The new concert season of the Cantus Ensemble, which also marks the beginning of its anniversary year (25 years of activity!), opens on Monday, October 13, 2025, at 8 p.m. in the Vatroslav Lisinski Small Hall, featuring a special guest appearance by the renowned Polish Hashtag Ensemble.

 

The concert, titled Polish Young New Music, brings together two ensembles united by openness to contemporary musical practices, innovation in sound, and dedication to performing recent original works – as well as a shared desire for intercultural dialogue through art.

 

Poland and Croatia – renewing ties from the past

 

Artistic director Berislav Šipuš visited Poland two years ago, and from that moment the idea began to grow – an idea that is now coming to life (just think of this year’s MBZ edition and the brilliant Polish artists!). The idea: to re-establish artistic ties between the two countries.

 

Berislav Šipuš emphasizes:

“Two years ago, when I received an invitation to attend the performance of an opera by our friend and great Polish composer Zygmunt Krauze, I also had meetings through the National Cultural Fund (NFK). At that time, I visited Warsaw Autumn, as well as the venue and artistic leadership of Hashtag Ensemble. It is a young ensemble working in a contemporary context, supported by the City of Warsaw and the Polish NFK. Hashtag Ensemble primarily collaborates with the younger generation of Polish composers, and it was then that I wished for them to open one of our concert seasons – in line with our tradition of hosting at least one foreign ensemble each year. Soon, the wish for exchange became mutual, and just five days after the Zagreb concert, the Cantus Ensemble will travel to Warsaw to perform works by Croatian composers. The ties between Poland and Croatia, especially between Zagreb and Warsaw, and between their festivals and ensembles, have always been strong. Let us recall that not only Kelemen, but also Malec, and later Detoni, participated in Warsaw Autumn and left their mark there. We have been absent from that scene for a long time, and that is why I felt it was important to reconnect the key points of our collaboration: Music Biennale Zagreb, Warsaw Autumn, the Eufonie Festival, our Music Panel, and of course Cantus Ensemble, along with other ensembles – both in Croatia and Poland.”

 

Inclusiveness and openness of the guests

 

Founded in 2013, Hashtag Ensemble functions as a collective of eighteen musicians, united by a shared vision of innovative interpretations of contemporary music, improvisation, and music education. The ensemble regularly performs at Polish and international festivals, with a particular focus on accessibility, often designing concerts in non-traditional contexts. With a strong narrative focus in their programming, Hashtag Ensemble strives to attract diverse audiences, including those outside the usual circle of music enthusiasts. Their commitment to presenting the artistic achievements of women, as well as integrating improvisation into their repertoire, speaks to their inclusiveness and openness toward new musical forms.

 

Concert program

 

The program of the opening concert features works by six internationally acclaimed composers whose music reflects contemporary social, political, and ecological themes, combining sonic boldness with aesthetic diversity.

 

The concert begins with Paradise Blue (We’d Never Be Apart) by young Polish composer Paweł Malinowski, an award-winning author whose works have been performed at festivals such as MaerzMusik, Gaudeamus, Sacrum Profanum, and Warsaw Autumn. The piece offers a musical contemplation on fragility and the layered nature of sound, hallmarks of Malinowski’s oeuvre. His impressive biography includes a First Prize at the prestigious Tadeusz Baird Competition, collaborations with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and publications with PWM Edition.

 

Puerto Rican composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón will present her work Dust. Negrón writes music for robots, plants, and symphony orchestras. She is known for exploring unexpected combinations of classical and electronic music, unconventional instruments, and “found” sounds from everyday environments. Her works have been performed by numerous renowned artists and ensembles, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, and Sō Percussion. She is a recipient of the Hermitage Greenfield Prize and currently serves as guest curator of the Green Umbrella series, organized by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

 

Also featured is Climate Burnout by composer Margareta Ferek-Petrić, already well known to the Zagreb audience. Born in Zagreb, she has long been based in Vienna, where her works are regularly performed by leading European ensembles and festivals. Recognized both in Croatia and abroad, her music is known for impulsive, expressive, and ironic structures. She served as artistic director of the Music Biennale Zagreb from 2021 to 2023, and in 2025 she is part of the advisory team for the Wonderfeel Festival in the Netherlands. She is also a member of the Goethe Institute’s music advisory board in Munich and serves on numerous international juries.

 

Another young Polish composer, Aleksandra Kaca – active as both a composer and songwriter, with an interest in merging different musical genres – will present her piece Coal. Composer Agata Zemla, known for her interdisciplinary approach that blends biology, ecology, and psychoacoustics, brings the intriguingly titled To Bee or Not to Bee?. Zemla studied composition and music theory in Wrocław and is currently specializing in acousmatic music in Vienna. Her works are performed by renowned ensembles across Europe, and her recent album was nominated for the City of Wrocław Artistic Award.

 

Polish composer, guitarist, and sound engineer Wojciech Błażejczyk – known for his innovative works combining acoustics, electronics, and experimentation – teaches at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, where he leads the Electronic Music Studio. A recipient of the Prix CIME and the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, his works have been performed by ensembles such as MusikFabrik, Klangforum Wien, and Hashtag Ensemble, of which he is a member. His piece Aether will conclude the Cantus Ensemble’s opening concert of the season, which welcomes Hashtag Ensemble and celebrates the vitality of young Polish music.