Vito Zuraj - Composer

The Slovenian composer Vito Žuraj, born 1979 in Maribor, and having studied composition with Marko Mihevc in Ljubljana, with Lothar Voigtländer at the Hochschule für Musik Dresden as well as with Wolfgang Rihm at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. Following his studies in composition, he completed a master's degree in music informatics under Dr. Thomas A. Troge. He is currently enrolled as a Master of Arts student of composition at the International Ensemble Modern Academy Frankfurt. 2010-2012 he is a scholarship holder at the Akademie Musiktheater heute, 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 Jarrel, Messias Maiguashca and Johannes Schöllhorn.

Since 2006 he was awarded the Wolfgang-Rihm-Stipendium (sponsored by the Hoepfner brewery), Hanne Darboven Stiftung Stipendium and a postgraduate scholarship from the federal state of Baden-Württemberg; in 2007-2009 there followed 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 has been performed at the ISCM World Music Days (2003 and 2004), International Summer Courses for New Music Darmstadt (2004 and 2008), the Bartók 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 Heidelberger Frühling (2008), Festival Mouvement Saarbrücken (2009/10), Acanthes (2010), and the Donaueschinger Musiktage "Next generation Projekt" (2008). The works of Vito Žuraj have received performances in the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Semper Opera House in Dresden and the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) Karlsruhe. His works have also been performed the RIAS Kammerchor Berlin and Deutsche Radio Philharmonie conducted by Johannes Kalitzke. Vito Žuraj teaches instrumentation and Gregorian chant at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. (09/2010)

CURRICULUM | pdf |

Biography

7th May 1979	born in Maribor, Slovenia
1997-2002	Graduate study of composition and theory of music with prof. Marko Mihevc at the Academy of Music Ljubljana, Slovenia
2001-2002	ERASMUS Exchange - Study of composition with prof. Jörg Herchet at the Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden, Germany
2001-2003	Participation and performances at the International Music Festival Ticino Musica (Lugano, Switzerland) with prof. Michael Jarrell
2002-2004	Post-graduate study of composition with prof. Lothar Voigtländer at the Hochschule für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden, Germany
2004-2008	Participation and performances at the International Summercourses for New Music Darmstadt, Germany
2004-2006	Post-graduate study of composition with prof. Wolfgang Rihm at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany
2005	Participation and performances at the Bartok Seminar 2005 (Szombathely, Hungary) with prof. Johannes Schöllhorn
2006-2009	Master of Arts in music technology with prof. dr. Thomas A. Troge at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany
from 2009	PhD in music technology with prof. dr. Thomas A. Troge at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany
2009-2010	Master of Arts in composition at the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2010-2012	Scholarship by Akademie Musiktheater heute, Stiftung Deutsche Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
from 2007	Lectureship for Instrumentation and Gregorian chant at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany

Prizes, scholarships und performances

2001	Prize "Presernova nagrada" by the Academy of Music, Slovenia Prize "Presernova nagrada" by the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
2003	Performances at the International Music Festival Ticino Musica 2003 (Lugano, Switzerland) and ISCM World Music Days 2003
2004	Performance in suscription series of the Slovenian Philharmonics, at the ISCM World Music Days 2004 and International Summercourses for New Music Darmstadt Scholarship by Slovenian Ministry for Culture for post-graduate study of composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany
2005	Performances in Berlin Philharmonics, ZKM Karlsruhe, Bartok Seminar (Szombathely, Ungarn) and Estoril Music Festival (Estoril, Portugal) Post-graduate scholarship by German federal state of Baden-Württemberg
2006	Performances at the Semper Oper Dresden, ZKM Karlsruhe, 14.World Saxophone Congress (Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Tenso Days Berlin (RIAS Kammerchor) Wolfgang-Rihm-Scholarship from Hoepfner-Brewery Karlsruhe Scholarship by Slovenian Ministry for Culture for Master of Arts in music technology at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany Karl-Steinbuch-Scholarship by MFG Stiftung Stuttgart for Projekt "Interactive Instrumnetation"
2007	Performances in ZKM Karlsruhe, Davos Festival (Davos, Switzerland) and Takefu International Music Festival (Takefu, Japan) Sponsorship award VERS.1.3 "Electronic Music in a Church Setting" by Stiftskirche Stuttgart 3. Prize at composition competition Düsseldorfer Orgelbuch
2008	Performances at Konzerthaus Berlin, ZKM Karlsruhe, Heidelberger Frühling and International Summercourses for New Music Darmstadt Sponsorship award VERS.1.4 "Electronic Music in a Church Setting" by Stiftskirche Stuttgart Scholarship by International Ensemble Modern Academy and ZKM Karlsruhe
2009	Performances at ZKM Karlsruhe and Festival Mouvement Saarbrücken Scholarship by Slovenian Ministry for Culture for PhD in music technology at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, Germany Sponsorship award VERS.1.5 "Electronic Music in a Church Setting" by Stiftskirche Stuttgart Compostion-prize at the Festival Mouvement Saarbrücken Scholarship by Hanne Darboven Stiftung Hamburg
2010	Performances at ZKM Karlsruhe, Festival Mouvement Saarbrücken and Acanthes 2010 Prize by Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, Switzerland Scholarship by ExperimentalStudio des SWR Freiburg, Germany