From 14 to 18 of February 2018, organized by the Music School Pavao Markovac the 24th International Competition Young Virtuoso, Zagreb 2018 Piano, was held. The competition has been very popular all these years, so competitors from Croatia and 11 countries; Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Serbia, Ukraine and Vietnam, attended.

The Competition, as well as the Final Concert, were held at the Academy of Music in Zagreb. The prizes to the competitors by categories have been handed by the president of the jury prof. Peter Eicher. The composers of the Croatian Society of Composers were presented by Composer Sanja Drakulić. Special prizes by Zvjezdana Bašić and seminars at summer schools were presented by prof. Jelica Kuzmin (whose original idea was the organization of the competition, years ago).

The overall winner of the competition is Jan Niković, a student of the Music Academy in Zagreb, and the complete results by category competition, also the winners of the Special Prizes, are available below.

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Special prizes

This year Yamaha and Euro-Unit once again supported this international competition. Such competitions are a reflection of the long-standing passion for music education and support of young musicians.

About the competition:

Competition Young virtuoso, Zagreb was founded by Music School Pavao Markovac back in 1994 under the name “Young virtuoso – Etudes and Scales”. At first, the competition was intended for piano pupils of primary music schools from Zagreb area and was conceived after an idea of professor Jelica Kuzmin. The very next year the idea was adopted by violinists, so they joined the project. Ever since, the competition has been held every year, interchangeably for piano and violin. The number of categories, technical demands and age limits have grown and in 1996 the competition becomes international.

Programme of this competition is a bit unique, as it includes the performance of a compulsory etude, exclusively written for each competition by a Croatian composer. Compulsory etudes are regularly being published.

The competition is being held under the patronage of The Zagreb City Congregation, and with support of sponsors. The success of the competition and its outstanding organization has been achieved due to enthusiastic activities of all school teachers and Organization committee members, directed by the president Mr. Josip Vrbanec, the headmaster of the Music School Pavao Markovac.