International Competition-Festival Pearls of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis

1. CONDITIONS OF THE CONTEST
The international competition-festival Pearls of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis's work is organized in 2025. on April 11-13.
One-round competition.

The competition is open to pianists and vocalists of all nationalities, as long as they meet the values ​​set out in the EMCY statement. 

2. COMPETITION GROUPS AND CATEGORIES

SELF EXPRESSION CATEGORY: Students of music and art schools take part in this category.

PROFESSIONALS CATEGORY (PRO):.This category includes students/students of music and art gymnasiums, conservatories, music academies and other higher music schools.

Classification of contestants (pianists) by category:

Classification of contestants (vocalists) by category:

3. REGISTRATION

• Registration of participants for the competition opens on 1 December 2024. Registration will be done only through the music contest administration system artistDB.
• Participants register through their existing or newly created account in the artistDB system until the end of registration - 25 February 2025.
• All information that you upload during the registration process can be changed and modified until the end of the registration period.
• The participant's registration fee must be paid by 25 February 2025 during online registration in Paysera, PayPal payment systems, by credit card or bank transfer. When paying the fee by bank transfer before submitting the completed application, it is necessary to save a digital copy of the transfer with the exact name and surname of the participant.
• If the participant does not come to participate in the competition, the participation fee is not refunded.

4. REPERTOIRE
Pianists
Participants of categories A, A1, B, B1, C, C1, D, D1, E, E1, F, F1 must complete:
a. The work of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis,
b. Work(s) of the romantic period or 20th-21st century.

Vocalists
A, A1 category participants must complete:
a. The work of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis,
b. Freely chosen piece.

B, B1 category participants must complete:
a. The work of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis,
b. 17th-18th centuries aria or ariette,
c. Freely chosen piece.

C, C1 category participants must complete:
a. The work of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis,
b. 17th-18th centuries aria,
c. Freely chosen piece.

Participants of categories D, D1, E, E1, F, F1 must complete:
a. The work of Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis,
b. 17th-18th centuries aria,
c. 19th-21st centuries aria,
d. Freely chosen piece.

5. SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF PARTICIPANTS

• Received applications are forwarded to the selection committee for consideration.
• Applicants will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their application by 1 March 2025.
• The results are published on the same day after the end of the competition.
• The winners of the first places and the grand prize undertake to perform one piece of the program recommended by the commission during the award ceremony event on the day of the finals (April 13, 2025). 
• The decisions of the evaluation committee are final and non-appealable. In the event of a conflict, they take precedence over the rules published before the start of the competition.
• The evaluation committee has the right to suspend the performance of an insufficiently professional performer or those performers whose performance exceeds the set time of the program.

6. OBLIGATIONS OF PARTICIPANTS

• Minors must be accompanied to the competition by an adult who is responsible for them throughout the competition.
• Laureates and graduates undertake to participate free of charge in the final concert of the contest.
• Competition auditions and final concerts of the winners can be broadcast on radio and television, recorded on audio, video or film tapes, CDs, and video and audio recordings can be placed on the organizers' distribution platforms (Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, oginskipearls.eu) at no additional charge to the contestants.
• The organizers of the competition have all the rights: to publicize the image of the participant in materials related to the competition; recordings of the competition rounds and the final concert, made by all audio, video, digital or other recording methods; radio, internet, TV broadcasts or other publicity of the participants' image, as well as commercial use of these recordings without payment to the participants. 

7. APPLICATION PERIOD

• Start of registration: 2024 December 2
• Application Deadline: Until 2025 February 28 (countable).
• Applicants will be notified of their acceptance or non-acceptance no later than 2025. March 3

8. COMPETITION JURY

• The performances will be evaluated by an international jury consisting of 5 famous musicians (pianists and vocalists).
• Members of the jury may not vote for participants who are related to them by family and/or consanguinity, or who have regularly studied with them during the 36 months prior to the competition, or who have had more than one master class lesson with them during the 12 months prior to the competition.

9. PRIZES AND AWARDS
For vocalists and pianists

Group A, A1, B, B1:
I place - 50 Eur and prizes of organizers and sponsors, (II, III place - prizes of organizers and sponsors);

Group C, C1, D, D1:
I place - 100 Eur and prizes of organizers and sponsors, (II, III place - prizes of organizers and sponsors);

Group E, E1, F, F1:
I place - 150 Eur and prizes of organizers and sponsors, (II, III place - prizes of organizers and sponsors);
SPECIAL PRIZES
For the best performance of a work by Mykolas Kleopas Oginskis (vocalist and pianist, 100 EUR each).
The youngest participants will be awarded a sponsors prize (pianist and vocalist).

GRAND PRIX - 1000 Euros for Vocalist and 1000 Euros for Pianist.

10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• The main instrument of the competition-festival is the YAMAHA CFX grand concert grand piano.
• Other special monetary, concert or other prizes may be established.
• Prizes are awarded by the evaluation committee, taking into account the voting results and voting rules, or by the founder of the prize.
• The awards ceremony for first place and grand prize winners will take place during the final event of the competition on April 13.
• Contest winners' instant cash prizes are paid by bank transfer within thirty calendar days of the awards ceremony.
• Contestants participate with their concertmasters.
• The organizers will guarantee a concertmaster for those who will not have one. Indicate the need for a concertmaster in the ArtistDB form.
• Contestants will be given an auditorium at the art school to prepare for the performance.
• Meals are organized by the participants themselves: https://www.facebook.com/muskatasrestoranelis

11. TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

• Contest organizers provide participants with free accommodation (for those coming from abroad - priority order). The need for accommodation will have to be indicated in the form (artistdb.eu)
• Meals are organized by the participants themselves.
• Travel expenses are covered by the participants themselves.
• Every day from 7 a.m. in the morning until 10 p.m. in the evening you will be able to enjoy free coffee, tea, and sweet snacks.
• The organizers are not responsible for injuries or accidents experienced by the participants during the competition. Participants are recommended to take care of travel insurance in advance, which would cover possible medical expenses, damage suffered during accidents.
• The organizers of the contest mediate for participants who need a visa to enter the Republic of Lithuania, but do not assume any financial obligations.
• All performances of the contestants are open to the public, but in the event of an extreme situation in the world due to an extreme situation of force majeure, the rounds of the competition (except for the final) may take place remotely. 
• IMPORTANT: The organizers of the competition do not take responsibility for the decisions of the officials of Lithuania and other countries related to travel and visa restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other reasons. The organizers will mediate and assist the contestants in obtaining visas and permits to enter the Republic of Lithuania, but the final decision on entry will be made by state institutions.

12. CONTEST SCHEDULE

• The following schedules are preliminary and may still be revised.
• It will be possible to register for the competition until 2025. February 28.
• Rehearsal places will be allocated to participants and the rehearsal schedule will be announced closer to the competition.

"Rietavas Cultural Center Concert Hall" (address: Parko st. 5, Rietavas):
Pianist competition day - April 11. 
8-10 a.m. - Registration of participants at the competition headquarters and acoustic rehearsals at 10:00 a.m. - vocalist competition, 7:00 p.m. - announcement of results (Parko st. 5, Rietavas).
 

The day of the vocalist competition - April 12.
8-10 a.m. - Registration of participants at the competition headquarters and acoustic rehearsals at 10:00 a.m. - vocalist competition, 7:00 p.m. - announcement of results (Parko st. 5, Rietavas). 
Final laureate award ceremony and concert - April 13. 1 p.m. 
(Parko st. 5, Rietavas)"

In case of uncertainty regarding the conditions of the competition, the text in Lithuanian is considered the main text.

In the event of any conflicts, the decisions of the evaluation commissions take precedence over the rules and regulations published on the competition page.

The next International competition-festival Mykolos Kleopas Kūrybas perlai is scheduled for April 2027.