who are we?
We are two friends who both happen to be classical musicians, and we are passionate about conducting education. Both of us came to conducting in unique ways and struggled to get started as conductors. We want to make that process easier for others by ensuring we are offering a quality service no one will be sorry they spent their money on.
Nika Kožar
Co-Founder
Nika Kožar is a dynamic young conductor known for her expressive musicianship and vivid sense of storytelling. Her artistic identity is shaped by an unusual breadth of experience, as she is both a conductor and an operatic soprano, equally at home on the podium and on stage. She thrives in collaborative, imaginative environments and is known for shaping projects that add a twist to traditional classical frameworks. She often brings her background as a singer into her conducting practice, most notably when she led and simultaneously sang Berio’s Folk Songs in the project Voices of Europe, a large-scale student project exploring folk music in a classical setting.
She is active both as a conductor and a singer, having recently made her conducting debut with the Zagreb Philharmonic, following solo appearances as a singer with the Zagreb Chamber Orchestra and a featured concert performance at the Croatian National Theatre in Split. A recent larger-scope performance in the UK includes Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice at the Susie Sainsbury’s Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in collaboration with American composer Eric Davis, a re-orchestrated reimagining of the opera exploring the trope of katabasis across cultures and gender. She has undertaken notable conducting work with high-level student ensembles in Zagreb, including performances of Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Davide penitente, Tomislav Uhlik’s contemporary Croatian opera The Shoemaker and the Devil, and Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie.
A committed member of her musical community, Kožar has served as Assistant Conductor of the Ivan Goran Kovačić Choir in Zagreb and, for three years, led Capella Juris, the Choir of the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, preparing and conducting major concerts, including Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. She is also the co-founder of Conducting Studio Zagreb, a non-profit dedicated to providing opportunities for aspiring conductors of all backgrounds.
After participating in the Glover-Edwards Programme for female conductors at the Royal Academy of Music, she is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, where she continues to refine her artistic voice, one defined by lyricism, precision, and a profound belief in the power of music to connect communities.
petromila jakas
Co-Founder
Petromila Jakas is a Croatian violinist and conductor whose work is driven by a deep interest in physical awareness, sound, and musical communication. In recent seasons, she has been increasingly active as a conductor, currently serving as principal conductor of the Dugo Selo Chamber Orchestra in Croatia, while maintaining an active career as a violinist.
She regularly performs with ensembles such as the Zagreb Chamber Orchestra, with which she has served as concertmaster since 2020, and the International Chamber Orchestra Lorenzo da Ponte, where she works as concertmaster and section leader. She is also deputy principal of the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra, BISYOC Orchestra, Orchestra Classica di Alessandria, and Virtuosi Mediterranei.
A defining aspect of Jakas’s artistic identity is her commitment to contemporary music and to an embodied approach to performance. Her interpretations of contemporary solo violin repertoire, first highlighted at the Zagreb Music Biennale, have earned international recognition, including special prizes at the International Competition in Malta and the Riccardo Vianello Prize in Italy, as well as first prizes at competitions such as Amigdala, Premio Franz Schubert, and Paolo Barrasso.
Central to her musical thinking is her long-standing practice of Chen Style Taijiquan, which she began at the age of sixteen through a fascination with balance, relaxation, and the idea of the instrument as an extension of the body. Now an experienced Taijiquan instructor and certified yoga teacher, she actively integrates these practices into her work with musicians and artists, exploring how grounding, alignment, and breath influence sound and presence on stage.
This interdisciplinary focus led to the creation of The Sound Posture, an ongoing project supported by the City of Zagreb’s Innovative Arts Contest, which brings together music and embodied practice through workshops and performances. She has led workshops for artists at institutions including BISYOC (Germany, UK, and Malta), ZKM Dance Company in Croatia, and the Tonebase music platform.
Jakas completed her violin studies and postgraduate training at the Music Academy in Zagreb, the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, and the Schola Cantorum in Paris, and she completed postgraduate studies in orchestral conducting at the Music Academy in Zagreb under Mladen Tarbuk. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory in Trieste with Marco Angius.
Through her work as a violinist, conductor, and movement practitioner, Petromila Jakas seeks a holistic approach to performance, one in which technique, sound, and physical awareness form a single expressive language.