The Croatian ethno group Vilingora performs old Croatian songs and melodies and passes on their value and beauty to new generations. Even the name of the group - Vilingora or Vilinska gora (Mountain of the Fairies) - is an association with a time when people lived more calmly and happily and much more in tune with nature and themselves. The beauty of old songs and the unusual attractiveness of sounds of old instruments are a proof of this.
The musicians perform on old, traditional Croatian instruments each of which has an unusual, specific sound, like the shepherd’s pipe, twin reeds, bagpipes, dude, mih, šurli, sopila, okarina, jedinka, samica, cymbal and other instruments.
The group was founded in 1997. For many years it was called Protuletje (an old Croatian word for spring). It performed under that name at numerous ethno festivals throughout Croatia and represented the country abroad. The group has been active under the name Vilingora for more than a year and has made several notable appearances in Croatia and abroad, including performances for the Croatian Embassy in Prague and in Salzburg, Austria.
The founder and leader of the Croatian Bagpipe Orchestra is Stjepan Večković, a soloist on traditional instruments of the Ensemble Lado. He also makes traditional instruments and conducts many folklore schools, seminars and workshops that promote traditional Croatian culture around the world. He has won many awards and prizes and has twice represented Croatia twice in the Eurovision Song Contest (Kiev 2005 and Athens 2006).
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