Dina e Mel is the music project of two classically trained musicians based in the Zadar, Croatian coastal city of 3000-year-old history. The project is formed by musicologist Dina Bušić and guitarist Melita Ivković, who share their passion for music collaboration based on thoughtfulness and artistic expression, with an ethnomusicological perspective. The heart of the project – Bërbili (Nightingale) builds around the almost forgotten music of Dina’s family history, the Arbanesh – people who 300 years ago migrated from the Lake of Skadar (North Albania/Montenegro) to Zadar (Croatia).
In 2020 they released the album Bërbili (Nightingale) – Forgotten songs of the Zadar Arbanasi for the Nota Bene record label. The album features guest musicians: Edin Karamazov on guitar and saz, Miroslav Tadić on guitar and Yvette Holzwarth on violin, who sometimes join the duo in live performances, such as the famous Zagreb concert in 2021 recorded in live broadcast for Croatian National Television (HRT). In 2022 the project was selected for MOST – Balkan Music Export, a project that builds a bridge connecting the South East European region and the global music market.
