Croatian Heritage Foundation deputy director Ivan Tepeš and the head of our culture department Snježana Jurišić received the members of the Argentinean klapa ensemble, and Jadran Croatian association president Daniel Detelić at CHF headquarters
The Klapa BA vocal ensemble out of Argentina completed its homeland tour with a visit to Zagreb. The ensemble performed in Novi Vinodolski on the 15th of September with local klapa ensemble Vinčace, on the island of Rab on the 16th of September with the Krijanca and Mandrigola ensembles and in Tkon on the island of Pašman on the 17th with the Školji ensemble, delighting everyone at these concerts.
Croatian Heritage Foundation deputy director Ivan Tepeš and the head of our culture department Snježana Jurišić received the members of the Argentinean klapa ensemble, and Jadran Croatian association president Daniel Detelić at CHF headquarters. Mr Detelić noted that the first ever CHF gathering of klapa (a cappella) bands from the diaspora communities in 2006 was an inspiration to join the all-woman Valovi klapa ensemble in 2017 to stage the First Klapa Meeting in Argentina. In 2006, namely, the group’s homeland tour saw them take part in an evening of diaspora klapa bands at the jubilee 40th Festival of Dalmatian Klapa in Omiš.
The Klapa BA (https://www.facebook.com/klapa.ba) was founded in 1998 by a group of second and third generation Argentineans of Croatian descent who wished through song to honour a friend who fell in the Homeland War. Their debut performance was at the Teatro Cervantes in Buenos Aires. Since then, as pioneers of klapa singing in South America, they have worked tirelessly to preserve and promote our cultural heritage. In its twenty years this klapa ensemble has staged numerous performances across Argentina and the whole of South America. They have also recorded two albums, the first, eponymously titled Klapa BA, was released in 2007. Their second album saw the light of day last year under the title Furešti. They have performed at numerous gatherings of choral bands and at concerts in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
The band, which toured the homeland from the 14th to 18th of September, was also received by Zvonko Milas, the state secretary at the Central State Office for Croats Abroad.