Zuraj, Vito - Ave Maria

Vito Žuraj, born in 1979 in Maribor, studied composition with Marko Mihevc in Ljubljana, with Lothar Voigtländer at the Dresden University of Music, and with Wolfgang Rihm at the Karlsruhe University of Music. Following his studies in composition, he completed a master’s degree in music informatics under Dr. Thomas A. Troge. From 2009 to 2010, he was a composition student at the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt, and in 2010 he participated at their composition seminar. During the period from 2010 to 2012, he has been a scholarship holder at the Academy Opera Today, sponsored by Deutsche Bank Foundation. He perfected his compositional technique at summer schools with numerous prominent composers, including Brian Ferneyhough, Chaya Czernowin, Wolfgang Mitterer, Toshio Hosokawa, Michael Jarrell and Johannes Schöllhorn.

He has been awarded numerous prizes, including 1st prize in the 57th Stuttgart Composition Prize, recommendation at the 2012 International Rostrum of Composers Stockholm, a recognition award of the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, 1st prize of the Orchestra Workshop of Saarbrücken, an EMAS scholarship by GEMA, a Wolfgang Rihm Scholarship (sponsored by the Hoepfner Brewery), a Hanne Darboven Foundation Scholarship and a postgraduate scholarship from the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. From 2007 to 2009, he also received first prizes in the VERS.1.3, VERS.1.4 and VERS.1.5 competitions for electronic music, as well as third prize in the Düsseldorfer Orgelbuch Competition. His music studies abroad were also supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.

His works have been performed at the ISCM World Music Days (2003 and 2004), the International Summer Courses for New Music Darmstadt (2004 and 2008), the Bartok Seminar in Szombathely (2005), the Estoril Music Festival (2005), the Tenso Days in Berlin (2006), the Davos Festival (2007), the Takefu International Music Festival (2007), the Donaueschinger Musiktage "Next Generation Project" (2008), Heidelberger Frühling (2008), Festival Mouvement Saarbrücken (2009/10), Acanthes (2010), Matrix Freiburg (2011), Voix Nouvelles Royaumont (2011) and cresc... Biennial for modern music Frankfurt (2011). His compositions have received performances in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Semper Opera House in Dresden and the Centre for Art and Media (ZKM) Karlsruhe, and have been performed by RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, HR-Sinfonieorchester, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, Camerata Bern and ExperimentalStudio des SWR Freiburg. He has also cooperated with IRCAM Paris.

Vito Žuraj holds a lectureship in instrumentation and Gregorian chant at the Karlsruhe. (2012)

Žuraj, Vito (b. May 7, 1979, Ljubljana). Slovenian composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed in Europe.

Mr. Žuraj studied composition with Marko Mihevc at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, where he graduated in 2002. He has had post-graduate studies in both acoustic and electroacoustic music with Lothar Voigtländer at the Carl Maria von Weber Musikhochschule in Dresden since 2002. He has also regularly attended masterclasses with Michael Jarrell in Switzerland since 2001.

His honors include the Prešeren Prize from both the Academy of Music in Ljubljana (2001) and the University of Ljubljana (2001), as well as a prize from the Studio for Percussion Instruments at the Academy of Music (2002). He was the first Slovenian composer to be invited to present himself in the National Assembly in Ljubljana (2001) and his Musica da camera represented Slovenia at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (2002). His works have been performed throughout Slovenia and in Germany and Switzerland, including four portrait concerts.

Mr. Žuraj has served as chair of the Young Composers Club of the Society of Slovenian Composers since 2000.

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail address: info@vitozuraj.com

Street address: Mr. Vito Žuraj, Ljubljanska cesta 143, SI - 2327 Race, Slovenia

Telephone: + 386 2608 4401

Cellular phone: + 386 3137 4424

Website: http://www.vitozuraj.com

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL: Torklja (overture), large orchestra (minimum 60 players), 1999; Burlesque, 2000; Musica da camera, musical saw, small orchestra (18 players), 2001; Schrei des Todes, large orchestra (85 players), 2003; Tango, flute, orchestra, 2003 (version of chamber work)

CHAMBER MUSIC: Loneliness, cello, 1997; Duo, clarinet, viola, 1998; String Quartet No. 1, 1998; Wind Quintet, 'In stile orientale', flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1998; Space Echoes, flute (+ gong), synthesizer, 5 percussion, 1999; Divertimento, 2 flutes, trumpet, piano, percussion, string quartet, 2000; Tango, flute, piano, 2000 (also versions for flute, orchestra; clarinet/violin/cello, piano, 2002); Fanfare per trombe, 4 French horns/4 trumpets, 2000; Three Bagatelles for Wind Trio, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2000; Fanfare for Percussion, 4 percussion, 2001; Cloop, alto flute, musical saw, percussion, 2001; Clarinettissimo, clarinet, 2002; Kontra, clarinet, French horn, percussion, string quartet, double bass, 2002 (one section may be performed separately: Cadenza per corno solo, French horn); Want to Practice... (musical scene), flute, French horn, 2003

CHORAL: Three Short Pieces (texts by Dragotin Kette, the Ave Maria), mixed chorus, 1998-2000; Ave Maria, female chorus, 2000; O Magnum Mysterium, mixed chorus, 2001

VOCAL: Memento Mori (text by France Prešeren), soprano, piano, 2000; Silencio (text by Federico García Lorca), soprano, piano, 2001; Three Songs on Poems by Federico García Lorca, soprano, large orchestra (92 players), 2002–

PIANO: Fantasy, 1996; Liebestraum, 1996; Fugue, 2000

ELECTROACOUSTIC: Pianofonics, piano, interactive live electronics, 2002

(Last updated on September 29, 2004)