After the successful Fifteenth Jubilee Edition of the International Competition “Young Virtuosos,” dedicated to the anniversary of Pancho Vladigerov, and the subsequent edition honoring the great Bulgarian pedagogue Lydia Kuteva, the Organizing Committee of the International Competition “Young Virtuosos” is proud to announce its Seventeenth Edition, which will take place in 2025 in the Piano category. The competition will be held in Sofia at the National Academy of Music “Pancho Vladigerov.” In 2025, the edition of the Competition will be in the category piano and will bear the name ZLATKA ZLATKOVA.
The International Competition “Young Virtuosos” is designed for young performers from around the world. It provides new opportunities for all participants to compete and connect with peers, explore and exchange original ideas, interpret classical and contemporary music, and showcase their talent to renowned musicians who have proven themselves on global stages and in the international music scene. Within the framework of the “Young Virtuosos” International Competition, numerous creative meetings, workshops, a “Mastery Academy,” and concerts by distinguished musicians will take place. Since 2013, the competition has been a member of the EMCY European Union of Music Competitions for Youth – EMCY.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first Bulgarian music education institution, the International Competition “Young Virtuosos” was founded in 2004 at the initiative of Milka Miteva. The competition is held annually with the exceptional support of the Ministry of Culture and the Sofia Municipality.
With the aim of preserving Bulgaria’s musical heritage, some of the competition categories bear the names of prominent Bulgarian musicians and educators, including Prof. Lyuba Encheva, Prof. Georgi Badev, Prof. Sava Dimitrov, Prof. Kiril Karel Stari, Prof. Dr. Dobri Paliev, Pancho Vladigerov, and Lydia Kuteva.
The competition is organized with the invaluable support and partnership of the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov.”
Young Virtuosos Foundation
Organizing Committee:
Milka Miteva – Chairperson, Artistic Director of the Competition
Prof. Gheorghi Arnaoudov, PhD
Mario Angelov
Boryana Stoyanova
Marina Savova
The competition is open for young pianists of all nationalities, in the specified category and age groups.
The competition is held in the category piano in the following age groups:
Group I – Up to 12 years old (Born after January 1, 2013)
Group II – Up to 16 years old (Born after January 1, 2009)
Group III – Up to 23 years old (Born after January 1, 2002)
Every year
April 27, 2025.
Registration for the competition is conducted exclusively via the Registration Form. Completed forms must be submitted electronically to the email: young_virtuosos@abv.bg no later than Sunday, April 27, 2025.
Registration forms are available on the website of the International Competition “Young Virtuosos 2025.”
Registration forms for the Piano category must be accompanied by the following documents:
– A document verifying the participant’s age
– Two artistic photos (.jpg, .png, 800 x 500 resolution)
– A brief artistic biography of the participant
– A bank document confirming the payment of a registration fee of 100 BGN
Payment of the registration fee should be made to:
Foundation “Young Virtuosos”
UNICREDIT BULBANK
Sofia, Pametnik Levski Branch
Sofia, Yanko Sakazov Blvd. 1
IBAN: BG23 UNCR 7000 1522 4504 49
BIC: UNCRBGSF
The registration fee is non-refundable in case of no-show.
Late registrations or missing payment documentation will invalidate the participant’s application.
Accepted candidates will be notified and provided with the schedule for their category.
Age Groups:
Group I – Up to 12 years old (Born after January 1, 2013)
Group II – Up to 16 years old (Born after January 1, 2009)
Group III – Up to 23 years old (Born after January 1, 2002)
General Conditions:
1. The work of the jury is organized and based on formally written regulations made by the Organizing committee, according to the standards of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY).
1.1. The order of performers is decided by draw of lots.
1.2. Competitors who miss their order of performance will be disqualified.
1.3.1. The jury comprises renowned experts, educators, and instrumentalists of international repute.
1.3.2. Jury members make decisions independently through secret ballot.
1.3.3. No jury member may vote for their own students or participants they have worked with in the past 12 months.
1.3.4. Jury members should not discuss performances before the end of the voting process.
1.3.5. The voting must be in a written and signed form.
1.3.6. The competitors will be assessed in all rounds by the point system from 1 to 25.
1.3.7. Participants who receive a minimum of 18 points (average score) are eligible to advance to the next round.
2.1. Prizes are awarded by the jury in each category based on the participants’ performance during the competition.
2.2. The jury’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
2.3. Three prizes and a laureate diploma are awarded in all competition categories.
2.4. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to include additional prizes for each category, which are awarded by the jury of the respective category.
2.5. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to include special prizes for each category or the entire competition, which are awarded by the founder or a specially designated competent authority.
2.6. After the competition, a meeting-discussion with members of the jury is organized.
Group I– Up to 12 years old (Born after January 1, 2013):
1. J.S. Bach – An invention of the participant’s choice
2. A piece of the participant’s choice
3. A piece selected from list of Bulgarian works specially commissioned for the competition
Duration: up to 20 minutes
Group II – Up to 16 years old (Born after January 1, 2009):
1. A Baroque or Classical piece
2. The first movement of a Classical Sonata
3. A Romantic piece of the participant’s choice
4. A virtuoso ?tude
5. A piece selected from list of Bulgarian works specially commissioned for the competition
Duration: up to 35 minutes
Group III – Up to 23 years old (Born after January 1, 2002):
First Round:
1. A virtuoso etude
2. A piece selected from list of Bulgarian works specially commissioned for the competition
3. Beethoven – Sonata
Duration: up to 45 minutes
Second Round:
1. J.S. Bach – A Prelude and Fugue of the participant’s choice
2. A Romantic piece
3. A piano miniature
4. A piece composed after 1950
Duration: up to 45 minutes
1-st prize – 1000 BGN
2-nd prize – 750 BGN
3-rd prize – 500 BGN
1-st prize – 3000 BGN
2-nd prize – 2000 BGN
3-rd prize – 1000 BGN
1-st prize – 5000 BGN
2-nd prize – 4000 BGN
3-rd prize – 3000 BGN
A Special Prize of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY) for Outstanding Achievements.
Special Awards for exceptional performance of:
Beethoven – Rondo a Capriccio “Rage Over a Lost Penny”
Liszt – Tarantella
Saint-Saëns – Allegro Appassionato
Special Award for the best performance of a Bulgarian composition commissioned for the competition.
www.yvcompetition.org
