Šimun-Čarli Botica (b. 1997, Sinj) is one of the most promising young Croatian composers of his generation. He began composing at the age of ten and, after completing primary and secondary music education in guitar, went on to earn a degree in Music Pedagogy and a Master’s degree at the Arts Academy in Split with a thesis on Bartók’s Suite for Piano, Op. 14 orchestrated for string orchestra. He is currently completing his studies in Composition under Professor Ivan Božičević at the same institution, where he also works as an assistant at the Department of Theory and Composition.

Botica has received the highest number of Rector’s Awards ever granted to an individual at the University of Split — for excellence (2022), special achievements (2023), and artistic work (2024) — as well as two Dean’s Awards. His works have been awarded at numerous festivals and competitions. With Es Verdad (2022) and Salvum me (2023), he won first prizes at the International Choral Festival CRO PATRIA. He has also been recognized with the Young Composer Award of the Rudolf and Margita Matz Fund (2024) and a special prize from the Split Youth Music Association for his contribution to the mo. Vinko Lesić concert cycle.

In 2025, his orchestral work Passacaglia won the composition competition of the Zagreb Music Spring Festival, organized by the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall and the Zagreb Philharmonic. Selected anonymously by a distinguished jury, the work was premiered by the Zagreb Philharmonic under chief conductor Dawid Runtz, marking a significant milestone in Botica’s career.

His music has been performed by ensembles and soloists such as Splitski virtuozi, Duo Tudor & Režić, Montenegrin Guitar Duo, Thorwald Jørgensen, Kalamos Quintet, Petar Čulić, Silvio Bilić, and many others. His catalogue already includes around one hundred compositions, ranging from solo and chamber works to choral and orchestral pieces, often exploring human experience and contemporary themes through a neomodernist lens.

In addition to his compositional work, Botica is active in pedagogy, teaching harmony and assisting in composition studies at the Arts Academy in Split. He continues to develop a distinctive voice rooted in tradition yet open to new sound worlds, positioning himself as a vital representative of Croatia’s new generation of composers.