VII International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists will be held on 14-22 February 2025, Vilnius

1. About the competition

The competition will take place on February 14-22, 2025 in following order:

• Pre-selection round (online);
• 1st round and 2nd round will take place at the Great Hall of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Central Building, Gedimino ave. 42, Vilnius);
• The final round will be accompanied by the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, which will be led by the principal conductor maestro Modestas Pitrėnas, and will take place at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society (Aušros Vartų st. 5, Vilnius).

The competition is open to violinists who are born on or after February 2, 1998. Current students of the jury members are allowed to enter the competition, but those jury members are restricted from voting for their students or make any impact on the decisions of other jury members regarding their students. Jury members can not vote for the competitors who are related to them by consanguinity, adoption or affinity, or who have regularly studied or had more then one masterclass lesson with them within the 36 month period prior the competition.

Note: 1st prize winners of the previous J. Heifetz competitions are not allowed to participate in this competition.

2. Registration

• Participants should register online using their accounts at the professional music competition administration platform artistDB by January 1, 2025. Link for registration: https://artistdb.eu/en/nousr/contests.

2.1 During the registration, applicants are required to submit a video recording for the pre-selection round, where one performs two pieces (no. 2.1.1 & 2.1.2) from the list provided below.

2.1.1 The first movement with a cadenza from any of these W. A. Mozart violin concerts:

    • No. 1 in B-flat major, KV 207;
    • No. 2 in D major, KV 211;
    • No. 3 in G major, KV 216;
    • No. 4 in D major, KV 218;
    • No. 5 in A major, KV 219.

2.1.2. One selected caprice from the N. Paganini "24 Caprices for Solo Violin", op. 1.

2.2 Videos made more than one year ago may not be submitted for the pre-selection round, i.e. the pieces must be recorded after 1 January, 2024 (calculated from the closing date of the registration).

2.3 Candidates may record videos in which they perform these two pieces separately, at different time and in different locations, but each piece must be recorded in its entirety, providing coherency without any editing or cutting, which is strictly prohibited.

3. Program

• Each participant have to prepare the program in accordance with the competition repertoire. The selected program must be stated in the application form. 
• Only compulsory piece, "With a Birdsong" by Algirdas Martinaitis, can be performed from the sheet notes. This compulsory piece can only be performed for the first time in the competition!

• Compulsory piece commissioned for this competition, which was written by Lithuanian composer - "With a Birdsong" by Algirdas Martinaitis (this piece can be performed from the sheet notes). After registration, when the fee is paid, participants will be provided with a special code which lets to access sheet music free of charge. Please adress this question via e-mail: info@ipmc.lt
  You can get to know the piece here: https://natos.lt/lt/direct/products/products/p?id=45282786

• All other pieces of the program at the competition have to be performed by heart.
• Participants who have logged in to their artistDB account will be able to change their programs and performance order until 1 January, 2025.
• Participants will be required to perform their programs in the order of their own choice following the final version provided in artistDB platform until 1 January, 2025.
• Jury members are allowed to suspend and stop the performance if it is not sufficiently professional.

4. Application fee

• The application fee is 100 Eur and is non-refundable. It will be possible to pay by credit card, via bank transfer or PayPal, and you will be provided with more detailed information during the registration process.

5. Selection of participants

• Received applications will be forwarded to the pre-selection committee.
• Candidates will be notified of their acceptance or otherwise until 8 January, 2025. 
• The possible number of participants in the 1st round is up to 55, no more than 18 participants will enter the 2nd round, and 6 competitors at maximum will qualify to the final.
• After the announcement of the results, those who did not qualify to the next round are welcome to ask the jury for their coments and the opinion.
• The results of the 1st and 2nd rounds will be announced soon after their completion, and the results of the final will be announced during the laureates' award ceremony.
• The decisions of the jury are final and non-appealable. In the event of conflict, they take precedence over the rules presented before the competition.

6. Jury

CHAIRPERSON

Gidon Kremer (Latvia)

MEMBERS

Rūta Lipinaitytė-Savickienė (Lithuania)

Pavel Vernikov (Ukraine)

Mihaela Martin (Romania)

Ingrida Armonaitė (Lithuania)

George Tudorache (Romania)

Mario Hossen (Austria – Bulgaria)

7. Prizes and awards

• The main prize fund of the competition is 30.000 Eur.
• First prize: 12.000 Eur.
• Second prize: 8.000 Eur.
• Third prize: 5.000 Eur.
• Other concert prizes and awards, which have not been mentioned, may be set up until the end of the competition.
• According to the voting results and evaluation rules, the jury (or founder of the prize) will decide who and which prize will get.
• All the decisions of the jury (or founder of the prize), regarding prizes and awards, are final and non-appealable. In the event of conflict, they take precedence over the rules of prize distribution presented before the competition.

8. Obligations of participants

• It is forbidden to have contact with any of the Jury members during the competition (unless the participant is a student of a Jury member).
• Chosen diploma holders and laureates of the competition are obliged and agree to take part in the final concert of the competition without remuneration.
• All rounds and final concerts of the competition may be broadcasted on radio and television, recorded on audio, video or film tapes, CDs, and the video and audio recordings may be uploaded to the organisers' media platforms (Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, heifetz.lt etc.) at no additional payment to the participants. The competition live streams will be available online.
• The organisers of the competition reserve a right to: publicise the participant's image in materials related to the contest (including articles and reviews in the social media); the recordings of the competition performances and the closing concerts made by any audio, video, digital or other means of recording; radio, online, TV broadcasts or other publicity of the participant's image, including commercial usage of such recordings, without any paymet to the participants.

9. Accompanist services

• If needed, organizing committee will provide professional accompanists for the participants. Rehearsal in the class (up to 45 min), acoustic rehearsal and performance on the stage will cost 100 Eur, additional rehearsal (up to 45 min) - 50 Eur. A EUR 30 reservation fee must be paid for the accompanist service through the Artistdb registration system, and the remaining EUR 70 can be paid at the competition venue.

• In the first and second rounds of the competition participants can work and perform with their own accompanists, in which case they will negotiate their fees and payment for their services in between.

• Please note that these services are not included in the application fee and should be covered by the competitors individualy. Participants must indicate their preference for a concertmaster on the application form.

10. Travel and accommodation

• Neigher travel nor accommodation expenses will be covered by the organisers, so the travel to (and from) Vilnius and all the other costs of the stay during the competition are left each competitor's personal responsibility.
• The organisers are not liable for any injuries, accidents or losses sustained by participants during the competition. Participants are advised to take out travel insurance in advance to cover possible medical expenses.
• The organisers will offer special hotel reservation prices and flexible cancellation conditions for all of the participants during their stay in Vilnius.
• The competition partner travel agency "Menų Turas" will appoint manager to help you with the travel, visa, accommodation, and other technical issues or special requests. If you will be in need of these services, please contact us via e-mail menuturas@lektuvu.lt
• The organisers act as an intermediary for participants who need a visa to enter the Republic of Lithuania, but do not assume any financial obligations or responsibilities.
• The organisers of the competition do not accept any responsibility for the decisions of officials and authorities of Lithuania and/or outbound countries regarding travel and visa restrictions in any circumstances. The organisers will mediate and assist contestants in obtaining visas and permitions to enter the Republic of Lithuania, but the final decision on entry will be made by government authorities individully.

11. Competition schedule

• Registration to the competition will be open untill 1 January, 2025.
• Results of the pre-selection round will be announced untill 8 January, 2025.
• The participation order will be determined by the drawing of lots. This order will remain unchanged until the end of the competition.
• Opening ceremony of the competition (including the draw of lots) will be held at the Central Building of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre on 14 February, 2025.
• 1st and 2nd round auditions and the rehearsals (soundchecks), warm-ups will appear at the Central Building of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre on 15-19 February, 2025.
• Final round with the orchestra and the rehearsals (soundchecks) for it will be held at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society on 20-22 February, 2025;
• Organisers will provide rehearsal facilities for all of the competition participants.
• The auditions and the final concert are live, accesable for the audience and will be broadcasted in real-time.

Artistic director of the International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists | Prof. Rūta Lipinaitytė-Savickienė