Italy, as an important center of sacral music, had boasted for centuries a large and demanding liturgical repertoire whose influence reached all the way to northern Europe. Although many churches had jealously protected their “musical treats” (such as “Miserere mei Deus” by G. Allegri), the spread of new ideas was unstoppable. Polychoral tradition, praised for its “echo effect”, became the symbol of Italian vocal music. This presented new challenges to the composers whose audiences now demanded something else besides the choir, and brought a new role to the organ as the choir’s equal conversation partner. The concept of “Voce et organo alternatim” made the organ more independent and set it on the path to becoming a solo instrument, even though this happened much later than, for example, in Germany. At first, organ solos were written for short excerpts from the Catholic Mass ordinary. Later, during the baroque period, French composers such as L. N. Clerambault and N. De Grigny created magnificent Masses for solo organ, with choir appearing only occasionally to sing parts of choral melodies and remind the listener of cantus firmus from the Gregorian choral. In this concert, the same performer (a rarity!) will devote equal attention to both instruments - voice and organ. The concert repertoire is in perfect harmony with the organ, which is built by P. Nakic in 1735 and belongs to the Venetian-Dalmatian tradition, as well as with the location.
ELENA ROCE (1994.) nakon uspješno položene mature iz orgulja u klasi mr.art E. Kancelara upisuje MA Zagreb. Godinu dana kasnije maturirala je i solo pjevanje u klasi C. Pelčića, mag.art. Dobitnica je nekoliko regionalnih i državnih nagrada (kategorije orgulje, pjevanje i komorni sastavi) te polaznica orguljaških i pjevačkih seminara (E. Kirkby, K. Livljanić, J. Cabré, V. Gyura, T. Ospital, L. Robilliard, R. Bot, T. Trotter, B. van Oosten, H. van der Kamp, C. McFadden, F. Del Sordo, F. Di Lernia, P. van Dijk…). Koncertira kao solo orguljašica i korepetitorica u raznim komornim sastavima te kao pjevačica na festivalima u Hrvatskoj i šire. Od 2012. obnašala je funkciju dirigentice i orguljašice Katedrale Uznesenja BDM Pula do odlaska na studij u Zagreb gdje se priključila Oratorijskom zboru Cantores Sancti Marci i renesansnom ansamblu Marco Polo. 2017. godine djeluje i kao vanjska suradnica Glazbene škole Karlovac te producentica na orguljaškom festivalu Organum Histriae (2020. preuzima i umjetničko – organološko vodstvo). 2018. primljena je na Erasmus + studentsku razmjenu na Conservatorium van Amsterdam (klasa prof. M. Havinga). Po uspješno završenoj diplomi u Zagrebu 2019. upisala je magistarski studij orgulja u Amsterdamu (klasa prof. M. Havinga) te diplomirala u svibnju 2022., a od jeseni 2020. započela je preddiplomski studij pjevanja na odsjeku za ranu glazbu u klasi prof. X. Meijer. Posljednjih nekoliko godina širi svoje interese i na području organologije, zbog čega kontinuirano proučava orguljsku baštinu Istre i povezanost s tradicijskom glazbom, što je opisala u diplomskim radovima ‘’Orgulje venecijanske tradicije na istarskom poluotoku’’ i ‘’Petar Nakić – The influencer’’. S kolegom K. Klarićem 2019. osnovala je ‘’Udrugu za promicanje i očuvanje orguljaške baštine Organum Histriae’’.
ELENA ROCE (1994.) - After successfully obtaining a degree in organ in the class of mr. art E. Kancelar, she enrolled in MA Zagreb studying organ as principal subject. A year later, she graduated solo singing in the class of mag. art C. Pelčić. She gained several regional and state awards (categories: organ, singing, chamber music) and participated in many organ and singing masterclasses (E. Kirkby, K. Livljanić, J. Cabré, V. Gyura, T. Ospital, L. Robilliard, R. Bot, T. Trotter, B. van Oosten, H. van der Kamp, C. McFadden, F. Del Sordo, F. Di Lernia, P. van Dijk…). Besides organ recitals and chamber concerts, she has been performing early music singing repertoires in Croatia and abroad. From 2012 she was holding the position of conductor and main organist in the Cathedral of Saint Mary’s Assumption in Pula and conducted the Soli Deo Gloria vocal ensemble. Also, since 2015 she has been singing in the oratorium choir Cantores Sancti Marci and in the renaissance ensemble Marco Polo. In 2017 she became an external associate at the primary and high Music school in Karlovac and artistic director/producent of the Organum Histriae international organ festival. In 2018 she was accepted on Erasmus+ exchange mobility at Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the organ class of M. Havinga. In 2019, after finishing her studies in Zagreb, she started master studies in the classical organ department at Conservatorium van Amsterdam (M. Havinga) and graduated in May 2022. In 2020. she also enroled in bacheleor study at the Early music department, voice with X. Meijer. In the past few years, she started researching organ heritage in Istria and its connection with traditional, folk music, which she described in her master thesis ‘’Venetian organ building tradition in Istria’’ and ‘’Petar Nakić – The influencer’’. With her colleague, K. Klarić she founded ‘’Association for the promotion and protection of organ heritage Organum Histriae’’.
