In conjunction with Michelle Hromin's ongoing project Kalendar: 12 Miniatures for 2021, Sada is a show focused on the idea of being present when navigating your way through understanding one's history. In trying to connect to her Croatian roots in new ways, Michelle will be sharing works old and new from Slavic composers, including her own improvised piece and a transcription by Croatian composer Dora Pejačević.

Kalendar: 12 Miniatures for 2021 is a set of miniatures for solo clarinet written by Michael Spiroff for Michelle Hromin. This collaboration began at the Mannes School of Music, where the two were interested in exploring the musical traditions from region of the Slavic world. Unlike the generic names for the months in English that are derived from Latin, the Slavic calendar uses names in native tongues that describe agricultural activities and weather patterns that take place during these times of year. For example, Listopad (October) directly translates to “the month of falling leaves.” Each month of 2021, Michelle is premiering a new miniature online. Additionally, she is releasing the work as a 2-volume EP, with the 2nd volume set to release in early November.

As a Croatian-American woman, Michelle has longed to perform a piece from someone who comes from my part of the world. While other Slavic regions, such as Russia, are heavily represented in the classical music world, former Yugoslavia's historical and musical traditions are virtually unknown in the U.S. Because of the inner turmoil and ethnic tensions between neighboring Yugoslavian countries, resulting in war and its dissimilation, many of the musical and cultural traditions have been lost along the way.