Zlatko Balokovic
Encyclopedia
Zlatko Baloković was a Croatia
n violinist.
, Croatia (at the time part of Austria-Hungary
), and began violin
lessons at age ten. He made such progress that, after three years, he was sent to Prague
to continue his studies at the "Meisterschule" under the guidance of Otakar Ševčík
. In 1913, already excellent and renowned, the invitation came to him to play with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
. That year he won the annual Austrian "Staatspreis" and soon made artistic tours to Berlin
, Vienna
, and Genova
. He stayed in Trieste
during World War I
. After living in Britain
from 1920 to 1923, he accepted an offer for an American tour, so on January 1, 1924, he left for New York
. In 1926, he married Joyce Borden, heiress to the Borden
family fortune. In the 1920s and 1930s, the couple toured the European continent, performing predominantly for the continent's royalty.
, he settled with their adopted children at Hillside Farm in Camden
, Maine, where he became involved in many wartime political efforts and chaired six organizations: the Yugoslav Division of the U.S. Treasury War Bond Drives; the Russian War Relief
's Nationalities Division, the United Committee of South Slavic Americans; the American Slav Congress of Greater New York; the American Croatian Congress, and the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief (with Eleanor Roosevelt
as the president). He advocated Tito's Yugoslav cause. In November 1944, aided by Adlai Stevenson (his nephew by marriage), he went to Washington, D.C.
to demand the shipment of medical supplies to the resistance forces. After seeing President Franklin . Roosevelt, Vice President Henry A. Wallace
, United States Secretary of State
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
, Assistant Secretary of War
John J. McCloy
and Admiral Land, the deal was done and the requested supplies soon reached their destination.
In 1946 the couple returned to Yugoslavia
as officials of the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief and were showered with that nation's gratitude. He gave 36 concerts and hundreds of speeches, while travelling the entire country in a private railroad car. He personally came to know many high-ranking figures in the Yugoslav government, including Marshal Josip Broz Tito
, Georgi Dimitrov
of Bulgaria
, and Enver Hoxha
of Albania
.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 1947, he made a coast-to-coast tour to advocate for the people he had met. As a result of the ties to Yugoslav government and membership in wartime organizations, he had come to be considered "subversive". The couple was labelled as "fellow travellers" by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1949 but after an ordeal both were cleared. In 1954, he made a second "jubilee" tour. Tito presented him with the Grand Cross of the Yugoslav Flag
in recognition of his artistic and humanitarian achievements benefitting nations.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n violinist.
Early years
He was born in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia (at the time part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
), and began violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
lessons at age ten. He made such progress that, after three years, he was sent to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to continue his studies at the "Meisterschule" under the guidance of Otakar Ševčík
Otakar Ševcík
Otakar Ševčík was a Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a soloist and an ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe.-Biography:...
. In 1913, already excellent and renowned, the invitation came to him to play with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953...
. That year he won the annual Austrian "Staatspreis" and soon made artistic tours to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and Genova
Génova
Génova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala...
. He stayed in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. After living in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 1920 to 1923, he accepted an offer for an American tour, so on January 1, 1924, he left for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1926, he married Joyce Borden, heiress to the Borden
Borden
-Places:Australia*Borden, Western AustraliaCanada*Borden, Saskatchewan*Borden, Ontario*Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island, formerly the town of Borden*Borden Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada*Borden Island, Nunavut, Canada...
family fortune. In the 1920s and 1930s, the couple toured the European continent, performing predominantly for the continent's royalty.
Political activism
Upon the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he settled with their adopted children at Hillside Farm in Camden
Camden, Maine
Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
, Maine, where he became involved in many wartime political efforts and chaired six organizations: the Yugoslav Division of the U.S. Treasury War Bond Drives; the Russian War Relief
Russian War Relief
Russian War Relief was an alleged Communist front group, circa 1944. According to a 1943 FBI report, the group was “infiltrated with known Communists, Communist leaders, fellow travelers, and front organizations.” The chairman of Russian War Relief was Edward C...
's Nationalities Division, the United Committee of South Slavic Americans; the American Slav Congress of Greater New York; the American Croatian Congress, and the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief (with Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
as the president). He advocated Tito's Yugoslav cause. In November 1944, aided by Adlai Stevenson (his nephew by marriage), he went to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to demand the shipment of medical supplies to the resistance forces. After seeing President Franklin . Roosevelt, Vice President Henry A. Wallace
Henry A. Wallace
Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States , the Secretary of Agriculture , and the Secretary of Commerce . In the 1948 presidential election, Wallace was the nominee of the Progressive Party.-Early life:Henry A...
, United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr. was United States Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, serving from 1944 to 1945....
, Assistant Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War
The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War," was appointed to serve the Congress of the Confederation under the Articles of Confederation...
John J. McCloy
John J. McCloy
John Jay McCloy was a lawyer and banker who served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, president of the World Bank and U.S. High Commissioner for Germany...
and Admiral Land, the deal was done and the requested supplies soon reached their destination.
In 1946 the couple returned to Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
as officials of the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief and were showered with that nation's gratitude. He gave 36 concerts and hundreds of speeches, while travelling the entire country in a private railroad car. He personally came to know many high-ranking figures in the Yugoslav government, including Marshal Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
.
Upon his return to the U.S. in 1947, he made a coast-to-coast tour to advocate for the people he had met. As a result of the ties to Yugoslav government and membership in wartime organizations, he had come to be considered "subversive". The couple was labelled as "fellow travellers" by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1949 but after an ordeal both were cleared. In 1954, he made a second "jubilee" tour. Tito presented him with the Grand Cross of the Yugoslav Flag
Orders and medals of Socialist Yugoslavia
Orders, decorations, and medals of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were created during the Second World War and used throughout the existence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
in recognition of his artistic and humanitarian achievements benefitting nations.