Presentation of the ISTRAMUZA Project

The ISTRAMUZA project - "ISTRAživanje skladateljske baštine: MUZikološki, obrAzovni i izvedbeni potencijali” (Researching Compositional Heritage: Musicological, Educational, and Performance Potentials) - was presented at the 6th International Conference "Digital Humanities & Heritage" (DARIAH), held from 7 to 9 October 2026 at the Faculty of Humanities in Pula. It was presented during the panel "Connecting Dispersed Musical Heritage: The IstraMuza Project and Digital Infrastructures for Istrian Music Sources." Led by Full Professor dr. Ivana Paula Gortan-Carlin, this interdisciplinary project focuses on the systematic research, documentation, digitization, and revitalization of Istria's musical heritage. It integrates archival research, musicological analysis, and the application of modern digital technologies, linking scholarly work with educational and artistic practice.

The first work package focused on the systematic research, cataloguing, and digitization of archival materials, the location of compositions preserved in various institutions, and the creation of a database on Istrian compositional heritage. It was presented by Full Professor dr. Ivana Paula Gortan-Carlin, and Assistant Professor dr. Ana Debeljuh Giudici. Full Professor dr. Lada Duraković, and Janko Žufić, Senior Lecturer presented the second work package, which explores and revitalizes the musical heritage of the Pula Naval Orchestra from the Austro-Hungarian era, involving the digitization and preservation of historical musical sources as well as the development of a digital repository. Incorporating musical heritage into educational practice using digital resources and modern technologies is the focus of the third work package, presented by Full Professor dr. Sabina Vidulin, and Janko Žufić, Senior Lecturer. Particular attention was paid to creative ways of introducing Istrian musical heritage to children and young people.

The ISTRAMUZA project demonstrates how the integration of scientific research, digital innovation, and education can successfully promote the abundance of Istrian musical heritage and hand it down to future generations.