalno/amaterski

Do You go in for music?

Practicá Usted música?/Profesionalmente o como aficionado?

_____________________________________________________________________

Svirate li neki instrument?/Koji?

Do You play any instrument?/Professionally or amateurishly?

Toca Usted algún instrumento? Cuál?

_____________________________________________________________________

Adresa za kontakt / Contact's address/Nombre de los padres y direccion

_____________________________________________________________________

• Broj zdravstvenog osiguranja za inozemstvo/Health security no. for foreign countries (Croatia) / Numero de seguro social para el exterior (Croacia)

_________________________________________

• U privitku depozit/bank. cek od ……. € za Etno radionicu. / Deposit bank - check for the Ethno Workshop / Se adjunta deposito en cheque para Taller de musica etnica
• Yes/si *      No/no *

Pristupnice i popratni dokumenti moraju stici na adresu Hrvatske matice iseljenika najkasnije do 15. lipnja 2004. 

Completed forms and documents must be returned no later than June 15, 2004 to CHF/Hrvatska matica iseljenika in Zagreb.

La ficha de inscripcion completa junto con toda la documentacion debera ser entregada antes del 15 de junio de 2004, en cheque a nombre de Hrvatska matica iseljenika en Zagreb.

NAIVNA UMJETNOST

SLIKARSKA RADIONICA

ZARONITE U CUDESNI SVIJET HRVATSKE NAIVNE UMJETNOSTI

Nositelj projekta: Hrvatska matica iseljenika

Suorganizator: Galerija «Josip Generalic», Hlebine

Voditelj projekta:  Melita Matijevic, e-mail:melita@matis.hr

Mjesto održavanja: Hlebine

Vrijeme održavanja:  od20. - 28. lipnja, 2004. godine

Ocekivani broj polaznika:  20

Pozivamo vas da sudjelujete u jednom novom, zaista osobitom projektu;

radionici naivnog slikarstva koju organiziramo u suradnji s Galerijom «Josip

Generalic» u Hlebinama, u Podravini.

Ovom radionicom želimo pobuditi zanimanje ljudi hrvatskoga podrijetla, kao i

prijatelje naive, za hrvatsku naivnu umjetnost koja je medu najprepoznatljivijim

izricajima hrvatskog identiteta u svijetu, te ih u praksi nauciti tehniku slikanja na

staklu.

Opis projekta:

U hrvatskoj povijesti umjetnosti naivna umjetnost postoji od pocetka tridesetih godina prošloga stoljeca pod nazivom «Hlebisnka škola» koja je iznikla u malom selu Hlebinama, mjestu u pitomom kraju Podravine smještenom izmedu Drave s jedne strane i Bilogore s druge, koje je svoju svjetsku slavu steklo rodenjem izvorne hrvatske naivne umjetnosti. Hrvatska naivna umjetnost nije slucajno nastala na selu. U mirnom i tihom krajoliku Podravine ona je izrasla na slikama naših naivaca kao cudesan spoj pejzaža, zemlje i ljudi ovoga kraja. Ona svjedoci o zajedništvu, o neraskidivoj vezi prirode i covjeka.

«Hlebinska škola» okupila je mnoga imena slikarske naive a prvi medu njima bio je Ivan Generalic koji je svojom izložbom u Parizu pedesetih godina prošloga stoljeca utro put našoj naivnoj umjetnosti u svijet. Interes za nju ne prestaje o cemu svjedoci i izložba naših naivaca postavljena 2000. godine u Muzeju lijepih umjetnosti u Saint Petersburgu na Floridi. «Hrvatsku naivu nitko ne može izbrisati. Njen pecat duboko je utisnut u podravskoj ravnici, u cijeloj hrvatskoj umjetnosti ...«, rekao je poznati slikar naivac Ivan Vecenaj.

Rad slikarske  radionice odvijat ce se u tri dijela:

I.                  teoretski dio - tematska predavanja:

- Hrvatska naivna umjetnost u kontekstu (prof. dr. sc. Vladimir Goss) – 2 predavanja;

- Hrvatska naivna umjetnost na tragu avangarde (prof.  Lilijana Domic) – 2 predavanja. 

II.        prakticni dio - demonstracija slikanja na staklu:

-        slikarski planovi;

-        crtanje zadane teme na papiru (skica za staklo);

-        kompozicija;

-        motiv;

-        valer;

-        zracna perspektiva (odnos boja u planovima);

-        susreti s poznatim slikarima naive;

-        terenska nastava («galerijske ceste»);

-        izložba dovršenih radova.

III.      izvannastavne aktivnosti:

-        obilazak znamenitosti podravskog kraja i upoznavanje sa tradicijskim obicajima ljudi iz Podravine;

-        jednodnevni izlet sa strucnim vodstvom u Zagreb (razgled grada, posjet Muzeju grada Zagreba i Muzeju naivne umjetnosti, susret s jednim od najpoznatijih živucih slikara naive).

Ovim projektom želimo zainteresirati iseljene Hrvate, njihove potomke i ostale ljubitelje naivnog slikarstva u svijetu da se odazovu našem pozivu kako bi se upoznali s našom naivnom umjetnošcu i u praksi naucili tehniku slikanja na staklu.

Sudionike radionice sa univerzalnom slikom svijeta hrvatske naivne umjetnosti upoznat ce eminentni povjesnicari umjetnosti i živuci slikari naive i otkriti im jedno cudesno podrucje umjetnickog stvaralaštva.

Dobro došli u cudesni svijet naive!

Za sve dodatne obavijesti javite se na adresu:

Hrvatska matica iseljenika

Melita Matijevic

Trg Stjepana Radica 3

10000 Zagreb, Croatia

tel.++385 1/6115 116, faks++385 1/6111 522

e-mail: melita@matis.hr 

RADIONICA NAIVNOG SLIKARSTVA

2004

NAIVE ART PAINTING - WORKSHOP

TALLER DE PINTURA NAIF

20. - 28. lipnja /June 20-28 / 20 - 28 de junio

PRISTUPNICA -  APPLICATION - FICHA DE INSCRIPCION

Ime i prezime/First & last name

Nombre y apellido__________________________________________________________

Adresa/Address

Direccion_________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Tel. & Fax._____________________________       

E- mail:___________________________

Datum rodenja/Date of Birth / Fecha de nacimiento

____________________________________

Muško/Male Masc.   *               Žensko /Female Fem *

Mjesto rodenja/Place of birth / Lugar de nacimiento

___________________________________

Država rodenja/Country of birth /Pais de nacimiento 

____________________________________

Obrazovanje: navedite ime škole/studij/glavni predmet studija

Education/School/major course / Educacion: nombre de la escuela y titulo obtenido

_____________________________________________________________________

Sadašnje zanimanje/Current occupation / Ocupacion actual  

_____________________________________________________________________

Bavite li se slikarstvom?/profesionalno/amaterski

Do You paint?/Professionally or amateurishly?

Practica Usted pintura?/Profesionalmente o como aficionado?

_____________________________________________________________________

Poznajete li tehniku slikanja na staklu?

Have You some experience with glass-painting?

Conoce Usted la técnica de la pintura en vidrio?

_____________________________________________________________________

Adresa za kontakt / Contact's address/Nombre de los padres y direccion

_____________________________________________________________________

• Broj zdravstvenog osiguranja za inozemstvo/Health security no. for foreign countries (Croatia) / Numero de seguro social para el exterior (Croacia)

_________________________________________

• U privitku depozit/bank. cek od ……. € za Radionicu naivnog slikarstva. / Deposit bank - check for the  Naive Art Painting - Workshop / Se adjunta deposito en cheque para Taller de pintura naif.
• Yes/si *      No/no *

Pristupnice i popratni dokumenti moraju stici na adresu Hrvatske matice iseljenika najkasnije do 20. svibnja 2004.

Completed forms and documents must be returned no later than May 20, 2004 to CHF/Hrvatska matica iseljenika in Zagreb.

La ficha de inscripcion completa junto con toda la documentacion debera ser entregada antes del 20 de mayo de 2004, en cheque a nombre de Hrvatska matica iseljenika en Zagreb.

VOTE: GLASAJTE: for WORLD AWARDS 2004
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2004/vote/audienceaward.shtml

Moto poruke: kocekomenegosvojsvome...

Editor's Note:

Dear Crown family,

I want to inform you about the Croatian talent Tamara Obrovac, who is up for the World Awards, because of her talent. I heard about her many times and recently her name was mentioned with mine by our new minister of culture Mr. Biskupic as an example of Croatian Cultural Product. Go to her highly sophisticated webpage, listen to her music and decide if you want to support her with your vote. I did. And I do recommend it highly. This is a moment in our history that defines and redefines of who we really are, as individuals and as a nation. What we lack and what MUST be done is structure of support for talented people. Logistics and sustainable support. I believe that the moment is NOW.

Support her and let me know what do you think of her music.

Svako dobro,

Nenad

Voting is only till Jan 29th, 2004

http://www.tamaraobrovac.com

u potrazi za originalnoscu glazbenog izricaja
shvatila sam vrijednost i smisao osjecaja
za vlastiti zavicaj
jezik
i tradiciju
kao i njegovu ulogu u stvaranju
mog osobnog i skladateljskog izraza
jazz je moja sloboda, a korijeni su moja istina
 

VOTE: GLASAJTE: for WORLD AWARDS 2004
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/awards2004/vote/audienceaward.shtml

Moto poruke: kocekomenegosvojsvome...