The Music School in Varaždin is the organizer of the International Pianist Competition – Jurica Murai Memorial and Murai Grand Prix. The international pianist competition is divided into two parts, which, with the name of the Croatian pianist, academician Jurica Murai, and the name of the organizer, the Music School in Varaždin, form one whole.

The sixth edition of the Jurica Murai Memorial and Murai Grand Prix took place from April 18 to 23, 2024.

The competition is traditionally held in the baroque Erdödy Palace, where the School is headquartered. The school, with its long tradition of activity since 1828, promotes music education and significantly enriches the cultural life of Varaždin. The international competitions of the Music School in Varaždin are dedicated to the development of artistic activities of young talented musicians, international cultural cooperation and exchange of experiences, and tourist promotion of Varaždin, Varaždin County and northwestern Croatia. The competition was founded in 2015, and is now held biennially. The Music School in Varaždin founded this competition with the aim of developing the artistic talent of students, young professional musicians, promoting international cultural cooperation, in order to stimulate interest in the piano and music in general and to provide a platform for the presentation of outstanding pianists from all over the world. With an extremely high quality of organization, an increasing number of participants every year and an international choice of jury members, the Competition has become attractive to numerous competitors worldwide, has gained a great reputation and has become a member of the Alink-Argerich Foundation.

The Jurica Murai Memorial is intended for young pianists up to 19 years of age. Contestants compete in six categories, which are determined by the age of the contestants on the day the competition begins. The Murai Grand Prix competition is intended for pianists, artists from 17 to 32 years of age. Competitors compete in a unique category. The age of the contestant, 17 to 32 years, is determined according to the age of the candidate on the day of the start of the competition. The competition in this category takes place in two stages.

The number of participants increases every year, thus confirming the importance of this competition. Competitors from Japan, Italy, Austria, United States of America, Costa Rice, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, Bulgaria, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Vietnam, South Korea, Azerbaijan and Croatia, they are just some of the many who have participated in the Competition so far.

On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the final concert of the Jurica Murai Memorial International Pianist Competition & Murai Grand Prix was held, as well as the ceremonial distribution of prizes to the winners of the competition. for those who missed the concert, you can watch it HERE on the official YouTube page of the Music School in Varaždin.

Euro-Unit and Yamaha are the traditional music sponsors of the competition, so this year too, Euro-Unit has lend a Yamaha CFX grand piano for this superb musical experience.