Festival 2025

Members of the Professional Group Jury:

Members of the Youth Group Jury:

INTERNATIONAL KLAIPĖDA DAVID GERINGAS CELLO COMPETITION

RULES AND REGULATIONS 

I. ELIGIBILITY 

The Klaipėda Concert Hall will hold the International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition from 5 to 10 May 2025. The competition is open for professional musicians and cello students of all nationalities. Candidates must be no more than 30 years of age on the first day of the competition, 5 May 2025. 

II. CATEGORIES 

The International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition is held in two categories – junior and professional. Junior category is divided into three age groups. Professional category has one age group. 

Junior category: 

Group A – up to10 years of age on the first day of the competition (born after 5 May 2015); 

Group B – up to 14 years of age on the first day of the competition (born after 5 May 2011); 

Group C – up to 18 years of age on the first day of the competition (born after 5 May 2007). 

Professional category has one age group: 

Group D – up to 30 years of age (born after 5 May 1995). 

First prize the professional winners of the previous competitions cannot be part of the same age group in the current competition. 

III. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION 

1. Candidates must register and fill out, online at www.artistdb.eu, a 2025 International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition application form in its entirety and submit it along with the non-refundable fee for entry.  

2. Successful candidates will receive confirmation of admittance to competition by email before 31 March 2025. Only timely and accurately filled applications will be accepted for selection upon receipt of the non-refundable entrance fee. 

3. Entrance fees: 

Group	Fee
Junior
A	€50
B	€60
C	€80
Professional
D	€100

All entrance fees must be paid by 31 March 2025 using Paysera, PayPal, and credit card (via the online application form), or by bank transfer. If a candidate chooses to pay by bank transfer, it is necessary to keep the digital transfer receipt of payment with the participants Name, Surname. 

4. Entrance fee is non-refundable should the candidate withdraw from the competition. 

5. Fees for accompanying pianists: 

Competitors in the Junior category can rehearse and perform with their own accompanists at their own expense; otherwise, the organizers of the competition can hire pianists (a 45-minute classroom rehearsal, an acoustic rehearsal in the concert hall and appearance in one round will cost €100 in total; every additional classroom rehearsal of 45 mins will cost €30) 

Competitors in the Professional category, once they enter the second round, are entitled to free-of-charge official pianists allocated by the organizers of the competition. 

Rehearsal times with pianists will be scheduled during the competition. 

6. All competitors under the age of 18 should be accompanied by an adult who will carry full responsibility over the minor at any time. 

7. Competitors must pay their own accommodation and travel expenses. 

8. During the competition, the organizers cannot be held responsible for the consequences of incidents or accidents involving the competitors. It is advised to check the personal insurance of competitors and the accompanying adult(s) in order to guarantee coverage of accidents and incidents. 

9. All appearances of the competitors during the competition are open to the public. In the event of COVID-19 related extreme situation, competition rounds (except the final round) can be held remotely. The most updated information concerning the procedure of the competition will be sent to the selected competitors before 7 April 2025. 

10. Should any dispute arise regarding the interpretation of any part of the rules and regulations of the competition, the original version in Lithuanian language shall be taken as authoritative. 

IV. COMPETITION PROCEDURE 

1. The International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition runs from 5 to 10 May 2025 inclusive and consists of one round in groups A and B; of two rounds in group C; and of three rounds in group D. 

2. All rounds, except the pre-audition based on recorded materials attached or linked to the application form, are open to the public. 

3. The order of performance at each stage of the competition will be determined by the contestants’ age on the day of the competition, starting from the youngest. 

4. The order of performance in the Final (group D) will be chosen by the organizers of the competition, and the order is not open to negotiation at any point. 

5. The organizers of the competition reserve the right to make minor changes to the times of competitors’ appearances in the competition. 

6. The scores of compulsory pieces will be made available to download to the registered applicants only. 

7. Programmes and duration of performance and at each stage of the competition vary depending on age group. 

8. Younger competitors may take part in auditions of the senior age group, provided they are able to perform works from the prescribed programme. 

9. Programme choices must be listed by the applicant on the submitted application form. No changes to the programmes will be accepted after 31 March 2025, unless the organizers decided otherwise. 

10. The order of pieces in the programmes is up to each competitor. 

11. In each round all works must be performed from memory, with the exception of the sonatas for cello and compulsory pieces by Lithuanian composers. Repeats are left to the discretion of each competitor, but competitors must take them into account when working out the timing of their programmes. 

12. Selected candidates must present all hard copies of sheet music to be used during the competition upon arrival at the registration desk. The Jury may request competitors to present the scores of particular versions, which had been used for rehearsing their programmes. 

13. Works listed on the application forms must be performed only once at each stage of the competition. 

14. Competitors’ performances will be judged by the international Jury, whose decisions are final and not subject to any appeal. 

15. Throughout the entire competition, members of the Jury shall refrain from having any contact, direct or indirect, with any competitor. Competitors may request for comments of their performance by judges after the competition. 

16. Members of the jury may not vote for a candidate who is, or has been, one of their pupils. 

17. The Jury reserves the right to withhold any prize should the required standard not be attained.  

18. The Jury reserves the right to interrupt performances that exceed time limit indicated by the organizers of the competition for each age group. 

19. Candidates selected by the jury, laureates and diploma holders agree to co-operate with all reasonable requests on the part of the organizers and to take part in concerts held within the time limit of the competition and festival without any financial reward. 

20. The organizers of the competition have unrestricted rights to film, record, photograph and broadcast any part of the competitor’s participation in the rounds and closing concert of the competition. The competitor agrees that he or she waives any claim whatsoever to any financial reward arising from the distribution or commercial use of any such recordings. 

21. Awards ceremony of the competition will be held during the final concert of the competition. 

22. Cash prizes awarded to the laureates of the competition will be paid by bank transfer within the period of thirty calendar days after the awards ceremony. 

V. PERFORMANCE REPERTOIRE 

Age group	Number of rounds
Junior category
A	one round
B	one round
C	two rounds
Professional category
D	three rounds

Group A 

The selected candidates will need to prepare a programme not exceeding 6‒10 minutes and including two contrasting works of the competitor’s own choice. 

Group B 

The selected candidates will need to prepare a programme not exceeding 10‒15 minutes and including two contrasting works of the competitor’s own choice, one of which should be from the Baroque or Classical periods. 

Group C 

Round I 

• One study of free choice from David Popper’s High school of cello playing, Op. 73; 

• Johann Sebastian Bach – Sarabanda and Giga from Six Cello Suits, BWV 1007‒1012; 

• Kasparas Šerpytis – Respite and Jazz for cello and piano (2023); 

• A virtuoso piece of free choice (duration 5–7 min). 

Round II 

One of the listed concerto works: 

• Antonín Dvořák, Cello Concerto in h-minor, Op. 104, B. 191, mvt. I Allegro; 

• Édouard Lalo, Cello Concerto in d-minor, mvt. I Prelude, Lento – Allegro maestoso; 

• Camille Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto in a-minor, Op. 33; 

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variation on Rococo Theme, Op. 33 for Cello and orchestra. (Fitzenhagen version) 

Group D 

Round I 

1. One of the listed works for solo cello: 

• Max Reger – Suite No.1 in G major op. 131c, I and II movement; 

• Max Reger – Suite No.2 in d-minor op. 131c, I and II movement;; 

• Max Reger – Suite No.3 in a-minor op. 131c, I and II movement; 

• Max Reger – Suite No.3 in a-minor op. 131c, Andante with variation;   

1. Anatolijus Šenderovas – Hommage for cello solo (Edition, Verlag Neue Musik) 

Round II 

Six competitors will be chosen to reach the semi-final stage of the competition. The Jury can decide to choose seven competitors as an exception. 

1. Claude Debussy Sonata for cello and piano in d-minor, L. 135. 

2. Faustas Latėnas –  Sonata for cello and piano (1977, Edition Verlag Neue Musik). 

3. A freely chosen virtuoso piece for cello and piano.  

Round III 

Three cellists will be chosen to participate in the finals. The Jury can decide to choose four competitors as an exception. 

Finalists appear in a public concert with the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra: 

• Edward Elgar –  Concerto in e-minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 85; 

• Édouard Lalo – Concerto in d-minor for Cello and Orchestra; 

• Robert Schumann –  Concerto in a-minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 129; 

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Variation on Rococo Theme, Op. 33 for Cello and orchestra (Fitzenhagen version). 

VI. JURY OF THE COMPETITION 

During the competition performances in both categories will be assessed by two different panels of jurors, comprising altogether 14 highly experienced cello experts – internationally acclaimed performers and teachers – from all over the world. 

Jury members for professional category: 

 
David Geringas (Lithuania / Germany), chair 

Andrzej Bauer (Poland) 

Enrico Bronzi (Italy) 

Jens Peter Maintz (Germany) 

Jing Zhao (China – Italy) 

Michaela Fukačová (Czech Republic–Denmark) 

Rimantas Armonas (Lituania) 

Jury members for junior category: 

Ramutė Kalnėnaitė (Lithuania), chair 

Denis Severin (Switzerland–Ukraine)  

Ivan Karizna (France–Belarus) 

Krzysztof Karpeta (Poland) 

Marcel Johannes Kits (Estonia) 

Răzvan Suma (Romania) 

Shirley Smart (United Kingdom) 

VII. PRIZES 

The total fund of cash prizes of the International David Geringas Cello Competition is €20,000. After the final rounds in each age group of both junior and professional categories two respective panels of judges will vote for three prize winners in each age group to be announced and awarded cash prizes (amounts according to the awarded place are given in the table below) and signed diplomas during the official awarding ceremony. The jury can also award the contestants with an indefinite number of special awards.  

Categories and age groups	Junior			Professional
	A	B	C	D
First Prize	€ 400	€ 400	€ 1000	€ 8000
Second Prize	€ 300	€ 300	€ 700	€ 5000
Third Prize	€ 200	€ 200	€ 500	€ 3000

Other prizes: 

• David Geringas prize: 1) an invitation to take part in his cello master classes at the Blackmore International Music Academy in Berlin (an in-kind award, waiving of tuition fees for 4 private lessons worth €250 each, exclusive of travel and accommodation expenses in Berlin); 

• Pau Casals Foundation and Klaipėda Concert Hall prize: an invitation to visit Barcelona and a free three-day stay for 2 persons (cellist and pianist), during which the prize-winner and the pianist will be provided with an opportunity to visit the Pau Casals Museum in El Vendrell, record a short promotional video at Pau Casals’ Music Room, and take part in a free promotional event in Barcelona, which will include a 15-minute pre-concert talk and a solo appearance of the prize-winner with the pianist at one of the venues in central Barcelona (an in-kind award includes travel expenses to / from Barcelona, all transfers in Spain, accommodation in Barcelona for two persons, organization of a promotional event in Barcelona and production of the video in El Vendrell); 

• Diploma for the best interpretation of Kasparas Šerpytis – Respite and Jazz for cello and piano (from the compulsory repertoire of Group C); 

• Diploma for the best interpretation of Faustas Latėnas –  Sonata for cello and piano (from the compulsory repertoire of Group D). 

• a cello-case backpack (sponsored by the Klaipėda Concert Hall). 

Please note: Contest organizers reserve the right to change and supplement the list of prizes. Total fund of monetary prizes: 28,200 EUR.