🎵 Back then vs. today

A.K.A. Crescendo is Croatian contemporary a cappella group founded in the spring of 2013. Back then they were all studying at University of Zadar where they met and began their a cappella journey. This group of creative and unusual individuals first stepped into the spotlight performing at the end summer semester that same year, singing Silente’s hit song “Terca na Tišinu”, and have since then been drawing attention of both public and media.

Today they still remain steady participants in the university’s many happenings, as well as events organized in the city of Zadar, all over Croatia and also around the world. Their a cappella covers include a wide variety of musical genres, from traditional to pop, soul, funk, gospel songs, and they are always ready for new and exciting challenges. It is important to note that since their founding, the members have been arranging their covers and choreographing their numbers entirely by themselves.

At the moment, A.K.A. Crescendo counts six members and each of them brings a different flavor to the group, making the mixture just perfect.

🎵 Memorable performances

Since their founding, A.K.A. Crescendo has performed at a variety of events, competitions and festivals, counting over 400 performances across Europe, South America, and of course their home country, Croatia.

In 2016, A.K.A. Crescendo competed in the Croatian version of the British hit TV franchise Got Talent where they got the Golden Buzzer from Croatian opera diva and member of the jury, Martina Tomčić.

In August 2016, A.K.A. Crescendo was invited to perform at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Canada. The CNE is the fourth biggest festival in South America which is visited by two million people each year. A.K.A. Crescendo represented Zadar and Croatia on the International Stage, along with performers representing their own countries of origin such as Hungary, Switzerland, Poland, the Philippines, Chile, Mexico and Cuba.

🎵 Awards and invitations

One of their most prestigious achievements in 2016 is, by far, the City of Zadar Award, which was granted to the members A.K.A. Crescendo in December that year in Zadar’s National Theater, acknowledging their contribution to the cultural landscape of not only their university, but their home city as well.

In 2017, A.K.A. Crescendo also received the University of Zadar’s Rector’s Award for outstanding contributions to culture and extracurricular activities. In July of the same year, the group participated in their first a cappella competition in Graz - Vokal.total. There, they secured the bronze plaquette in the category Pop.

After Graz, A.K.A. Crescendo entered the biggest international a cappella competition The Open, being one of four groups reaching the semi-final round out of 72 participants from across the globe. Their beatboxer, Filip Rušin, even received Varsity Vocal’s special award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion.

In 2019, A.K.A. Crescendo was invited to participate in one of the most prestigious a cappella events in the world - Total Vocal, organized by DCINY and conducted by “the godfather of modern a cappella” Deke Sharon. They had the honor to perform in Carnegie Hall in New York City as one of the few chosen solo groups.

Not long after their performance at Total Vocal, A.K.A. Crescendo got another invite - this time to the Moscow A Cappella Spring Festival, where they competed among 169 other international and local groups.

In May 2022, they applied to the European a cappella competition Solevoci in Italy, from which they returned with a golden plaquette, as well as trophies for best performance and best beatbox.

In 2023, they decided to pursue their long-standing dream and organize the first contemporary a cappella music festival in Croatia, in their city of Zadar, which they successfully accomplished. CROappella was a great success, and in 2024, it saw its continuation with CROappella II, which became international with even more mentors, groups, workshops, and activities. They are especially proud to have had Deke Sharon as a special guest at CROappella from the very beginning.

From the inception and idea of CROappella, he has believed in their vision and dream that CROappella will grow bigger and better in the coming years.