Ivan Goran Kovačić Academic Accordion Orchestra was formed in 1977 under the Slovenski dom cultural society in Zagreb. In 1991 the Orchestra became a section of the Ivan Goran Kovačić cultural society. The orchestra's founder and conductor Zvonko Šiljac had led the orchestra until 2003. He was succeeded by Gordana Šustić, Anamarija Nerad, Damir Bužleta, and Gordana Šustić again since 2011. As one of the most successful amateur music ensembles in Zagreb and one of the top ensembles of Europe by the number of awards won from festivals and appearances in the country and abroad, the Orchestra offers a different image of the accordion to their audiences. They are the laureates of international competitions in Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic and Portugal. They have established a very successful collaboration with the Croatian Composers' Society and work on promoting Croatian contemporary music.