On Tuesday, June 25, the Novigrad Vinodol’s Korzo of Croatian Defenders became a meeting place for folklorists and tamburitza players, but also families from two continents, specifically two cities – Novi Vinodolski and St. Louis.

It was a special honor and pleasure to welcome and invite on stage the Croatian-American tamburitza group Croatian Jr. Tamburitzans from St. Louis. The group was founded in 1961 by Novi Vinodol residents Ivan Lušičić Sr. and Anna Deranja Lušičić, with the goal not of producing professional musicians and dancers, but to enjoy and cherish the rich Croatian heritage they are very proud of. Over the years, they have passed their love for Croatia to over 600 children. Today, the group of 33 tamburitza players is led by music director Daniel Lušičić Sr. along with instructors and choreographers Linda Bilich Lusicic, Kathy Katich Zust, Sofia Klaric Chkautovich, and Dave Dopuch. Croatian Jr. Tamburitzans is a non-profit organization funded by donations from the participants’ parents.

During their tour, they contacted the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board, which gladly accepted the proposal for the tamburitza players to perform in Novi Vinodolski. They were welcomed by their young local colleagues – the folklore children from Ivana Mažuranić Elementary School under the guidance of teacher Marina Levar. The children greeted the guests with the traditional “Špic polka” accompanied by sopiles, after which the tamburitza players from St. Louis took the stage and jointly sang the Croatian national anthem.

The tamburitza players then performed an hour-long solo program featuring songs from all parts of Croatia, including Ruža crvena, Piši mi mati, Žuto lišće ljubavi, Otvor ženo kapiju. They concluded the program with the song Moja domovina, greeted by thunderous applause and some tears of emotion. It was a beautiful and emotional evening, not only for the audience but also for the performers, who were proud to perform in Novi Vinodolski – the city many of them trace their roots to and still have relatives in contact with.

The program was hosted by Dora Kabalin, a member of the KUD Ilija Dorčić folklore group and a great lover of her tradition, city, and homeland.

“It was truly moving to listen to the tamburitza program, through which their love and care for the Croatian language and Croatia itself shone through, even though they live on another continent. We are very happy to have been able to fulfill their wish and organize their visit and concert here in Novi. At the end of the program, we exchanged gifts as a memento of this meeting and hope it is the start of a beautiful friendship. On this evening of tradition, we connected one people on two continents through shared heritage and culture and gave some of them the opportunity to see for the first time where their great-grandparents come from and to meet relatives. The gratitude I felt is hard to put into words,” said Tena Peričić, director of the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board.