Ante Čagalj
Ante Čagalj (1954.) is Croatian guitarist and guitar teacher, professor and Head of the guitar department Elly Bašić Music School in Zagreb.
After studying at the Music Academy in Zagreb and postgraduate studies at the Academia Benedetto Marcello in Venice, his music education work focuses on working with students with the aim of reviving and promoting the classical guitar at home and abroad.
He is working as a senior lecturer at the Zagreb Academy of Music as a guitar teacher, chamber music and teaching methods initiated the opening guitar studies at the regional departments in Split and Osijek.
He raised generations of young guitarists who continued their education at the Music Academy in Zagreb, the Hochschule für Musik in Augsburg, University of Music and Performing Arts and the Conservatory of Vienna, the Royal Academy in London and the Royal Academy of Scotland in Glasgow. His students have won awards in all major competitions at home and abroad as a soloist and chamber musician.
Among them should be singled out Robert Belinić, the first guitarist-laureate in the history of the Young Concert Artist Competition in the U.S. and Zagreb Guitar Quartet, a professional ensemble remarkable concert career at home and abroad.
His pedagogical activity is complemented by the organization of concerts, festivals, competitions, seminars, establishment and management of chamber ensemble and guitar orchestra.
He also adjusts composition of domestic and international authors guitar solo, chamber ensembles and guitar orchestra. At the initiative Music School Croatian composers he wrote for guitar solo and chamber ensembles. Ivo Josipovic, Adalbert Marković, Miroslav Miletic, Andjelko Hatter, Vlado Sunko, Tomislav Uhlik, Sanda Majurec, Krešimir Seletkovic, Ivan Josip Skender, composers of older, middle and younger generations have also wrote for the occasion and dedicated their works to Zagreb guitar quartet.