Vlado Sunko, dirigent i skladatelj, rođen je 1954. u Splitu, gdje je završio Klasičnu gimnaziju Natko Nodilo. Diplomirao je na Odjelu za kompoziciju i glazbenu teoriju na Muzičkoj akademiji u Zagrebu 1979. Od 1981. djeluje u svojstvu voditelja glazbenih aktivnosti i člana stručnog tima pri Centru za odgoj i obrazovanje u Splitu. Uz ostalo vodi zborske aktivnosti i radi na resocijalizaciji djece i omladine.

God. 1982.–1992. predavao je glazbeno–teorijske predmete na Srednjoj glazbenoj školi Josipa Hatzea, vodio školski djevojački zbor, utemeljio i upravljao zborom dječaka. U svojstvu  vanjskog suradnika  i zborovođe,  priprema Mješoviti zbor HNK-a u Splitu u tijeku sezone 1984./85. i to kod premijernih postavki: Madame Butterfly (G. Puccini), Otello (G. Verdi), te kod obnove  Nabucca  i Aide  (G. Verdi). U jeku priprema oko obilježavanja 100- te obljetnice  u sezoni 1999./2000. vodi Mješoviti pjevački zbor Kolo iz Šibenika sa zamjetnim uspjehom kod stručne kritike i Šibenčana.

Od 1992. predaje na Odsjeku za glazbenu kulturu pri Fakultetu prirodoslovno–matematičkih znanosti i odgojnih područja u Splitu kolegije: Zbor, Priređivanje za ansamble i Upoznavanje instrumenata. Iste predmete od 1997. predaje na novoosnovanoj Umjetničkoj akademiji Sveučilišta u Splitu (od 2002. izvanredni, a od 2011. redoviti profesor). Prodekan je za nastavu od 2006. - 2008. S mješovitim zborom Akademije dobitnik je sedam  prvih nagrada za najuspješnije izvedbe na Festivalu duhovne glazbe Cro–patria u Splitu. Posebno se isteču uspjesi Zbora na Međunarodnom natjecanju folklorne glazbe Adria cantat  u Šbeniku 2016, gdje su u kategoriji domaćeg i u kategoriji stranog folklora  osvojili zlatnu plaketu sa najvećim brojem osvojenih bodova, te na 11. Međunarodnom natjecanju zborova u Zadru 2018. osvaja drugu nagradu. Zboru je dodijeljena diploma Milka Trnina za suradnju sa operom Hrvatskog narodnog kazališta u Splitu na zajedničkoj izvedbi Devete simfonije Ludwiga van Beethovena 2013.

      

Od 1988. dirigent je muškog Gradskog pjevačkog zbora Brodosplit, s kojim je održao (360) cjelovečernjih koncereata i (136) kračih koncerata i natjecateljskih nastupa u zemlji i inozemstvu. Osvaja najviše nagrade na natjecanjima u zemlji (Zadar, 1990. i 1995., Rijeka, 1993., Umag, 1999., Novigrad, 2007.) i inozemstvu (Budimpešta, 1991., Prag, 2002., zlatna medalja i naziv Olimpijskih pobjednika na Zborskoj olimpijadi u Linzu, 2000., Xiamen - Kina, 2006., Pobjednici na Svjetskim zborskim igrama u Grazu, 2008., Petrinja, 2011., Prijedor –RS, 2012., Callela-Barcelona, 2012., Zwickau, 2014., Žilina, 2017., Bad Ischl, 2018.).  Zanimljivo je spomenuti da na 7. Međunarodnom natjecanju zborova Robert Schumann - Zwickau (Njemačaka) 2014. postiže prvu nagradu i apsolutno prvo mjesto u kategoriji muških zborova, prvu nagradu u kategoriji skralne glazbe, nagradu za najbolje izvedeno djelo Roberta Schumanna, a na 14. Međunarodnom natjecanju zborova u Bad Ischl (Austrija) osvaja tri prve nagrade u (polifonoj, sakralnoj i folklornoj kategoriji 2018. Istakao se izvedbama Muke Gospodina našega Isukrsta B. Papandopula i Requiema L. Cherubinija, Uskrsnuća Lj. Stipišića Delmate i vlastite Misse (Classic-Pop-Folk).

 

Bio je dirigent Europskog orkestra mladih mandolinista i gitarista (EGMYO), pod vodstvom međunarode skupine mentora (U. Orlandi, C. Blanko-Ruiz) u Puli 2010.  Iste godine pozvan je na veliki međunarodni festival Pecs Cantat 2010. u Mađarskoj, kao autoritet za muško  zborsko pjevanje. Držao je radionicu za muške zborove i nastupio na Završnoj večeri s velikim muškim zborom od 110 pjevača.

 

Za uspješan reproduktivan i stvaralački rad tri puta mu je dodijeljena nagrada grada Splita (za 2000., 2012. i 2017. godinu). Nagrada Županije splitsko-dalmatinske za 2017. Plaketa za doprinos razvoju splitskog sveučilišta u 2006. godini. Plaketa Hrvatske udruge zborovođa za izvanredne uspjehe u vođenju zborova, te za promidžbu hrvatske zborske glazbe u inozemstvu, kao i  strukovni naziv Magister chori 2009. Odličje Reda Danice hrvatske s likom Marka Marulića, 2013.

 

Njegov skladateljski opus sadrži (192) naslova (127 skladbi i 68 obrada). U središtu njegovih stvaralačkih interesa stoji zborska glazba, komorna, i glazba za mandolinističke orkestre. Pisao je vokalno-instrumentalana i orkestralna djela, te scensku glazbu. Za svoj skladateljski rad stekao je brojna priznanja i nagrade. Prve nagrade stručnog povjerenstva dobio je za slijedeće skladbe: Capriccio cromatico, 1997., Kaštelanska zvona 2001. (Mandolina Imota), Oče naš 1997. Cum invocarem 1999., Tvoja i moja tajna 2004., Solinskim mučenicima 2005., Majka 2010., Gloria 2020. (Cro patria), Dvije pjesme D. Cesarića (Hrvatski sabor kulture 1999.), Missa Classic-Pop-Folk (Pasionska baština 2014.)

 

Njegove skladbe za mandolinski orkestar izvode se na međunarodnim festivalima mandolinske glazbe (Italija, Njemačka, Španjolska, Češka, Mađarska i Francuska). Vodi seminare u zemlji i inozemstvu. Član je ocjenjivačkih sudova brojnih natjecanja. Redoviti je član Hrvatskog društva skladatelja.

Objavio je četiri notne edicije: tri zbornika vlastitih skladbi: Skladbe za ženske, muške i mješovite zborove, Skladbe za violončelo, Capriccio cromatico skladbe za mandolinske komorne sastave i orkestre, te ciklus od šest duhovni skladbi za mješoviti zbor Svjetlost je tvoja sjena na tekstove E. Kiševića,

Do sada je ostvario četrnaest nosača zvuka: deset s Gradskim zborom Brodosplit, dva sa zborom Umjetničke akademije u Splitu i dva s mandolinskim orkestrom Sanctus Domnio.

Vlado Sunko, conductor and composer, was born in 1954 in Split, where he graduated from the Natko Nodilo Classical High School. He graduated from the Department of Composition and Music Theory at the Academy of Music in Zagreb in 1979. He has been working, since 1981, as a manager of musical activities and a member of the professional team at the Center for Education in Split. In addition, he leads choral activities and works on the resocialization of children and youth.

 

During the years 1982–1992 he taught music-theory subjects at the Josip Hatze High School of Music. He also led the school's girls' choir, as well as  founding and managed the boys' choir. As an external collaborator and choirmaster, he prepared the Mixed Choir of the Croatian National Theater in Split during the 1984/85 season. and premiered the following productions: Puccini's Madame Butterfly, Verdi's Otello, as well as revivals  of his famous operas Nabucco and Aida. Vlado led the Mixed Choir Kolo from Šibenik during it's 100th anniversary celebration in the 1999/2000 season with notable success, praised by professional critics as well as the people of Šibenik.

 

He has been teaching courses at the Department of Musical Culture at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Education in Split: Choir, Preparation for Ensembles and Introduction to Instruments since 1992. He has been teaching the same subjects since 1997 at the newly founded Art Academy of the University of Split (since 2002, part-time professor, and since 2011, full-time professor). He was vice-dean for teaching from 2006 to 2008. With the Academy's mixed choir, he won seven first prizes for the most successful performances at the Cro-patria Spiritual Music Festival in Split. The Choir enjoyed the great success at the Adria Cantat International Folklore Competition in Šbenik 2016, where they won a gold plaque with the highest number of points in the domestic and foreign folklore categories, and won second prize at the 11th International Choir Competition in Zadar in 2018. The choir was awarded the Milka Trnina diploma for cooperation with the Croatian National Theater in Split on a joint performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 2013.

 

He has been the conductor of the Brodosplit Men's City Singing Choir since 1988.,with whom he has held (360) full-length concerts and (136) shorter concerts and competitive performances in the country and abroad. He won the highest prizes at competitions in the country (Zadar, 1990 and 1995, Rijeka, 1993, Umag, 1999, Novigrad, 2007) and abroad (Budapest, 1991, Prague, 2002, gold medal and title of Olympic winners at the Choir Olympics in Linz, 2000, Xiamen - China, 2006, Winners at the World Choir Games in Graz, 2008, Petrinja, 2011, Prijedor - RS, 2012, Callela-Barcelona, 2012, Zwickau, 2014., Žilina, 2017, Bad Ischl, 2018). It is interesting to mention that at the 7th Robert Schumann International Choir Competition - Zwickau (Germany) in 2014, he won the first prize and the absolute first place in the category of male choirs, the first prize in the category of classical music, the prize for the best performed work by Robert Schumann, and at the 14th At the International Choir Competition in Bad Ischl (Austria) he won three first prizes in the polyphonic, sacred and folklore categories in 2018. He stood out with performances of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by B. Papandopoulo and the Requiem by L. Cherubini, the Resurrection by Lj. Stipišić Delmata and his own Missa (Classic- Pop-Folk).

 

He was the conductor of the European Orchestra of Young Mandolinists and Guitarists (EGMYO), under the leadership of an international group of mentors (U. Orlandi, C. Blanko-Ruiz) in Pula in 2010. In the same year, he was invited to the great international festival Pecs Cantat 2010 in Hungary, as an authority for male choral singing. He held a workshop for male choirs and performed at the Final Evening with a large male choir of 110 singers.

 

For successful reproductive and creative work, he was awarded the city of Split award three times (in 2000, 2012 and 2017). Split-Dalmatia County Award for 2017. Plaque for contribution to the development of Split University in 2006. Plaque of the Croatian Association of Choirmasters for outstanding achievements in conducting choirs and for the promotion of Croatian choral music abroad, as well as the professional title of Magister chori in 2009. Order of the Croatian Danica with the image of Marko Marulić, 2013.

 

His compositional oeuvre consists of 192 titles (127 compositions and 68 arrangements). At the center of his creative interests is choral music, chamber music, and music for mandolin orchestras. He wrote vocal-instrumental and orchestral works, as well as stage music. He has received numerous recognitions and awards for his work as a composer. He received the first prizes of the expert commission for the following compositions: Capriccio cromatico, 1997, Kaštelanska zvona 2001 (Mandolina Imota), Oče naš 1997, Cum invocarem 1999, Tvoja i moja tajna 2004, Solinski mučenicima 2005, Mother 2010, Gloria 2020 (Cro patria), Two songs by D. Cesarić (Croatian Council of Culture 1999), Missa Classic-Pop-Folk (Passion Heritage 2014).

 

His compositions for mandolin orchestra are performed at international mandolin music festivals (Italy, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary and France). He leads seminars in the country and abroad and is a member of the judging panels for numerous competitions. He is a regular member of the Croatian Society of Composers.

 

He has  published four sheet music editions: three collections of his own compositions; Compositions for female, male and mixed choirs; Compositions for cello; Capriccio cromatico compositions for mandolin chamber ensembles and orchestras; and a cycle of six spiritual compositions for mixed choir Svjetlost je tvoja sjena to the texts of E. Kišević.

 

So far, he has created fourteen CDs: ten with the City Choir of Brodosplit, two with the Choir of the Art Academy in Split and two with the Mandolin Orchestra Sanctus Domnio.