Harmonija Dissonance Ensemble

Harmonija Dissonance Ensemble evolved from the eponymous research and performance project that started at the Academy of Music in Zagreb in 2016. Guided by the idea of bridging the gaps between the worlds of academic and folk musicians, of traditional and art music, the project soon evolved into the lively and stimulating space of mutual learning, experimenting, and music-making of renowned traditional singers and the Academy’s students. Beyond that, the ensemble itself represents an important step: the introduction of traditional music performance into the programs of academic education of musicians and (ethno)musicologists. This broadens the scope of the musical traditions taught and studied at the Academy. It also represents the unequivocal answer to the question of whether the oldest layers of traditional music could be relevant and inspiring to the newest generations of musicians, which are trained in the tradition of western art music.