Radovan Cavallin & Jelena Očić

Radovan Cavallin, clarinete

was born in Zagreb, he completed his primary and secondary music education at the Pavle Markovac Elementary School in Zagreb, and at the age of thirteen he became the youngest student at the Zagreb Academy of Music, where he graduated in 1986 in the class of Professor J. Nochta. In the same year, in competition with 76 candidates, he passed the entrance exam at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris, where (in the second year of his studies in 1988) he realized the Premier prix for chamber music in the class of prof. Ch Lardea, and in 1989 he graduated in the class of prof. Mr. Deplus by winning the Premier prix for clarinet.

He is the recipient of scholarships from the Ivo Pogorelić Foundation in 1986, Nadia and Lily Boulanger in 1987, and the Ministry of Culture of the French Government in 1988. During his studies in Zagreb, he was awarded prizes and recognitions: the Darko Lukić Award of the Croatian Association of Music Artists, the Music Critic Award of the newspaper Vjesnik, the University of the City Award

Zagreb, Dragan Gurtl Music Academy Award, SKOJ Seven Secretaries Award, Croatian Music Institute Award. At the national clarinet competitions in SFRY, he won: first prize – in 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1986, and at international competitions in Ancona (Italy), first prize in 1984, and second prize in Seville (Spain) in 1995. years.

He performed more than 400 solo concerts in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Italy, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Colombia, Spain and Japan. As a soloist, he performed with the Zagreb Philharmonic, Zagreb Soloists, Niš Philharmonic, HRT Orchestra, Zagreb Chamber Orchestra, Belgrade Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, Gotvaldovo National Orchestra, Theatro de Bologna, Filarmonica de Gran Canaria, Orquesta Sinfonica de Extremadura, Orchestra Franco – Belgian from Brussels.

He performed at the festivals: Ferrara (Italy), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Bad Hersfeld (Germany) and Granada (Spain). Radovan Cavallin recorded for the labels such as Agrup Arte productions, ASV, Jugoton, Croatia-Records, Arte Nova, BMG, Crystal Records, Summit Records and Maguelone.

He is one of the founders of chamber ensembles: Alisios Camerata, Atlantida Quartet, Trio Spohr, Reinecke Quartet and Isola Ensemble.

Cavallin is a lecturer at summer master seminars for clarinet in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Colombia and Croatia and a member of the jury at the international clarinet competition “Julian Menendez” in Avila (Spain).

Since 1989, he has been a solo clarinetist in the Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria and a clarinet professor at the orchestral academy.

Artista is Selmer, Rico and Backun and interprets on clarinet: Selmer Privilege, Rico Reserve Classic mouthpieces and Backun Moba Arabesque mouthpiece.

Jelena Očić, cello

Energetic, poetic, virtuoso and sometimes deeply melancholic in her powerful musical expression are some of Jelena’s attributes that win the hearts of the audiences and critics, who described her as “a rich kaleidoscope of colors and emotions”.
Her striking art of cello playing has met with ovations on three continents.

Bernard Greenhouse, the legendary cellist and founder of the Beaux Arts Trio, lauded Jelena Očić as “one of the most distinctive cello talents of our time”.
The cellist Siegfried Palm, a major figure in 20th century music, called Jelena Očić “one of the leading talents in the field of interpretation of contemporary music”.

After completing music studies in her native Zagreb in the class of prof. Valter Dešpalj, Jelena Očić continued her studies at the Musikhochschule Mannheim, Germany, in the class of renowned cellist and pedagogue Michael Flaksman. She enriched her musical language and instrumental art attending private studies with Bernard Greenhouse in the USA. (from 2004-2010)

Not only Siegfried Palm and Bernard Greenhouse, but also Leslie Parnas, Arto Noras, Victoria Yagling, Antonio Meneses and Heinrich Schiff inspired her to become a unique and powerful musical personality.

From 2004 to 2016, Jelena Očić was a Cello professor at the “Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst” Mannheim, and from 2014 to 2022 taught as a “senior cello professor” at the “CvA” (Conservatorium van Amsterdam) in the Netherlands. Among her students are winners of international competitions, members of important orchestras and professors at Music Academies throughout Europe.

Jelena Očić leaves an unforgettable impression on her audience with her interpretations of cello literature, from early baroque to contemporary composers. As a chamber musician, she regularly collaborates with outstanding artists such as Jose Gallardo, Gernot Süssmuth, Friedemann Eichhorn, Julius Berger, Per Arne Glorvingen, Felix Schwartz, Radovan Cavallin, late Vladimir Mendelssohn, Mia Elezovic, Vlatka Peljhan etc…
The “Delian” quartet experienced an extremely fruitful phase with her, which included joint performances with pianist Bernd Glemser and German actor Bruno Ganz.
The late Beaux Arts Trio cellist, Bernard Greenhouse, was also one of her music partners. She also dedicated one of her recordings to him, recorded for the Dutch publishing house “Challenge”, which includes her interpretation of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata arranged for cello by the composer and pianist, Carl Czerny.
This recording was declared to be the recording of the month on “Music Web International Classical Music Reviews”.
For the same publishing house, she recorded several sound carriers, of which the one with the works of Kabalevsky, Ginastera and Senderovas was nominated and then won a title “recording of the year”.

In collaboration with her sister, Croatian organist Ljerka Očić, she also recorded baroque sonatas by Barrier and Vivaldi for “Challenge”. That, almost provocatively imaginative recording called “The BaRock Experience” received excellent reviews in prestigious music publications such as “The Strad” magazine.
She is a member of the renowned baroque ensemble “Thüringer Bach Collegium” under the artistic direction of German violinist Gernot Süssmuth and Alisios Camerata.

Jelena Očić is currently an assistant professor for chamber music at the Academy of Music in Zagreb.