About the artist
A bundle of energy from Maribor
Career
Born in Maribor, Slovenia, in 1988, Rahela began her musical journey with the violin at the age of seven. After studying at the Academy of Music in Maribor, she went on to complete a degree in choral conducting with Johannes Prinz at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, graduating with honours in 2013. From 2008 to 2011, she also studied orchestral conducting with Wolfgang Dörner at the KUG.
Her training was complemented by masterclasses with Ragnar Rasmussen, Lorenzo Donati, Yuval Ben Ozer, Thomas Caplin, Florian Benfer, Robert Sund and Howard Arman.
Awards
In 2015, she won the Noel Minet Prize at the International Competition for Young Choir Conductors in Turin. The following year, she was named Talent of the Month on the radio station Ö1 in January. In 2019, she won first place, the audience prize and the prize for best choir conductor at the Aegis Carminis International Competition for Choir Conductors in Koper, Slovenia. In 2011, the city of Graz awarded her a scholarship for particularly talented students. In autumn 2025, the Tone Tomšič Academic Choir of the University of Ljubljana, conducted by Rahela Durič, won first prize at the International Baltic Sea Choir Competition in Jurmala, Latvia, one of the most prestigious competitions for choral music. The choir also won three special prizes: the Prize for the Best Conductor, the Prize for the Best Interpretation of a Unison Piece (arranged by Rahela Durič), and the Special Award of the Latvian National Centre for Culture. This qualifies the choir for the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing competition.
Current
The energetic conductor currently works as an assistant professor of choral conducting under Benjamin Lack at the Institute for Composition, Music Theory, Music History and Conducting at the KUG.
Rahela Durić also conducts two choirs, regularly teaches at conducting and singing seminars, and serves as a jury member throughout Austria, Slovenia and Italy.
