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The Croatian pianist, Jurica Murai, took piano when he was 6 and at age 8 he was already a student of the great pedagogue, Professor Svetislav Stančić. The was interrupted his studies in Zagreb; Murai continued studying at the Music Academy Franz Liszt in Budapest. After the end of World War II he came back to Zagreb and became a full-time student at the Academy in the class of his former teacher Svetislav Stančić. He graduated in 1950 and won the Croatian Music Institute Award.
In 19511 (or 19522) Jurica Murai became the assistant Professor of Piano at the Music Academy of Zagreb, becoming later a full Professor, and served there until 1999. During the 1956-1957 season he participated in the master-classes of Marguerite Long in Paris. In 1961 he took part in the summer course for interpretation with Guido Agosti and Alfred Cortot in Sienna.
Jurica Murai had his first public appearance when he was 10. Since his graduation Murai - Zagreb pianist famous for his excellent technique, deep and intelligent affinity for the pure musical feeling, refined interpretation full of sensibility and authentic style - performed in all the Yugoslav and in most of the European centres (Athens, Paris, Budapest, Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Warsaw, Krakow, Moscow, Leningrad, Riga, Stockholm, Vienna, Salzburg, The Hague, Amsterdam, Prague, Naples, Barcelona, Antwerp, etc) and in Canada. He was also a regular guest of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival.
As a soloist Jurica Murai performed with the various orchestras in his homeland and in Europe; Among the conductors he collaborated with there are such great names as Lovro von Matačić, Milan Horvat, Boris Papandopulo, Paul Ktetzki, P. Craft, G. Sebastian, Kiril Kondrašin and others.
Jurica Murai received the Vladimir Nazor award and twice the Milka Trnina, the Zlatna lira and City of Zagreb award. He was a member of the Department of Music and Musicology (January 30, 1997 January 26, 1999), and Fellow of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. |
