In this weeks House of Hearts Episode we will have the great chance and honour to receive insights in the beautiful and ambitiously planned though now facing very difficult situations due to last months worldwide changes this years European Capital of Culture Rijeka where we are happy to announce that the CEO of RIJEKA 2020 Irena Kregar Šegota will be on board at the House of Hearts with us as well as very talented singer and Songwriter Mirna Skrgatic and also multi-award winning musician and composer Zoran Majstorovic. So tune in to get inspired …. this week due to technical reasons designed as a late night show starting at 9pm!

this thursday night live – as the night lives strongly in Rijeka..

MIRNA SKRGATIC

„I’m Mirna Škrgatić, croatian singer and songwriter. My father, Marin Škrgatić was also a musician and author, mainly responsible for my musical development. I started singing as a child in choir and studied piano in elementary music school.  Later I was a member of few bands as lead singer where I sang pop, rock, blues and even country songs, mostly covers. In 2011. I was member of „Putokazi„, famous choir from Rijeka and had a short episode as backing vocalist at „Quasarr“, electro – pop band in 2015.

In 2016. I’ve decided to write and compose my own songs and in 2017. my first single „Tvoja laž“ has been released in September 2019. My first album „Snovi“ has been released for „Menart“ record label.
Now I’m working on my second album, writing and recording new songs in studio with producer Mark Mrakovčić.“ 

IRENA KREGAR SEGOTA

Irena Kregar Šegota is a cultural manager specialising in international cooperation and fundraising, who has been working on the ECoC project since its very beginning. After being the executive coordinator and in charge of international relations for Rijeka ECOC 2020 bid and the Acting CEO of Rijeka 2020 in 2016, she presently, since the 9th of June, holds the position of the CEO after formerly being the Director for Partnership and Communications at Rijeka 2020. The  portfolio of the sector she is responsible for includes capacity building, audience development, volunteering programme, RiHUb programme, civil initiatives, ECoC diplomacy, international fundraising, ECoC business club, partnerships and evaluation.

Irena graduated in English and French Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb and Maritime Economy at the Maritime Faculty in Rijeka. She studied cultural management, cultural policies and cultural relations at Zadar University (European Studies: Languages and Cultures in Contact), at the Chambre de commerce de Paris, Observatoire des politiques culturelles de Grenoble and Ecole Nationale d’Administration in Paris. Her previous professional experiences include the position of advisor for international cooperation in culture at the Rijeka City Hall, work for the Rijeka City Puppet Theatre (marketing and PR department, and as coordinator of Rijeka International Puppet Festival), work for the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Diplomatic Mission to the UN in Geneva).  She has been the president of the Alliance Française in Rijeka from  2003  – 2018 and the vice-president of the European cultural network Les Rencontres – LIKE 2015 – 2018.  Fluently speaks English, French and Italian.

ZORAN MAJSTOROVIC

Guitarist, multiinstrumentalist, sound artist, arranger and composer, begins to play guitar at the age of 9, and  plays professionally since the age of 13. His first guitar teacher was his father, a well known guitar player in Rijeka area during 1960’s and 1970’s. Later in his life he obtained a master degree with maximum votes in jazz performance at the jazz department of “Conservatorio G. Tartini” in Trieste, Italy. Beside playing the guitar he is an acknowledged multiinstrumentalist playing and is performing on various string instruments such as the oud, saz, pipa, charango, cindra, kora, mandolin, sitar, tamburitza, rubab, bouzouki... He is also a seasoned arranger in the world music/jazz domain writing arrangements for many internationally renowned groups and orchestras.

Beside playing with many jazz & ethno musicians from Croatia and his region, he played and can be heard on concerts or records with many instrumentalists from different countries like Joe Locke, Reginald Veal, Bruce Ditmas, Klaus Gesing, Rob Bargad, Corey Christiansen, Pat O’Leary, John Stowell, Anthony Pinciotti, Russ Spiegel…and many international vocalists like Saba Anglana, Gabrielle Stravelli, Nancy Vieira, Tamara Obrovac, Jennifer Cabrera Fernandez, Byron Motley, Lino Rocha, Ty Le Blanc, Pastora Soler, David Elliot… In various line-ups he played in ethno and jazz clubs and festivals in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Italy, Austria, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Macedonia, Hungary, Netherlands, Montenegro, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Romania, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Turkey…

His artistic interest is confined not only to jazz and world music but is also expanded to other means of art that go beyond music and deal with sound as a material, an integral element of everyday life. Zoran is also teaching music, giving workshops and seminars and his music and playing can be heard on different projects published by many international record companies.

–“Miroslav Sedak Bencic” award as the most prominent Croatian jazz composer

“Damir Dicic” award as the best Croatian jazz guitar player

-“PORIN” award with his band as the best overall new music artist in Croatia and as producer for the best album of spiritual music “Gospel On Guitar”

–“Status” award as the best Croatian etno musician/instrumentalist