e-mail: ddunatov@ief.hr
Dora Dunatov (Zadar, 1992) defended her PhD in the field of ethnomusicology in 2024 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz [Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz] with the highest distinction. Her dissertation, titled Life of 78 RPM Records on the Domestic and Foreign Markets: The Case of Zagreb-Based Record Companies, analyzed the domestic and foreign markets for 78 RPM records produced by three Zagreb-based companies—Edison Bell Penkala, Elektroton, and Jugoton. Through this work, she engaged with the subfields of economic and historical ethnomusicology, examining the complex concept of the record market through the lens of anthropological definitions. Her dissertation also addressed the topic of diaspora music-making in the United States, with a portion of the research dedicated to the analysis of Dalmatian songs on shellac records and in early radio broadcasts.
Her doctoral research was part of a four-year collaborative scientific project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation, The recording industry in Croatia from 1927 to the end of the 1950s. As part of the project, she co-edited the collected volume Rana domaća diskografska industrija: Edison Bell Penkala, Elektroton i Jugoton [The Early Domestic Recording Industry: Edison Bell Penkala, Elektroton, and Jugoton] (2025) alongside Dr. Naida Ceribašić and Dr. Jelka Vukobratović. She also contributed five articles to the volume, summarizing key findings from her doctoral research. Additionally, she participated in the creation of the publicly accessible online database Croatian e-Discography, which aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recorded output of the three mentioned companies. As part of the project, she had the opportunity to undertake further training at the Immigration History Research Center Archives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA (2022). In 2021, she received a scholarship to attend the 55th annual conference of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections [ARSC] and a workshop on digital sound restoration in the 21st century.
She earned her Master’s degree in musicology (ethnomusicology specialization) in 2017 from the Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, graduating with the Dean’s Award for Excellence. Her master’s thesis explored the topic of the dance of the city of Zadar as a newly established tradition, later published as an article in the journal Etnološka tribina (2021). She continues to research the Zadar region, focusing primarily on island traditions and klapa singing, gradually expanding her research interests beyond her native region. She is currently involved in two projects at the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research (IEF): Ethnographies of Insularity – Island Heritage and Environmental Futures as Pillars of Island Community Development (BAŠOTOK) and Traditions of Music and Dance (TRAPLEGLA).
As part of the latter project, in 2023, she edited the book Oj, devojko Maro: Izbor tradicijskih napjeva sa Smotre muških pjevačkih skupina Hrvatske u Ivanić-Gradu (2002. – 2021.) [Selection of Traditional Songs from the Review of Croatian Male Singing Groups in Ivanić-Grad] authored by Dr. Joško Ćaleta and Ivan Buljan. The book includes song transcriptions and detailed commentary on vocal techniques, styles, and the origins of the songs. It was awarded the Milovan Gavazzi Annual Prize for 2023 in the category of professional field popularization.
She regularly presents at international academic symposiums. In addition to her research, which primarily focuses on discography and traditional music expressions of southern Croatia, she has collaborated with Croatian Radio since 2015, contributing articles and music reviews to professional journals and online platforms. She also took part in organizing the first five editions of the Zadar Organ Festival, an international organ festival in Zadar (2019–2023).