About the composer of the compulsory pieces

Juraj-Marko Žerovnik was born in 1993 in Rijeka, where he began his musical education. He attended Ivan Matetić Ronjgov Music School in Rijeka, Music Academy in Zagreb (where his professors were Đorđe Stanetti for piano and Frano Parać for composition), University of Music in Karlsruhe (with composition professors Wolfgang Rihm and Markus Hechtle), and Academy of Music in Ljubljana (composition professor: Vito Žuraj).

From a very young age, he participated in numerous piano competitions and festivals, achieving excellent results. He also gained knowledge from Danijel Detoni and Filip Fak at the Academy, and took part in numerous seminars both in Croatia and abroad. While still in high school in Rijeka, several of his compositions for choir were performed. Some of his notable premieres in recent years include: Fimbulvetr for symphony orchestra (premiered at Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana), Start Up for strings (premiered at the National Gallery, Ljubljana), and Burst for chamber ensemble (premiered in Frankfurt with Ensemble Modern). In March 2024, his multilingual opera Pred vrati postave – Davanti alla legge (Before the Gate of the Law) was premiered in Gorizia, Italy.

Žerovnik has developed his skills as a composer at international schools such as Impuls in Graz and the Darmstadt Summer Courses, and regularly participates in contemporary music festivals like Donaueschinger Musiktage, Gaudeamus Utrecht, and others. He is currently an assistant professor at the Music Academy of the University of Juraj Dobrila in Pula.

His compositions are performed on both domestic and international stages and have become part of the repertoire of renowned ensembles such as Zagreb String Quartet, Cantus Ensemble, Chamber String Orchestra of the Slovenian Philharmonic, and Slowind Wind Quintet. He is a recipient of the Milko Kelemen Award from the Croatian Composers’ Society.

Photo: Filip Kovačević/Glazba.hr