GIOVANNI CAVALLIN was born in 1932 in Sarajevo. He completed his high school and basic music education in Banja Luka. In Zagreb, in 1952, he enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy and the School of Music, and in 1957, he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy. Later that year, he joined the Music Academy in Zagreb as the first clarinet student in Professor Josip Nochta’s class.
In 1962, he graduated from the Music Academy with honors, presenting a full-length concert at the Croatian Music Institute.
Two years later, he passed the professional exam on the topic “Clarinet as a Concert Instrument” and became a professor.
As a recipient of a French government scholarship from 1965 to 1966, he studied at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique with Professor Ulysse Delécluse and perfected his skills in Nice with Professor Jacques Lancelot.
Following in his father’s footsteps, his two sons, Radovan, a solo clarinetist in Las Palmas, Grand Canaria, and Lucijan, who completed his clarinet education at G. Š. V. Lisinski in Zagreb.
From 1958 to the present, Giovanni Cavallin has worked as a professor of clarinet and chamber music at the Pavle Markovac Music School.
Publishing Activity
Giovanni Cavallin wrote a valuable book for young clarinetists, “50 Daily Clarinet Exercises.”
At his initiative, eminent composers such as T. Vidošević, M. Miletić, A. Marković, and A. Klobučar wrote clarinet quartets, which he compiled and published in his album “4 Quartets for 4 Clarinets.” In 1998, he supplemented this edition with quartets by E. Cosetto and M. Paar, reissuing it under the title “Six Quartets for Four Clarinets in B.”
Teaching Work
Cavallin’s students have won 55 awards (19 first, 25 second, and 11 third places) at regional and national competitions. They have also secured first place three times in chamber music competitions for students and music students in Croatia.
Performances
From the beginning of his studies, he performed as a solo clarinetist. As an instrumental performer, he played numerous works by Croatian composers, with 107 performances, including 16 premieres.
He performed with the RTZ Orchestra, Zagreb Chamber Orchestra, Sarajevo Philharmonic, Dubrovnik Orchestra, HGZ Orchestra, Music Academy Orchestra, and served as the solo E-flat clarinetist and clarinetist for the Zagreb Philharmonic, RTZ Orchestra, and Zagreb Opera. For ten years, he was a member of the contemporary music ensemble ACEZANTEZ.
From December 1991 to June 1992, he played in the newly formed Croatian Army Orchestra. He is a member of the Croatian Composers’ Society and an honorary member of the Croatian Clarinet Society.
Awards and Recognitions
He received the Republic Award “4 Gold Stars” for achievements and improvement in primary education. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Croatian Society of Music and Ballet Pedagogues. In 1993, he was granted the title of professor mentor. He participated in the development of plans and programs for wind instruments and regulations for music school competitions. He also served as a member of the national judging panel for music school competitions.