The Ana Rukavina Foundation and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra joined forces to hold the humanitarian “Concert for Life” in memory of Ana and maestro Vjekoslav Šutej. The piano duo Janjanin – Marshall provided the people of Zagreb with a wonderful musical evening at the sold-out Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall with their energetic interpretations of some of the most famous compositions of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The concert by the British organist, pianist and conductor, Wayne Marshall, and the Croatian pianist, Mladen Janjanin, was enjoyed by the President of the Republic of Croatia, Dr. Ivo Josipović, under whose high auspices this year’s concert was held. The concert, which celebrated the most precious of all things – life, was also attended by the representative of the mayor of the City of Zagreb and the sponsor of the concert, Tedi Lušetić, the deputy head of the City Office for Education, Culture and Sports, the Minister of Labor and Pension System, Prof. DSc Mirando Mrsić, MD, the representative of the president of the Croatian Parliament, Davor Bernardić, and numerous other distinguished guests, friends of the Foundation and kind people whose attendance further enhanced the humanitarian character of this concert.
The Ana Rukavina Foundation, with the help of the organizers of this concert, the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and the media support of Nova TV, wished to remind the citizens that each of us carries the cure which could save the lives of those suffering in Croatia and the world. Therefore, the proceeds from the ticket sales are intended for the further work of the Ana Rukavina Foundation, and these funds will be used to collect samples for the Croatian Registry of voluntary hematopoietic stem cell donors in order to make it as operational and accessible as possible to search, as well as for the professional training of young experts in the field of hematology and other related specializations.
This year’s Concert for Life marked the first five years of cooperation between the Ana Rukavina Foundation and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. From classical repertoires, to rock songs performed in classical form, to the vocals of Željko Bebek, the Latin beats of Cuban singer Olvido Ruiz Castellanos and Venezuelan Ricardo Luque, to this year’s British-Croatian combo, this cooperation has provided the citizens with evenings full of music and made sure that the mission of the Ana Rukavina Foundation is heard outside of the Croatian borders.
The tireless work of the Foundation has so far provided the hope of saving 39 lives. Thanks to the many citizens of the Republic of Croatia, the initial number of 150 citizens listed in the Registry of voluntary hematopoietic stem cell donors has increased to the current total of 43,546 potential donors of hematopoietic stem cells.