With a concert of world-famous artists Aleksey Igudesman and Lucy Landymore and the 2025/2026 concert season ended with the award ceremony. Croatian House Split.
The most important results of one of the most successful seasons in the institution’s history were presented in the presence of numerous artists, collaborators, representatives of the cultural life of the city and a loyal audience.
Director of the Croatian Home Split Vanesa Kleva she pointed out that almost 250 events were held during the season, 173 of which were part of the program of the Croatian Home, with more than 27,000 visitors and more than 18,000 tickets sold, which represents a significant increase compared to the previous year. In her address, she singled out the Classic cycle, which included sixty concerts, the first SIMC International Piano Competition, the second THINK ART conference, and the Children’s Laboratory as one of the most important programs for the development of a new audience.
She also pointed out that during the season Croatian Home Split printed more than 3,000 copies of the picture book “Ivo and Jakov – from the Split Ghetto to the Stage of the World”, which were distributed to elementary school students in Split.
The start of the new multimedia hall
Kleva also announced a new step forward for the institution – the start of the new multimedia hall on Trg Hrvatske bratske zajednica, which will proudly bear the name Jakov Gotovac.
Deputy mayor of Split Matea Dorčić in her address, she also emphasized the financial indicators of the institution’s success, noting that the Croatian Home Split achieved an increase in its own income of as much as 30 percent compared to the previous season, which confirms the growth of audience interest, the quality of the program and the increasingly strong position of the institution on the cultural map of the city.
Before the award ceremony, the film “Best of the season” was shown, which recalled the most significant artists, projects and events that marked the past concert year.
The awards were decided by an expert jury made up of musicians, music pedagogues, media representatives and loyal concertgoers of the Croatian Home Split.
Award of the season to the Wigmore Soloists ensemble
The award for the best musical achievement of the season was won by the Wigmore Soloists ensemble, one of the most respected chamber ensembles today, which means that the highest award of the season went to a concert from the field of classical music.
The award for the best musical achievement in the cycle of Jazz and world music was awarded to outstanding musicians Vaska Atanasovski and Vasil Hadžimanovwho brought a contemporary and authentic view of the regional jazz and world music scene with their concerts.
As a result of this award, these musicians become artists-in-residence in the next season.
The ‘Split Circle’ award for a unique art project
The “Split Circle” award went to him Mirko Škarica for the multimedia concert “The Stranger Within”, a unique art project that combined music, animation, scenography, narration and contemporary dance into an impressive artistic whole. The special feature of this award is the fact that Škarica’s project won both the audience and the profession – the visitors of the Croatian Home Split voted for it, and the expert jury included it among the best of this season with their votes.
“Iva and Jakov” Award for audience development
A special award for audience development was awarded to the author team of the “Ivo and Jakov” project – a joint co-production of the Croatian Home Split and the City Puppet Theater Split – which brings together the author of the picture book Magdalena Mrčelathe director of the play Goran Golovkoactors, puppeteers, musicians and numerous collaborators. Through a picture book, a theater performance and educational programs, the project brought life and work closer to the youngest in a modern, creative and accessible way. Ivo Tijardović and Jakov Gotovac and contributed to the creation of a new generation of audiences for cultural content.
Cycle of young musicians
The expert jury especially praised the participants of this year’s Cycle of Young Musicians by Jakov Gotovac, and the award for the best performance was awarded to the soprano Anja Papi Peranović.
Audience Award awarded for the first time
For the first time this season, the audience also voted. In a survey conducted among the subscribers of the Croatian Home Spli, the best concert in the World Music cycle was singled out as the performance of the Portuguese faddist Line, in the Jazz cycle the audience was most delighted by the concert Maje Rivićwhile the Wigmore Soloists ensemble won the most votes in the Classic cycle. Thus, the opinions of the audience and the profession met precisely in the selection of Wigmore Soloists as one of the highlights of the 2025/2026 concert season.
Photojournalist Jadran Babić Special recognition for his contribution to visibility
At the end of the ceremony, a special award was given to the photojournalist Jadran Babić for long-term contribution to the visibility and promotion of the program of the Croatian Home Split. Over the years, his photographs have become a valuable documentation of the concert and cultural life of the institution.
The ceremony ended with a gathering of artists, collaborators and the audience in the foyer of the Hrvatski dom Split, with numerous congratulations to the winners and joint reminiscence of the best moments of the past concert season.
Although the concert season has officially ended, the audience can expect new top musical experiences at the end of the summer. Croatian Home Split continues its festival program with the Vibrez festival, which from August 26 to 30 brings a number of world-famous artists and musical names to the Meštrović Gallery, including Mogwai, Mariza, Mario BiondiLaibach and Morcheebwhich will once again make Split one of the most attractive cultural stages of the Mediterranean.
