John Morovich, born in 1965, grew up in Seattle's sizable Croatian community. He has since 1973 studied, taught and performed traditional music and dance of Croatia and other parts of south-eastern Europe. He was awarded the presigious Washington State Arts Commission Folk Arts Fellowship for 2001.
He is currently the artistic director of the Seattle Junior Tamburitzans, a 50-member youth ensemble of which he was a performer from 1974 - 1987. He is conductor and arranger for Jele Croatian Women's Choir of Vancouver. B.C.
Most recently he was selected Guest Conductor for the Croatian Fraternal Union of America Junior Cultural Federation Festival held in Chicago, in July 2005. (http://www.matis.hr/vijesti.php?id=119)
From 1980 -2002 was a featured performer with the Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble and Ruze Dalmatinke Orchestra (see website www.velaluka.org ).
In December of 2001, he performed in and served as orchestra director for the Croatian Christmas Cantata Narodil Se Mladi Kralj by Tomislav Uhlik of Zagreb, Croatia; directed by Mary Sherhart. http://marysherhart.com/narodil/
Since 1979 he has performed with the Sinovi Tamburica Orchestra with friends George, Tom and Tim Jovanovich, Jeff Suhadolnik and John Major. The band, which participates frequently in the Tamburitza Extravaganzas now includes Matt Thompson and George's son Nick.
For five years, he peformed with a balkan-gypsy fusion rock band called Kultur Shock with recent immigrants from the Balkans (see www.kulturshock.com ) and recorded two albums with KS.
He has accompanied singer Virginia Voulgaris and can be heard on her new recording
"Je ne t'amie Pas" an albumn of love songs and aira recorded live last year.
John is active in Croatian community issues and has served as the recording secretary of Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 439 of Seattle for many years and was elected delegate to the CFU National Convention. He has volunteered much time to aiding the children of St. Theresa and St. Joseph Orphanages in Zagreb, Croatia.
He has taught at many seminars and camps including the KOLO Festival in San Fransisco and the Balkana's Seattle Balkan Camp, Texas Camp, Eastern Europan Folklife Camps (see www.eefc.org ) the Seattle Folk Dance Festival, and has worked with many folklore ensembles across the USA and Canada. He most recently choreographed for BAN JELACIC Croatian Dance Ensemble of Penticton, BC, Canada, HRVATSKI VITEZOVI AND SARAJEVO of Vancouver and Zagreb of Victoria, B.C.
As an accompanist, he is worked with Mr. Petur Iliev at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School.
He has created several choreographies and musical arrangements and is available for creating new pieces for performing ensembles.
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