Vito Žuraj’s new composition will be premiered on November 5, 2017, at the Berliner Philharmoniker Chamber Music Hall. Žuraj will receive the award on the same day. The Claudio Abbado Composition Prize, which is named after the former principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, was awarded to Jörg Widmann in 2006, to Bruno Mantovani in 2010, and to Valerio Sannicandro in 2014. From now on, the award will be handed out bi-annually.

Despite his young age, Vito Žuraj ranks among the most accomplished contemporary composers from Slovenia. Even though he has made significant inroads internationally, he remains active on the national music scene.

In 2014, Žuraj won a year-long scholarship to the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome. The award is bestowed upon architects, composers, writers and visual artists. Writers who have received the award in the past include Hans Magnus Enzensberger and Nobel laureate Heinrich Böll. Composers Adriana Hölszky and Wolfgang Rihm, who was Žuraj’s teacher, were also among the recipients of the prestigious award.

M. K.; translated by D. V.