Mladen Bašić studied piano, conducting and composition in the Zagreb Conservatory. His music career began in 1940 as a répétiteur. Since 1945 he worked as the conductor for the Opera of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, where from 1955 to 1958 he also worked as the opera director.[2]
From 1968 to 1970 he returned to work again in Croatia, this time as the music director of the summer festival "Splitsko ljeto" and as the opera director of the Croatian National Theatre in Split. From 1970 to 1978 he was the permanent director and programming supervisor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, where he had a cooperation with the main conductor of that time, Lovro von Matačić.[2] In 1978 he was invited to Mainz, where he worked until 1990 as the music general manager.[2]
As a conductor Mladen Bašić performed in many European concert halls.
In 1998 he received the Tito Strozzi prize from the Croatian National Theatre of Zagreb for the performance of Benjamin Britten's opera The Rape of Lucretia.
In 2006 he received the "Lovro von Matačić" prize, given by the Croatian Association of Academical Musicians (in Croatian: HDGU), in acknowledgement of his music career.
Bibliography
Kovačević, Krešimir (1971). "Bašić, Mladen". In Kovačević, K. (ed.). Muzička enciklopedija (in Croatian). Vol. 1. Zagreb: Yugoslav Lexicographical Institute. p. 149.
Požgaj, Višnja (2006). Šeput, L.; Jelača, M. (eds.). "Karijera ostvarenih želja". Vijenac (in Croatian) (312). Zagreb: Matica hrvatska.