Dear customer,

In this way, we want to react to the numerous falsehoods, manipulations and malicious constructions of city councilor Josip Markotić, which he presented at the 5th session of the City Council of the City of Split, held on October 27, 2022, and which concern the activities of the Public Cultural Institution Croatian House Split and acting director Marin Caporella.

"The first fact is that the Croatian Home has been working without an Administrative Council since its establishment. An institution with an annual budget of HRK 2,5 million operates without any control and supervision by the City. The reason why it does not have an Administrative Council is that it does not have at least 5 employees according to the Statute."

• From this statement, Mr. Markotić appears as if Mr. Caporello I determined that. According to the then valid Act on the Management of Public Institutions in Culture NN 96/01, 98/19 (in force from 1/1/2020 to 26/7/2022) which was replaced by the Act on Cultural Councils and Financing of Public Needs in Culture NN 83/22 it was defined (briefly) that for institutions with up to 5 employees no Administrative Council is formed. Therefore, 6 employees are needed to form the Administrative Council. Both Acts provided that the duties of the Administrative Council are performed by the director, if 5 or fewer employees are employed. Therefore, it is a legal provision, not the wish of the acting director.

"For the fifth position of music producer, the tender announced was canceled with the strict explanation that no candidate met the required conditions... At the same time that the tender for the producer was tendered, the tender for the director of HD was also tendered. In order for the acting director to secure himself in in case he is not confirmed in the tender, he added article 11 of his contract, which states that if the acting director is not confirmed and appointed to the position of director, the public institution Hrvatski dom is obliged to offer him a contract for an indefinite period, which in in direct conflict with Article 44 of the Constitution, which clearly states that every citizen of the Republic of Croatia has the right, under equal conditions, to participate in the performance of public affairs and to be admitted to public services."

• The public tender for a music producer was canceled in accordance with the decision of the Tender Implementation Commission, which concluded that none of the candidates were satisfied in the tender process. Since the councilor mentioned that he would publish the names of the members of the Commission as if it were some kind of secret association, below we list the members of the Commission: mo. Ivan Repušić, mo. Jure Bučević, exec. prof. art. Gordan Tudor, Tomislav Mrduljaš and associate professor prof. art. Blaženko Juračić. Is it really Mr. Markotić thinks that Mr. Can Caporello manage and manipulate all these people in making a decision on the selection of candidates in the tender process? The employment contract of Mr. Kaporela, mentioned by Mr. Markotić, was signed on March 1, 2022, and not in May 2021, as claimed by Mr. Markotic. Therefore, there is no connection between the canceled tender and the contract signed by Mr. Caporella. Furthermore, it is really a bizarre claim that Mr. Caporello "added Article 11" to himself because the said contract was drawn up in the professional services of the City of Split. If this is true, it can be checked very easily in the data processing system of the City of Split. All directors of public cultural institutions in the City of Split have the same employment contracts. It is not up to the employer to question the legality (not to mention the constitutionality) of the standard contracts that the City of Split concludes with the directors of cultural institutions. In this sense, it is enough to look at the publication of Mr. Markotić on the eve of the last session of the City Council on his Facebook page, in which he uses constitutional and legal terms such as: "the former government gave him a contract that even his own mother wouldn't have drawn up", "Well, people, how are you not ashamed anymore?", "unprecedented urination according to the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia" etc. The fact that on April 1, 2022, a request was sent to the Mayor for the approval of the 5th position - lighting master, proves that the thesis about how the acting director "secured himself" does not stand.

"Another myth, which is very easy to disprove with facts, is that thanks to the director, Hrvatski dom is the most productive hall in the whole country. Of course, concerts will be held in Hrvatska dom when it is the only concert hall in the city and where else should concerts be held? taverns at Joza's?"

• The city councilor surely thinks that the concerts are held by themselves, without the involvement of experts from the Croatian Home, which is actually absurd. It is clear to the cultural public what kind of artistic results we are talking about and which names have performed in less than two years of our work: Ivo Pogorelić, Berlin Philharmonic Sextet, The King's Singers, Katarina Livljanić, Martina Filjak, Split Virtuosi, Zadar Chamber Orchestra, Roman Simović, Papandopulo quartet, Kajana Pačko, Ante Jerkunica, Renata Pokupić, Matija Dedić, HRT Choir, Ivan Repušić, etc.

"And that is not a special merit of the director, as the numbers themselves testify. Of the 100 events organized at the Croatian House in 2021, do you know how many are independently organized by the Croatian House? Only 34!"

• With this statement, Mr. Markotić shows that he did not even read the report for 2021 submitted to the City Council. In short, Hrvatski dom Split is in its first year of operation, i.e. in the pandemic year 2021, achieved the following results:
• 86 concerts in organization, co-organization and program partnership, therefore, together with Split associations;
• 4 other events (protocol events, conferences, seminars, presentations, workshops, etc.). We recorded the sessions of the City Council there, as they had to be technically and operationally realized together with the expert services of the City of Split. Thus, nothing is produced by itself;
• The programs were visited by 6.146 visitors (the figure is all the more impressive as it was necessary to provide 7m2 or 4m2 per person in the auditorium almost throughout the year, in accordance with valid epidemiological measures);
• 45 live concerts were broadcast on our YouTube channel with 30.237 online visitors.
• The above was achieved in the first year of operation of the new institution, with a total of 4 employees (including the acting director) and that during the pandemic. At the same time, it is important to point out that the City of Split did not determine the program framework for the work of the Croatian Home Split. According to Mr. Markotić, it seems as if we haven't done anything in the past year. At the beginning of last year, agreements on program cooperation were signed with numerous Split music associations, precisely those associations that have preserved the concert and musical life of Split in the previous decades: Association of Young Academic Musicians (MAG Festival), Musical Youth Split (Ciklus mladih musiknika mo. Vinko Lesić , Sax weekend), Brodosplit City Choir, ALEPH Art Organization (Flute Days), Artemis Music and Arts Association (Split Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Cycle), Association of Split guitarists GitaraSt (Classical Guitar Days), City Mandolin Society Sanctus Domnio (celebration of the 30th anniversary of activity), Association Piano Projekt (Piano Loop Festival and Winter Academy), Association Split at Night (Split at Night Jazz Festival). It is important to emphasize that a tripartite cooperation agreement was signed with the University of Split and the Academy of Arts, which defined the Croatian Home Split as the teaching base of the University of Split, i.e. the Academy of Arts. A similar cooperation agreement was signed with Josip Hatze's Music School. A cooperation agreement was also signed with the Dalmatian klapa Festival in Omiš, an umbrella institution that takes care of the preservation of Dalmatian klapa singing.

"All other events were organized by other institutions, institutions and ensembles, and the Croatian House only ceded the hall, for which, as a rule, it charged for the use. And one more figure is particularly striking. Of the events organized by the Croatian House, the least performed were from Split artists. In only 10 events, we are talking about an institution called Croatian House.

• It is not true that the Split associations paid rent for the space and that the House "just gave them the hall". Moreover, they are provided with all technical, organizational, marketing and production support (sound master, light master, stage technicians, hostesses, cleaners, etc.), costs of ZAMP, official photographer, etc. At the end of the event, the associations also received part of the revenue from the tickets. It is not true that musicians from Split performed in only 10 events! In the attachment there is a table with a list of bands and people who performed at the Croatian House in 2021, from which it is evident that about 40 bands and individuals from Split performed, and if it were to be correlated with the total number of musicians, then it is almost half of the musicians from Split. The Croatian home Split is the home of Split musicians and no malicious and untrue statement will overshadow that!
• Furthermore, the councilor says that the Croatian House registered "an event that didn't even take place in the Croatian Home, but in the Museum of the City of Split." If Mr. Markotić may be referring to Judita, i.e. commemorating the 500th anniversary of the first edition of Marulić's Judith, we would like to remind him of the concert that took place on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in the Croatian House (JUDITA – a biblical story from Renaissance Croatia according to the text of Marko Marulić, Dialogos Ensemble & Katarina Livljanić, with the note "Program is held as part of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the first printing of Marulić's Judita"). It was for this concert that Katarina Livljanić was awarded the prize Ivo Tijardović for the best artistic achievement in 2021.

"After all that, any normal person will ask: well, what is 2,5 million spent on annually? When I went to look more closely at the figures from the financial report, I was faced with something that I have not experienced in the past 5 years since I have been a councilor. Instead of the acting director providing me with the requested documents, he started questioning my motives for asking for it and checking with the service whether I have the right to do so and how I have the right to publish his contract For over 20 days, he has refused to provide me with the requested information or sent me what I did not ask for. They didn't do anything about it. What is the acting director afraid of? Why is it a problem for him to show who was paid HRK 71.974,18 in royalties and HRK 40.220,09 for "performance-concert services" in 2021? It is interesting that in the same period, the Vatroslav Lisinski Hall, with a budget that is almost twelve times larger than the Croatian House (650,000 HRK), spent HRK 161.185,24 on official trips, and HRK 2021 on royalties."

• On October 3, 2022, Mr. Markotić submitted a request to the head of the Service for Social Activities, Mr. Negotić (which was further forwarded to the Croatian Home Split) with the following request: "Please send me the account card on the 5th level of the financial statement of the Croatian Home for income (6), expenditure (6) and expenditure on fixed assets (4)." According to the Law on the right to access information Official Gazette 25/13, 85/15, 69/22, i.e. within the legal deadline and the City Council's Rules of Procedure of 15 days, Mr. Markotić was delivered exactly what he requested. The account card has the following information: account name and number, name of supplier, description of expense or income, date and amount. However, that Mr. Markotić did not have enough to construct an "indictment" and urgently needed to "find something". Therefore, on October 19, 2022, Mr. Markotić submits a new request in a group of multiple recipients, in which he asks for extremely detailed information. The councilor will also receive an answer to that inquiry according to the provisions of the aforementioned Act. In this sense, it is untrue to state that over "They refuse to provide the requested information for 20 days" i da se "he is hiding something".
• The selective extraction of some data and their incorrect presentation in incomparable correlations is testimony to the ignorance or evil intent of Mr. Markotić. Therefore, the Croatian House will not refuse to show all the necessary data to the services and institutions that are responsible for it. Mr. the councilor knows very well that the mentioned funds were planned and implemented based on the budget adopted by the City Council of the City of Split and its subsequent rebalancing. After each order of the Croatian House of Split is entered into the system of the Treasury of the City of Split, it is subject to the control of authorized persons in the approval chain within the City of Split. For example, the first approver is the advisor of the Institution, the second approver is the head of the Department of Culture, the third approver is the head of the Service for Social Activities, the fourth approver is the advisor in the Finance Department, etc. The amount of HRK 71.974,18 for accommodation and HRK 40.220,09 for travel expenses refers to visiting musicians, not some kind of "exotic" trip by employees of the Croatian Home Split. The given data for the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall refer to the travel expenses of the employees of that institution, as a result of which this comparison does not hold. Also, if we are not mistaken, Lisinski did not work in 2021 due to earthquake damage. Certain data in terms of distribution and publication are protected by the Act on the Right to Access to Information and the Act on the Protection of Personal Data. Croatian Home Split submitted (like all public institutions) a detailed financial report on its website.
• If there is certain information about illegal actions, every person, regardless of the duty they perform, is obliged to report it to the State Attorney's Office of the Republic of Croatia. The Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia can send an inspection, and the City of Split can initiate a regular or extraordinary audit of the operations of every public institution it owns. Therefore, the city councilor is not a representative of the DORH, an inspector or an auditor.
• If Mr. Caporello decides to sue Mr. Markotić, will sue him as a private person according to the provisions of the Criminal Code (Official Gazette No. 125 of 07 November 11, Article 2011 and 149 and 150), for the purpose of protecting dignity, reputation and honor, and all after publication Mr. Markotić from September 151, 14 at 2022:19 on his Facebook profile.

"The attitude of the acting director towards renowned Split art societies such as KUD Jedinstvo and the City Mandolin Society Sanctus Domnio is particularly shameful. He did not allow them to have their premises inside the Croatian Home, justifying that there is not enough space there and that his employees have - as he stated in an interview for Slobodna Dalmacija – a single room of 25,30 square meters shamed even the Oval Office of the White House."

• V. d. the director does not have the authority to assign the premises of a public institution to become the headquarters of cultural and artistic societies. The issue of space for the work of associations is the responsibility of the City of Split. We must finally understand that a professional concert hall cannot be the seat of (amateur) cultural and artistic societies. Anyone who has been to the Croatian House in Split knows that there are no adequate rooms for the work of the aforementioned associations. Also, we would like to mention that on Friday, June 25, 2021, GMD Sanctus Domnio held a concert on the occasion of 30 years of activity in the Croatian Home Split. The aforementioned concert was preceded by a total of 5 rehearsals in the Hrvatski dom Split in the evening hours. On Thursday, March 18, 2021, the Split Mandolin Quartet, composed of members of GMD Sanctus Domnio, also performed. When we talk about to the "Oval Office", Mr. Caporello commissioned the space above the grand staircase to carry out his work. This room is used for all meetings, discussions, reception of musicians, etc. In this sense, it is really malicious to portray the director's office as some kind of extra luxurious space, given that it contains a simple desk, a meeting table, a few chairs, a small chest of drawers and two armchairs that we received free of charge from the City of Split. .
• The Councilor further sends a message "Don't fall for the cheap pathos of interest groups", and we wonder who these interest groups are? Perhaps all the professional music associations in the Republic of Croatia (Croatian Association of Music Artists, Croatian Association of Orchestral and Chamber Artists, Croatian Music Union, Croatian Society of Composers), which have expressed themselves positively about the work of the Croatian Home Split?

"To understand what kind of cheap PR and demagoguery it is, it is enough to make a comparison with Musical Youth. In the same period - according to publicly available data - Musical Youth, otherwise an association of special importance for the City of Split, to which the City awarded in 2021 only HRK 273.000 for regular activities, it realized 56 programs.Hrvatski dom with a budget of HRK 2,5 million realizes everything in 2021 34 events in their own organization and in their own space, and Musical Youth with HRK 273,000 realizes 56 events in the same period."

• Now it is definitely clear what it is about "for the sake of demagoguery" because to compare the work of the Concert Hall, which has the costs of a cold plant, the engagement of collaborators for the realization of events, and a rich concert program, which the profession has evaluated with excellent marks, with the work of the Music Youth Split, which deals with connecting children and young people with music and culture, is simply incomparable and dawning example of "demagoguery". For example, every program performed by a musician accompanied by a Musical Youth employee, lasting about 30 minutes in a kindergarten, school, etc., is displayed as a program. We by no means want to diminish the importance of the Split Musical Youth (and Mr. Kaporelo was an employee of the Split Musical Youth in the period from 2016 to 2020), but we must point out that these are simply incomparable activities.

"The Croatian Home Split definitely needs to be reorganized and returned to the framework for which it was founded. Because what is the point of the Croatian Home in Split when the fewest artists from Split perform there? And when they do, it is usually not organized by the Croatian Home. Public It's a secret in Split's cultural circles that they shouldn't hold a grudge against the acting director, because otherwise he will never perform at the Croatian House.

• It is untrue to say that Split musicians perform the least at the Croatian House of Split. We invite all Split music associations, festivals and educational institutions in the field of music in Split to comment on the role of the Croatian Home Split and their cooperation with the Home so far. When we talk about "public secrets", it's really funny to bring the language of the street into discussions at the City Council. We think that everyone who has cooperated with the Croatian Home Split can clearly say how the Home cooperates and what level of service is provided. Mr. Kaporelo gathers people and conducts a constructive dialogue with all associations and institutions in the City of Split and the Republic of Croatia. We have heard many times that it is a world-class service and production from numerous Croatian and foreign artists! Let's emphasize once again that Croatian Home Split is the home of Split musicians! The audience wants a rich, diverse and quality program! The audience wants top musical achievements at the highest level, they want Split, but also Croatian and international musicians! One city councilor cannot claim the right to speak on behalf of the entire cultural public.

"When Hrvatski dom was already established as a public institution in culture, why not finally solve the problem of the cultural backbone of the city of Split: the City Mandolin Society Sanctus Domnio as a resident orchestra, KUD Brodosplit as a residence choir, KUD Jedinstvo as a folklore ensemble and Musical youth as a platform for animator-pedagogical programs and support for young musicians."

• The aforementioned thinking is legitimate, but for this it is necessary to have funds and adequate spaces and modalities of action developed by the City of Split as the founder. Does he suggest, perhaps, Mr. Markotić that the aforementioned ensembles become professional ensembles and that approx. 60 people in those "residential orchestras and choirs"? Let's take a look at several documents related to the foundation, protection and status changes of the Concert Hall: 1) based on the Strategy of Cultural Development of the City of Split 2015 - 2025 ("Official Gazette of the City of Split" number 50/15), chapter 1.3. Investments, actions, initiatives, point 8, the existence of the "Concert Agency" is foreseen as a consequence of "the musical history of the city of Split as detailed in the historical overview from the Middle Ages to the present day"; 2) The conservation department places the building of the Croatian Home under preventive protection (Z-4538) which is designated as a permanently protected cultural asset as a building and the purpose of the building as a "concert hall"; 3) The city of Split can make a decision on status changes and the cessation of work of the Croatian Home Split only with prior consent of the ministry responsible for cultural affairs, according to the opinion obtained by the Expert Council of the Croatian House Split.
• Furthermore, if an association becomes part of a public institution, then it is no longer an association, just as the Croatian Home Split is not a concert hall. Hrvatski dom Split cooperates with all relevant Split associations as a Concert Hall and supports their work. If the activities of the Croatian Home Split are to be expanded to the mentioned segment of the Split cultural scene, this must be determined by the founders and defined by a clear spatial, personnel and financial framework. Croatian Home Split should, in our opinion, be a professional concert hall, and the new space on the Croatian Fraternal Union Square can become the center of an independent cultural scene, if that is the wish of the City of Split and the aforementioned associations. With the same argumentation, they could place associations, i.e. amateur drama groups in the Croatian National Theater, art associations in museums, amateur dance groups together with the Ballet of the Croatian National Theater, etc. So, abolish the concert hall and organize the Croatian Home Split as a home of culture! This does not seem like a quality proposal, after we have been waiting for a concert hall in Split for decades.

"In conclusion, all of what I have stated are irrefutable facts that cast a completely different light than what was presented to the public through carefully planned, but ultimately very transparent PR. (Hanza Media alone was paid HRK 2021 for publicity in 25.000) "

• The above are not facts, but a twisting of them like this one about HRK 25.000,00 for "transparent PR". So, for example, KN 2.079,00 and KN 4.978,13 spent in accordance with the legal regulations that determine the publication of job advertisements in daily newspapers. KN 18.750,00 refers to the announcement of the subscription and the new concert season and concerts. So the money was not spent on some kind of personal PR articles, as suggested. The aforementioned funds were planned in the budget and were realized as such.

"Since the acting director's mandate expires in a month and a half, the City is obliged to announce a public tender as soon as possible and not to fall for the cheap pathos of interest groups that treat public money like a bottomless sack".

• Mr. Kaporelo has not been the acting director for two years by his own will, therefore we are eagerly awaiting the instructions of the City of Split for announcing the tender in question.

With respect,

In Split on October 28, 2022.

Croatian Home Split – Concert Hall