| The aim of the masterclass is to connect the Baroque with the present, that is, to open a dialogue between Baroque and contemporary repertoire. Participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with the fundamental elements of Baroque interpretation (ornamentation, phrasing, the role of basso continuo, as well as the use of modes), and to explore how similar principles can be recognized in contemporary music as well. In this way, a bridge is created between the past and the present, and performers discover that many challenges and ideas are shared regardless of the era. The work will be organized through chamber ensemble rehearsals and lectures in which students will work in parallel on Baroque and contemporary works. Special emphasis will be placed on active listening and communication within the ensemble. There will also be space for discussions about performance experience, as well as for short creative tasks (improvisation or simple composition), thereby linking the Baroque improvisational tradition with contemporary performance practice. The goal of the masterclass is to encourage young musicians to develop sensitivity to style and historical context, while also gaining freedom in their approach to contemporary works. In this way, Baroque and contemporary music will be revealed as two worlds that complement and enrich each other, rather than standing in opposition. |
Biography:
| Pianist Mia Elezović began her international concert career at a very early age, performing as a soloist and in chamber ensembles throughout Europe, North and Central America, and Asia. As a soloist, she has collaborated with leading Croatian orchestras – the Zagreb Philharmonic, the Croatian Radio-Television Symphony Orchestra, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Croatian Chamber Orchestra, and the Gaudeamus String Orchestra – under the baton of renowned conductors such as Kazushi Ono, Pavle Dešpalj, and Pascal Rophé. She has performed at prestigious festivals including the Music Biennale Zagreb, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (Germany), International Holland Music Sessions (Netherlands), Hamamatsu Music Academy Festival (Japan), International Keyboard Festival (New York, USA), Las Vegas Music Festival (USA), and Meranofest (Italy). In addition, she collaborates with numerous distinguished musicians and ensembles, including the Zagreb Guitar Trio, Fabio di Casola, Jelena Očić, Charlie Siem, David Pia, and others. As a pianist of refined chamber expression, in 2006 she became the solo pianist of the Spanish National Ensemble for Contemporary Music in Madrid, and since 2011 she has been a member of the Alisios Camerata ensemble, while since 2019 she has been active in the contemporary music ensemble Synchronos. At the invitation of tenor William Lewis and the Franco American Vocal Academy from the United States, she works every summer in Salzburg, where she coaches young singers in Lied and Mozart operas, simultaneously serving as the program’s managing director. She has received numerous international awards and has been a scholarship holder of prestigious institutions such as Fondazione Roma, the Soros Foundation, and Rotary Deutschland. She has taught at artistic institutions in Japan, Germany, and the United States, and since 2023 she has been an associate professor at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek. She serves as a juror at international piano competitions in Croatia, the United States, Poland, and the Netherlands. She studied at the Music Academy in Zagreb in the class of Prof. Zvjezdana Bašić, then in Vienna and Frankfurt, and specialized at the Manhattan School of Music in New York in the Contemporary Performance program, completing it with a master’s degree. |
https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Elezovi%C4%87