Acclaimed Croatian conductor Vjekoslav Sutej died today (December 3) in the Rebro hospital in Zagreb, aged 58. Sutej fought leukaemia for the last few years.

Vjekoslav Sutej was musical director and principal conductor of The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor of conducting at the Zagreb Academy of Music. Born in Rijeka in 1951, he grew up in a musical environment, both of his parents sang in the Croatian National Opera House. He studied conducting under Igor Gjadrov at the Zagreb Academy of Music, and he obtained his MMus in Rome with Franco Ferrara.

Sutej was artistic director and chief conductor of the Croatian National Theatre in Split before his talent was recognized by the international community. 

His international career began in New Jersey where he became the artistic director of the Hollybush Festival. In the early 90’s he was music director of La Fenice festival in Venice and a member of Real Academia De Bellas Artes in Spain where he founded Real Orquesta Simfonica De Sevilla and was their artistic director and principal conductor.

Sutej was also music director of the Houston Grand Opera where he conducted 133 performances, and a music director of Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Sutej performed as a guest conductor all over the world - the United States, Russia, Hungary, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Mexico, the Czech Republic and Japan.

Since 1994 Vjekoslav Sutej was regularly invited to the Vienna State Opera, where he conducted over hundred performances and led four Christmas concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.