Franjo Bilić (Zagreb, 1994) is one of the most versatile young Croatian musicians of his generation, recognized for his exceptional artistic sensitivity, precision in ensemble leadership, and ability to unite musicians around a clear interpretative vision. He performs actively as a conductor, harpsichordist, and artistic director, presenting more than 40 concerts and recitals annually in Croatia and abroad.
He began his musical education as a boy soprano, performing in opera productions at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and touring the United States with the Zagreb Boys Choir under the direction of Jasenka Ostojić. After graduating from the Classical Gymnasium and completing piano studies in the class of Jelica Kuzmin at the Pavle Markovac Music School—earning two Oskar znanja awards—he graduated in harpsichord (2018, magna cum laude) in the class of Pavao Mašić and in conducting (2021) in the class of Mladen Tarbuk at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, where he received the Dean’s Award and six Rector’s Awards.
He furthered his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the Hochschule der Künste Bern, and the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, expanding his conducting expertise in the classes of Philippe Bach, Rolf Schumacher, Florian Ziemen, Vladimir Kiradjiev, and Johannes Wildner, with a focus on operatic and orchestral repertoire. As a conductor, Bilić has distinguished himself through numerous high-profile artistic projects. At the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, he conducted Handel’s Agrippina as maestro al cembalo under the mentorship of Tomislav Fačini, for which he received two Rector’s Awards.
He led the University of Zagreb Opera Project, which brought together more than 250 students and mentors in the Croatian premiere of Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie, and has achieved a series of successful collaborations with ensembles in Croatia and abroad. He has conducted the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, the Szeged Symphony Orchestra, the Swiss Army Orchestra, and the Croatian Army Orchestra, standing out for his technical assurance and stylistic flexibility spanning Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary music. He regularly collaborates with nearly all professional orchestras and most ensembles in Croatia, including the Zagreb Soloists, of which he became a permanent member in 2025 after a decade of continuous collaboration. He is an active advocate of contemporary music.
As a harpsichordist, since 2015 he has commissioned and premiered new works by Croatian composers annually, and as a conductor he has led six world premieres. He is the author of the release Cembalo up(to)date (Croatia Records, 2022), the first album of contemporary harpsichord literature in the history of Croatian discography. His contribution to musical culture has been recognized with numerous awards, including becoming the first harpsichordist to win the Ferdo Livadić International Competition in Samobor and the 50th Darko Lukić Tribune.
He is the first Croatian to apply for and win Second Prize at the Prix Annelie de Man International Competition for Contemporary Harpsichord Literature in Amsterdam, performing two world premieres. In 2018, he became the first harpsichordist to receive the prestigious Ivo Vuljević Award and the title of Young Musician of the Year, conferred by the Croatian Music Youth. In 2019, he won First Prize and a Special Award for the best performance of a contemporary music work at the Wanda Landowska Competition in Bari, Italy. In 2022, marking the 400th anniversary of the first printing of Vinko Jelić’s motet collection Parnassia militia, he prepared its first modern critical edition, for which he received the Golden Charter of Matica hrvatska.
Since 2020, he has served as a music editor at Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) and founded a harpsichord class at the Pavle Markovac Music School, where he has also directed the Mixed Choir, String Orchestra, and Wind Orchestra. Since 2023, he has been Assistant Professor at the Department of Conducting, Harp, and Percussion at the Academy of Music in Zagreb.
He serves as artistic director of more than 15 ensembles and, as a cultural entrepreneur, is Director of the Sancti Joannis Nepomuceni Classical Music Festival in Lučko and producer and artistic advisor of the Passion Heritage Festival. In addition to conducting, he is active in arranging, music engraving, and composition; his works have been performed at festivals such as the Korkyra Baroque Festival, Senj Musical Evenings, the Passion Heritage Festival, and Didak Days.