Renowned Croatians: The soprano who graced world’s biggest stages

Srebrenka Jurinac (Photo: Croatian Post)

By Nikola Šimić Tonin

Srebrenka (Sena) Jurinac was one of Croatia’s greatest opera singers, a soprano who graced the world’s most prestigious stages with her refined musicality and exceptional talent.

At my suggestion, with the support of Dr Marijan Brajinović, a commemorative postage stamp has been issued as a tribute to Sena whose voice and presence left an indelible mark on the world of opera.

Who was Sena Jurinac

Srebrenka (Sena) Jurinac (Travnik, 24 October 1921 – Augsburg, 22 November 2011), a soprano and one of Croatia’s greatest vocal artists, was among the select few Croatian singers who conquered the world’s most prestigious opera stages.

She studied in Zagreb at the Academy of Music under Marija Kostrenčić, and while still a student, she performed at HNK, captivating audiences with her refined musicality.

She particularly distinguished herself in the title role of the premiere of Boris Papandopulo’s opera Sunčanica in 1942, conducted by the composer himself and directed by Branko Gavella.

A year later, director Oktavijan Miletić entrusted her with the role of Sidonija Erdődy in his film Lisinski. In 1944, she successfully auditioned for the Vienna State Opera, where she remained until her retirement in 1982.

Not only did she take on numerous roles, but she also built an international career, performing on the grand stages of Milan’s La Scala, the Paris Opera, London’s Covent Garden, opera houses in Brussels, Zurich, San Francisco, Chicago, Buenos Aires, and Sydney, as well as at festivals in Edinburgh, Glyndebourne (where she performed regularly from 1949), Florence (Maggio Musicale), Bayreuth (1957), and Wiesbaden.

At the Vienna State Opera, she interpreted most soprano roles, gradually transitioning from lyrical to dramatic roles.

Throughout her career, she collaborated with some of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, including Lovro von Matačić, Herbert von Karajan—under whose baton she performed Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro at the Salzburg Festival—Wilhelm Furtwängler, Otto Klemperer, Hans Knappertsbusch, and Erich Kleiber.

(Croatian Post)

Croatian audiences fondly remember her final major performance in Croatia at the Varaždin Baroque Evenings in 1978, where, accompanied by the Zagreb Soloists, she performed an aria from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, bidding a final farewell to her homeland.

(From an expert review on Srebrenka (Sena) Jurinac by Erika Krpan, musicologist and member of the Croatian Composers’ Society)

It was a long journey—more than a year of effort, with many doubts, sceptical smiles, and dismissive remarks: “As if! Do you really think you’ll succeed with that idea?”

But I succeeded. And I pursued another idea—that Sena should have a street named after her in her birthplace, Travnik. The same in Zagreb, where the struggle continues, but we do not give up. In Vienna, she already has a street.

It seems it’s easier to get recognition in Vienna than in Zagreb—unless, of course, you’re…

Miracles are rare, but they happen to those who believe in them. The fuel that drives miracles is faith, persistence, and determination. If someone desires something with all their heart, they will find a way to achieve it. And I wanted this to happen with all my heart.

The postage stamp in her honour was issued in April 2024 and was designed by Sabina Rešić, a painter and designer from Zagreb.