• COMPETITION DETAILS AND ELIGIBILITY

The 4th Juozas Naujalis International Competition for Choral Conductors is being held by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (hereinafter, ‘the LAMT’) and will take place in Vilnius from November the 3rd to 5th, 2023. The Competition is open to young conductors of any nationality aged between 18 and 35, currently studying or having obtained a degree(s) in choral conducting from the institutions of higher education, such as universities, academies, colleges, conservatories, etc. All selected participants will contend in one category. The Competition will consist of two qualifying rounds and the final round.

• APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application for the 4th Juozas Naujalis International Competition for Choral Conductors is open through April 20, 2023. All applicants willing to participate in the competition must submit a complete application portfolio consisting of an official application form available on the www.naujaliscompetition.com website, a concise CV, a current photograph, and link(s) to video recording(s) of an applicant conducting a choir. The total duration of the recording(s) should not exceed 10 minutes; a recording should be of the work or rehearsal with the choir; the recording(s) cannot be modified, cut, or merged in any way; and it is mandatory to film the conductor from the front. Everything must be submitted by email naujaliscompetition@lmta.lt. The application form must be submitted by July 20, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern European Time).

• SELECTION PROCESS

The deadline for submission of application portfolios is 11:59 p.m. (Eastern European Time) on July 20th, 2023. Candidates will be selected by a special competition commission made up of professors of the LAMT choir conducting department. Selected participants will be sent an official invitation by email before 5 p.m. (Eastern European Time) on August 4, 2023. The list of participants admitted to the Competition will be posted online at www.naujaliscompetition.com

• PARTICIPATION FEE

All participants filling out the application to participate in the competition are required to pay a participation fee of €50. Payments should be made, and copies of payment orders must be sent by email to naujaliscompetition@lmta.lt by July 20, 2023.

Payments by bank transfer should be made to the bank details below:

Account holder‘s name: Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

Account holder‘s address: Gedimino pr. 42, Vilnius LT-01110

Company code: 111950624

Account No. / IBAN: LT747300010002455540

Bank name and address: Swedbank, AB

Bank address: Konstitucijos pr. 20A, Vilnius

SWIFT code: HABALT22

IMPORTANT: The payment purpose field should include the following description: ‘Name and Surname of the participant. Participation fee for the 4th Juozas Naujalis International Competition for Choral Conductors’

 

Payments in cash can be made at the Academy‘s Cashier‘s Office:

LAMT Main Building, Aud. 115

Gedimino ave. 42, Vilnius

Hours of operation: Mon‒Thu 8am‒5pm; Fri 8am‒4pm.

 

The participation fee to participants who are not selected or who do not come to the competition is not refunded.

 

• TRAVEL, MEALS AND ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES

Participants in the competition should cover the expenses for their travel, meals, and accommodations on their own. Organizers of the competition may assist the participants by recommending accommodations and meals at a lower cost or acting as mediators in obtaining travel visas to Lithuania. Should you require our assistance in procuring a visa, please let us know by writing an email to naujaliscompetition@lmta.lt in advance (in August 2023).

• CASH PRIZES AND OTHER AWARDS

Judges of the 4th Juozas Naujalis International Competition for Choral Conductors will select the winners of the First, Second and Third degrees to whom they may award the respective diplomas and cash prizes:

First Degree Diploma and Prize of €2,000

Second Degree Diploma and Prize of €1,500

Third Degree Diploma and Prize of €1,000

Contestants may also receive prizes awarded by the sponsors and partners of the competition.

• JURY OF THE COMPETITION

The task of the Jury is to assess the interpretive skills of each participant in the Competition, and to award prizes to the best candidates. The jury of the Competition is comprised of five judges and a secretary. For the forthcoming fourth edition of the Competition, it is planned to appoint an international jury according to the following scheme: two members from Lithuania, three members from other countries, and a secretary from Lithuania. The jury acts on the basis of the Competition Rules. Decisions of the jury are final and indisputable.

• ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The contestants will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• manual skills and conducting techniques;

• sense of style and form in the performance of diverse works;

• originality, musicianship, and artistic suggestiveness of interpretation;

• ability to communicate effectively with members of the choir and act as a chorus master.

• CHOIRS TO PERFORM DURING THE COMPETITION

Choir of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (choir leader Prof. Gintautas Venislovas)

State Choir “Vilnius” (Chief Conductor Prof. Artūras Dambrauskas)

“Jauna Muzika” Choir of Vilnius Municipality (Artistic Director and Conductor Prof. Vaclovas Augustinas)

• ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

• Participants of the Competition will be offered classrooms on the premises of the LAMT equipped with the grand pianos for individual rehearsals and preparation work.

• Contestants are not allowed to communicate by any means, direct or indirect, with any member of the jury before the results of the Competition will be announced. After the announcement of the results at each stage of the Competition, contestants who have been eliminated from the Competition have the right to request comments from the judges.

• The Competition is held in Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Gedimino ave. 42) and St Catherine’s Church (Vilniaus str. 30).

• Participants of the competition arrive and register in person at the Competition headquarters (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, aud. 101, Gedimino ave. 42, Vilnius) on November 2nd, 2023, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

• Auditions of the two qualifying rounds and the final round concert are open to the public.

• Tentative number of participants in the Competition: 16 contestants in Round 1; 8 contestants in Round 2; and 5 finalists.

• The qualifying rounds and the final round concert may be filmed and broadcast by the radio, television, and internet media, or recorded for various media archives, without any remuneration to participants of the Competition.

• The selected participants of the competition will be given recommendations regarding the purchase of sheet music for the competition works.

• The organizers and the commission reserve the right to adjust the competition schedule in response to changing circumstances of the competition.