Milo Cipra

Full biography Milo Cipra

Milo Cipra was a Croatian composer born on July 20, 1906, in the city of Vinkovci. He started his music education at the age of 13 in the city of Osijek, where he learned to play the piano and joined the local orchestra. He studied composition in the Zagreb Music Academy with Blagoje Bersa, and later with Joseph Marx in Vienna. He also studied conducting with Hermann Scherchen and baroque music with Ettore Desderi in Basel.

Cipra's music was often characterized by its romantic and impressionistic style, and he was known for his compositions for orchestra, chamber ensembles, choir, and solo instruments. Some of his most notable works include the ballet "Princeza s otoka" (The Princess of the Island), the Symphony in D major, the Overture to a Drama, and the String Quartet No. 1.

Cipra was also a teacher and mentor to several prominent Croatian composers, including Ivo Malec, Pavle Despalj, and Dubravko Detoni. He served as the head of the Music Department at the Academy of Arts in Osijek and later as a professor at the Zagreb Music Academy.

Milo Cipra passed away on September 14, 1985, in Zagreb, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most significant composers of Croatian music.