DUElly – Percussion Days at Elly Bašić

The first edition of the DUElly Percussion Festival – Percussion Days at Elly, held on March 30 and 31, 2026, at the Elly Bašić Music School, introduced a new and fresh concept that brings together percussionists of all generations and experience levels in one place. This innovative festival was envisioned as a platform connecting young talents through education, interaction, and concert performance. The keynote guest of the festival was the distinguished Professor Jože Bogolin from the Conservatory of Music and Ballet in Ljubljana, whose presence ensured a high pedagogical and artistic level for the entire event.

The program opened on Monday with a workshop on drum kit fundamentals for beginners led by Professor Luka Pavlić, followed by the opening of the DUElly Showroom dedicated to instrument presentations and testing. A vibrant dynamic was set by the first Duel Matinee, where students from the Pavle Markovac Music School went head-to-head with hosts from the Elly Bašić Music School. The afternoon hours were devoted to professional development through a discussion and workshop led by Professor Bogolin, while the highlight of the first day was his solo recital in the Main Hall.

The second day of the festival brought new educational content as well as fun formats, such as the DUElly Game Room featuring video games played on percussion instruments. The morning session hosted the second friendly duel, this time between students from the Zlatko Baloković Music School and the Vatroslav Lisinski Music School. With individual masterclasses led by the guest lecturer and a music quiz hosted by Professor Dario Sabol, the festival successfully balanced serious work with a relaxed atmosphere.

As the culmination of the entire festival, the Final Concert of Zagreb Percussionists was held, bringing together performers and the audience in the Main Hall to celebrate community and percussion artistry. The event attracted significant media attention, with reports highlighting the resounding success of the inaugural edition and emphasizing the importance of this type of networking for the future of the profession in Croatia.

The entire program formally concluded with an informal gathering at the DUElly Afterparty for all participants and guests, laying a solid foundation for the future tradition of this festival.

The project was co-financed by the City of Zagreb through funds awarded under the Public Call for Proposals for Public Cultural Needs Programs of the City of Zagreb for 2026.

Introducing the Solfeggio Exercise Books by Davor Zanoški and Zlata Životić

We are proud to present two professional publications by authors Davor Zanoški and Zlata Životić, designed as valuable teaching materials for regular classes as well as excellent preparation for competitors at the Sonus International Competition for Young Musicians.

First Solfeggio Exercise Book (Grades 1 and 2)

The first publication, published by the Opus Music Association, is intended for first- and second-grade primary music school students and is fully aligned with the curriculum. It contains ten written and ten oral worksheets, with dictations at the very end to complement the written section. This comprehensive resource helps students master theoretical, aural, creative, and intonational aspects, while providing teachers with clear benchmarks and a better insight into the required skill level outlined in the Sonus Competition rules.

Second Solfeggio Exercise Book (Grades 3 and 4 / Preparatory 1)

The second, interactive exercise book is published by Školska knjiga. It is intended for third- and fourth-grade primary music school students, first-year preparatory music school students for independent study and practice, as well as teachers as supplementary teaching material. The workbook follows the curriculum for primary music and dance schools and is divided into two parts:

• Part One: Covers theoretical, aural, and intonational exercises along with introductory instructions. For ease of navigation, in the chapters Intervals and Triads exercises are adapted to the level of knowledge and visually separated by color — exercises for the third grade are marked in green, and those for the fourth grade in purple.
• Part Two: Contains worksheets for students who want to learn more and have fun. They serve as excellent material for regular classes as well as for preparation for Category 1 in the Solfeggio discipline at the Sonus Competition.

Interactive features and answer keys: The collection includes 115 recorded examples for ear training, easily accessible by scanning a QR code with a smartphone. This allows students to practice independently at home while offering teachers ready-made materials for aural recognition and dictations in class. Answer keys are provided at the end of each section, giving students quick feedback and making the teachers' work easier.

Both exercise books form a comprehensive educational kit that connects regular solfeggio classes and competition preparation in a modern and accessible way!

The Sonus International Young Musicians Competition is a prestigious annual event that provides a platform for young musical talents to showcase their abilities. Held in Križevci, Croatia, the competition attracts participants from across the region and beyond. With a jury composed of renowned Croatian and international music educators, Sonus offers a unique opportunity for young musicians to receive expert feedback. In addition to a numerical score, participants receive detailed written evaluations that provide valuable insights for both students and teachers.

Another specific detail about this competition is that this is the first competition in Croatia where the young musicians of the primary school age also compete in the discipline of percussions. The disciplines piano, solfeggio discipline and percussions are represented every year, whereas all the other instrumental disciplines alternate every two years.

The City of Križevci has proudly supported the Sonus International Young Musicians Competition as one of its official city events since 2018.

Since 2019, the Competition has been held under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Education.

History of the Competition

The first Young musicians competition Sonus op.1. was held in February 2015 in guitar, piano, solfeggio discipline and tambura discipline, the second Sonus op.2 competition included disciplines in accordion, piano, solfeggio discipline, percussions and violin.

Since the competition is getting bigger every year, Sonus op.3 has become an international competition in 2017 with disciplines in flute, piano, solfeggio discipline, tambura and percussions. In addition to Croatian members of the judging panel, there are also foreign music pedagogues

On Sonus op.4 competition we added another, sixth instrumental discipline, the category for the contestants between 17 and 25 years of age, which has two stages like the fifth category. The Competition included disciplines in accordian, piano, percussions and solfeggio discipline, with 256 competitors.

The fifth edition of the Competition in 2019 was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Education. In the four disciplines of piano, solfeggio discipline, tambura and percussion, 344 competitors from Croatia and abroad competed, which made the fifth edition of the Competition the largest so far.

Sonus op.6 was held in 2021 in the disciplines of piano, solfeggio discipline, tambura, violin and percussion with 254 participants.

U ožujku 2022. godine održan je Sonus op.7 na kojem je u disciplinama klavir, udaraljke, tambure, violina i solfeggio discipline .

A total of 392 contestants participated in the Sonus competition held in the spring of 2024. The disciplines represented in the eighth edition of the competition were: guitar, piano, tambura, solfeggio disciplinepercussion and violin.

Continuous growth and quality continued in 2025. In March 2025, the solo competition Sonus op. 9 was held, gathering 246 contestants across four disciplines: piano, tambura, guitar, and percussion.

In March 2026, the milestone tenth edition of the Sonus competition brought together 225 young pianists, percussionists, violinists, and music theorists.

Since 2019, the Competition has been held under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Education.

The Music Association Opus, Križevci Tamburitza Orchestra and Albert Štriga Music School Križevci organized the first International Chamber Music and Orchestra Festival Sonus, which took place in April 2024 in Križevci. A total of 24 ensembles participated in the disciplines of small chamber ensembles (duo and trio), small chamber ensembles (quartet and quintet), large chamber ensembles, and orchestras. A unique feature of the Festival is that the competitive segment is open to amateur ensembles and orchestras affiliated with associations, not just schools. In addition to the competitive part of the Festival, participants also had the opportunity to perform for the audience at gala concerts in the town squares of Križevci. The Concerts under the stars, held in front of the Križevci Cosmological Center, attracted a large audience. The festival orchestra, consisting of members of the Križevci Tamburitza Orchestra and the Križevci City Wind Orchestra, along with guest performers, presented a program that included classical pieces, film music, and timeless pop and rock hits.

In May 2025, the second International Music Festival Sonus was organized, continuing the tradition of promoting ensemble music-making. The event gathered around 150 participants, further enriching the cultural landscape and increasing the competition's visibility on an international level.

sponzori Međunarodnog natjecanja mladih glazbenika Sonus:

partneri Međunarodnog glazbenog festivala komornih sastava i orkestara Sonus:

pokrovitelji Međunarodnog glazbenog festivala komornih sastava i orkestara Sonus:

zlatni sponzori Međunarodnog glazbenog festivala komornih sastava i orkestara Sonus:

srebrni sponzori Međunarodnog glazbenog festivala komornih sastava i orkestara Sonus: