ON CHOIR
CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC SOCIETY "INA" was founded in 1977 originally as KUD "INA-Naftaplin" gathering workers of the INA-Naftaplin Company. As a part of the Society there is one of the most prominent Croatian mixed choirs, founded in 1976 an year before the Society.
During last 37 years the Choir has grown over boundaries of the founding company so today's core members are mostly youth, high-school and university students, and in addition to INA workers there are people of different professions and pensioners.The Choir performs in Croatia and abroad (Italy, Czech, Slovakia, Slovenia, Canada, Poland, Austria, Hungary, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina) a cappella as well with professional ensembles (Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Croatian Chamber Orchestra, String Orchestra of Czech Krumlov, Flamenco Dance Company led by internationally acclaimed Spanish guitarist and composer Paco Peña, "Pasionska baština" Festival Chamber Orchestra in Zagreb...)
The Choir's repertory consists of sacral works, choral arrangements of Croatian and world folklore and world famous jazz&pop standards. Of the special significance and attraction is the Christmas program. Since the arrival of Bojan Pogrmilović as a director in 1988 the Choir performed over 180 pieces of music, of which more than 30 major works.
It won two First Prizes at the Zagreb Choral Competition in 1997 and 1998 and in 2000 a prize for the best performance at the Festival of Sacral Music "CRO Patria" in Split. In 2003 The Choir won a special prize for the best performance of proposed composition at the Choral Festival of the City of Zagreb. At the Prague International Competition of Christmas and Advent songs "Petr Eben" in 2004 it won the silver category.
The Choir has six discography projects: a compact cassette "Missa a la chilena" and CDs "Voda zvira", "Folklore in Choral Music", "Joy to the World" with a Christmas repertory, a CD with two major works by John Rutter ("Requiem" and "Gloria") and a CD with the "Via crucis of S. Leopold Mandić" by famous composer Ljubo Stipišić. The last one is used as a musical background at the "live" Via crucis at Dalmacija (Zakučac near Omiš). CD "Voda zvira" was in 1999 nominated for a prestigious Croatian Discogaphy Award "Porin".