The Сonditions for participation in the competition:
The competition is open to young pianists who are citizens of Ukraine, studying and/or residing/registered in any country (except Russia and Belarus, as well as the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine) and were born between March 31, 2009, and March 31, 2000, at the latest. March 5 is the last day to apply for the competition.
The organizers of the competition:
The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine, VERE MUSIC FUND, Lietuvos kultūros institutas / Lithuanian Culture Institute, Čiurlionis House.
The Prizes:
As many as 3 prizes of 500 euros each (taxation in accordance with the laws of Ukraine) and a two-week artistic residency in Lithuania with all travel and accommodation expenses covered.
A special prize from the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine is an invitation to give a recital at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine on September 22, 2025, the day of the 150th anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis.
A special prize from the VERE MUSIC FUND is an invitation to perform a recital at the VERE MUSIC HUB.
The number of special prizes can be increased.
Any number of prizes may be withheld by the jury without further comment or explanation. In addition, the residency may be canceled for certain winners of the competition if there are restrictions in accordance with the laws of Ukraine or Lithuania (or international law).
The jury of the competition:
Antonii Baryshevskyi, pianist (qualifying round).
Roman Lopatynskyi, pianist (final round).
Tetiana Verevska, founder of VERE MUSIC FUND.
Tomas Ivanauskas, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine.
Rokas Zubovas, pianist, director of Čiurlionis House, great-grandson of the composer.
The applicants who are or have been students of any of the jury members for the last 2 years, as well as those who have direct family relations with any of the jury members, are not eligible to participate in the competition. Participants are not allowed to contact the jury members during the competition. The decision of the jury at all stages of the competition is final and cannot be appealed.
The Repertoire:
The qualifying round *
1. A piece by M. K. Čiurlionis – a must-play piece: Nocturne in F-sharp minor, VL 178.
2. A piece by M. K. Čiurlionis – at the participant’s discretion.
3. A virtuoso etude by Franz Liszt or Fryderyk Chopin – at the participant’s discretion (except for Chopin’s etudes Op. 10 No. 3 and No. 6, as well as Op. 25 No. 7).
* Videos of pieces No. 1 and No. 2 must be submitted by each participant. Piece No. 3 is added at the participant’s discretion and is not obligatory for participation in the competition. In addition to pieces No. 1 and No. 2, participants can add videos of as many as two more pieces by M. K. Čiurlionis. The total duration of the submitted recordings cannot exceed 20 minutes. Cycles of pieces and pieces consisting of several parts are performed in full.
The final round **
1. A piece by M. K. Čiurlionis – a must-play piece: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, VL 183.
2. A piece by M. K. Čiurlionis – at the participant’s discretion (participants can perform optional piece No. 2, which was submitted for participation in the qualifying round).
**In addition to pieces No. 1 and No. 2, participants may submit a maximum of two more pieces by M. K. Čiurlionis to be performed in the final round. In this case, the jury will select the optional pieces for the final round. Participants can perform in the final round the pieces that were submitted for the qualifying round, except for the obligatory piece of the qualifying round – Nocturne in F-sharp minor, VL 178. The total duration of the pieces cannot exceed 20 minutes. Cycles of pieces and pieces consisting of several parts are performed in full.
You can download the pieces by M. K. Čiurlionis at the following link: https://bit.ly/40pQ8oE.
Regulations of the competition:
March 5 – the last day to apply for the contest and the start of the online qualifying round.
March 15 – announcement of the participants of the final round (up to 10 pianists).
March 30 – a draw of the final round.
March 30 – acoustic rehearsals of the final round.
March 31 – holding the final round at the VERE MUSIC HUB (Kyiv), announcing the winners (up to 3 pianists), the award ceremony and the final concert.
April – May 2025 – a two-week residency of the winners in Lithuania.
Applications for participation in the competition are submitted by filling out an online form: https://forms.gle/UWXBaKS4rAdT5pfM8. The application must be sent by March 5 at the latest (by 11:59 pm). Applications received incomplete or late will not be considered.
In addition to their contact information, applicants must upload a scan of their passport (the ID card on both sides plus a certificate of registration or a scan of a paper passport – all pages bearing information).
The application must include links to the videos for participation in the qualifying round. The videos are provided as links to YouTube. The video recorded after March 31, 2024, must clearly show the performer’s face, hands, and the keyboard of the instrument. The video must be recorded in one take on one camera, unedited and without post-production. At the request of the organizing committee, participants are required to provide a file with the video recording.
The final round will take place live in Kyiv, at VERE MUSIC HUB on March 31, 2025. It will be broadcast online on the VERE MUSIC FUND YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@VEREMUSICFUND/streams/. In the evening of the same day, the award ceremony and the final concert will take place. In addition to the compositions of M. K. Čiurlionis, the final concert may feature other pieces from the repertoire of the winners of the competition, as agreed with the organizing committee.
All pieces of the final round program can be performed by notes (performance by heart is welcome). The order of the competitors’ performances is determined by a draw. The final round of the competition is open to the public – admission is free, pre-registration is required.
The participants selected for the final round who are unable to take part in the live audition for any reason must notify the organizing committee of the competition by emailing ciurlionis@vere.fund by March 17, 2025, at the latest.
Announcement of the results:
The results of the qualifying round will be published on the VERE MUSIC FUND website in the Fund / News section by March 15, 2025, at the latest.
The results of the final round will be published on the VERE MUSIC FUND website in the Fund / News section by March 31, 2025, at the latest.
Travel:
All participants of the final round who do not live in Kyiv will be provided with travel documents within Ukraine (bus or train, a compartment) and a hotel in Kyiv (one night from March 30 to 31). Travel and accommodation for the contestants may be provided by specialized contractors.
Contacts:
Please send all questions regarding the competition to ciurlionis@vere.fund.
Rights and confidentiality:
Any changes to the terms and conditions of this competition (including the number of prizes, as well as their award or non-award) will be announced publicly.
By applying for participation in the competition, applicants authorize the organizers, as well as third parties of the competition, to use at their own discretion the personal data and photographs provided, as well as audiovisual recordings in compliance with the legislation on intellectual property protection for the purpose of promoting the competition and informing about charitable activities without the purpose of making a profit. This applies to the dissemination of public speeches of candidates in the final round on the Internet.
By applying for participation in the competition, applicants give the organizers of the competition consent to the processing (including transfer to third parties) of personal data and materials submitted for the competition, elimination of personal data submitted by the applicant to implement the measures provided for by the terms of the competition in compliance with the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection”.
The participants of the competition who take part in the competition (including those who send an application for participation in the competition), without demanding remuneration, transfer to the VERE FUND Charity Organization for their use in any form and in any way for the duration of the participant’s life and the following 70 years all exclusive copyrights to all photo, video and audio materials that will be created with the participation of musicians during the competition and in the process of preparing for it, including video recordings provided for the qualifying round.
The two-week artistic residency of the winners, which covers all travel (transfer) and stay expenses in Lithuania, is a charitable event organized by the host party at its expense, including the creative mission of popularizing the musical culture of Ukraine.