Berislav Šipuš
Honorary artistic director of the Cantus Ensemble
Along with studying the History of Art at the Zagreb Faculty Humanities and Social Sciences, Berislav Šipuš took classes and successfully graduated composition (in 1987) at the Zagreb Academy of Music in the class of Prof. Stanko Horvat. He continued his composition studies under Gilbert Bosco in Udine (1986), and Francois Bernard Machea and Iannis Xenakis in Paris (1987).
From 1979-1982 Šipuš was permanently engaged as a pianist and répétiteur by the HNK (Croatian National Theater) Ballet in Zagreb. From 1987-1989 he held lectures in Musical Theory at the Elly Bašić Music School in Zagreb, from 1988-1989 he worked as a pianist and répétiteur in the Bermuda Civic Ballet, while in 1989 Šipuš was a program producer at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. In 1989 Berislav Šipuš commenced his professional collaboration with the Teatro alla Scala in Milan as a pianist and répétiteur in the Ballet (1989-1999), orchestra conductor in the Ballet productions (1997-1999), pianist, répétiteur and assisting conductor in the Opera (1999-2001). At the same time Berislav Šipuš was active in Zagreb, particularly on the Academy of Music as a lecturer of theoretical courses (1988-1989), senior lecturer at the Department for Composition and Music Theory (since 1998), an associate professor (since 2005) and full professor since 2009. Furthermore, he was a producer of the Music Biennale Zagreb (in 1987 and 1989) and its Art Director from 1997 till 2011.He was the Director of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra from 2001 to 2005 and the Art Manager of the Cantus Ensemble since its foundation in 2001.
From December 2011 acts as deputy minister of culture.
AWARDS: Zagreb University Rector’s Award (1985); First Award at the 15th International Music Youth Competition (Beograd, 1985); Seven Secretaries Award of the Yugoslav Communist Youth Association (1985); Award at the Zagreb Music Biennale (1987); Croatian Music Institute Award (1988); Vjesnik’s Josip Štolcer Slavenski Award (1995); Boris Papandopulo Award of the Croatian Composers’ Society (2002 and 2009); he was ordained Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of France (2004), the Medal of the Order of Danica Hrvatska with the image of Marko Marulić; Vladimir Nazor Award (2009.)
