Ziva Grana Hrvatske was founded in 1990 by a small group of young adults who wanted to continue to express their love for their Croatian heritage through song, dance, and the playing of the tamburica.

Since the group’s inception, it has been under the direction of Mike Loncarich. Mike has been very active in preserving the Croatian culture and heritage most of his life. He grew up playing with Hrvatski Narodni Dom in Hamilton. He spent many years as the musical director of Hrvatsko Selo in Hamilton, and of the Canadian Croatian Tamburitzans of CFU Lodge 975 in Toronto. In addition to instructing Ziva Grana Hrvatske, he is also a member of the tamburica band Seoski Lopovi.

The group is affiliated with Lodge 954 of the Croatian Fraternal Union (CFU). As such, the group has performed at numerous CFU Adult Folklore Festivals and picnics. Ziva Grana also had the honour of performing at the 100th anniversary celebration of the CFU. The group is also a member of the Canadian-Croatian Folklore Federation, and has performed at many of their festivals as well.

Today, Ziva Grana is still going strong with 25 dedicated and talented young dancers and tamburica players.