I. ELIGIBILITY 

The International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition will take place on May 3–9, 2027. 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.

II. COMPETITION 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 to 10 years old on the opening day (born May 3, 2017 or later).

Group B – up to 14 years old on the opening day (born May 3, 2013 or later)

Group C – up to 18 years old on the opening day (born May 3, 2009 or later)

Professional Group:

Group D – up to 30 years old on the opening day (born May 3, 1997 or later).

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 complete the online application form on www.artistdb.eu by creating an account and selecting the International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition.

2. Completed applications are accepted until March 31, 2027. Registration is considered valid only if the application is submitted correctly and on time, and the non-refundable participation fee has been paid.

3. Each competition participant, when completing the application at www.artistdb.eu, must submit a special form with international personal bank details for the payment of cash prizes in case of success. If the IBAN (International Bank Account Number) is not provided, the application will be rejected.


4. Participation Fees:

GroupFee
Junior
A€ 60
B€ 70
C€ 90
Professional 
D€ 120

All entrance fees must be paid by 31 March 2027 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. 

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

6. Fees for accompanist services:

In youth groups: accompanist service (classroom rehearsal – 45 min.); Acoustic stage rehearsal and performance in one round – EUR 150; Additional rehearsal (45 min.) – EUR 50.

Organizers may arrange accompanists individually, or participants may bring their own accompanists at their own expense.

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. 

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

8. The competition organizers do not cover participants’ travel, accommodation, or any other expenses related to participation in the competition.

9. During the competition, the organizers are not responsible for any injuries or accidents suffered by participants. Participants are advised to arrange travel insurance in advance to cover possible medical expenses.

10. All competition performances are open to the public; however, in force majeure circumstances, the competition rounds (including the finals) may be held privately, conducted remotely, or the competition may be cancelled.


IV. COMPETITION PROCEDURE 

1. The International Klaipėda David Geringas Cello Competition will be held on May 3–9, 2027, in Klaipėda, Lithuania. Participants in different age groups will compete in one round (Groups A and B), two rounds (Group C), and three rounds (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 performances for the finalists is determined by the competition organizers.

5. The competition organizers reserve the right to change the performance times of the participants.

6. The sheet music for the required pieces is provided only to registered candidates.

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 2027, 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. Works listed on the application forms must be performed only once at each stage of the competition. 

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

14. During the competition, participants are not allowed to communicate with jury members. However, they may request feedback on their performances after the competition has ended.

15. If a jury member’s student(s) is participating in the competition, that jury member must recuse themselves from evaluating the participant’s performance, and the student must declare this before the start of the competition. If concealed circumstances come to light, the participant may be removed from the competition by decision of the jury.

16. The jury may decide not to award a prize in any category if, by a joint decision, none of the participants are evaluated with scores meeting the required standard for an award.

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

18. Participants selected by the jury, as well as laureates and diploma recipients, are required to take part in the competition or festival concerts without remuneration.

19. The competition organizers hold all rights to recordings of all rounds and final concerts, including all types of audio and video recordings, images, as well as their commercial use and broadcasting, without any compensation to the competition participants.

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

21. 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. 

22. Only one winner may be awarded per prize position in the competition.


V. PERFORMANCE REPERTOIRE 

Age group Number of rounds 
Junior category
Aone round 
Bone round 
Ctwo rounds 
Professional category 
Dthree rounds 

Group A

Two contrasting freely chosen works. Total duration: 6–10 min.

Group B

Two contrasting freely chosen works, one from the Baroque or Classical period. Total duration: 10–15 min.

Group C

Round I

1. David Popper – one freely chosen etude from the collection High School of Cello Playing, Op. 73.

2. Johann Sebastian Bach – one freely chosen prelude from the Six Suites for Solo Cello, BWV 1007‒1012.

3. Anatolijus Šenderovas – “Four Miniatures” for cello and piano (Hofmeister Verlag, edited by David Geringas).

4. One virtuoso work up to 7 minutes.

Round II

One of the following:

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; 

Joseph Haydn – Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, Hob. VIIb/2 (Op. 101): mvt. I, Allegro moderato with cadenza;

Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, mvt. I–II: Adagio – Moderato and Lento – Allegro molto.

Group D

Round I

1. Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude, Sarabande and Giga from a freely chosen suite for solo cello, BWV 1007–1012.

2. Krzysztof Penderecki, „Per Slava“, for solo cello.

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.

2. Eduardas Balsys, two excerpts from the ballet Eglė the Queen of Serpents for cello and piano (Edition Verlag Neue Musik, edited by David Geringas).

3. One of the works listed below:

Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 69 in A major, mvt. I.

Allegro ma non tanto

Or

Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 102 No. 4 in C major, mvt. I.

Andante – Allegro vivace

Or

Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for cello and piano, Op. 102 No. 5 in D major, mvt. I.

Allegro con brio

4. One of the virtuoso works for cello and piano listed below:

Mstislav Rostropovich – Humoresque, Op. 5 for cello and piano.

Or

David Popper, Elfentanz, Op. 39 for cello and piano.

Or

Jérôme Ducros, Encore, for cello and piano.

Final:

Together with the Klaipėda State Musical Theatre Symphony Orchestra (conductor Tomas Ambrozaitis), one of the following cello concertos for cello and orchestra:

Antonín Dvořák, Cello Concerto for cello and orchestra in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191.

Or

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

Or

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

VI. JURY OF THE COMPETITION 


During the competition, the performances of participants in categories A, B, C, and D are evaluated by two juries—altogether 14 internationally recognized cellists and cello educators from various countries, chaired by Prof. David Geringas.


VII. PRIZES 

The total fund of cash prizes of the International David Geringas Cello Competition is €30,000. 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 groupsJuniorProfessional
ABCD
First prize€ 1000 € 1000€ 2000€ 10000
Second prize€ 600€ 6000€ 1000€ 7500
Third prize€ 3500€ 350€ 600€ 5000

The prize fund for categories A, B, and C is fixed. If there is more than one winner, the prize fund is divided equally.

The prize fund for category D is fixed and cannot be changed; only one winner is awarded in each prize position.

Special prizes:

• David Geringas Prize for the best Lithuanian performer: an invitation to attend the Blackmore International Music Academy in Berlin and participate free of charge in masterclasses led by the professor (the monetary value of the prize consists of 4 individual lessons worth €250 each, excluding travel and accommodation costs in Berlin).

• Pau Casals Foundation and Klaipėda Concert Hall Prize: a free three-day stay in Barcelona (Spain) for two people (the laureate and pianist), including an organized trip to the Pau Casals villa–museum in El Vendrell (approximately 70 km south of Barcelona), where a short souvenir video will be filmed featuring the laureate and pianist. The prize also includes the opportunity to give a public free recital in one of the halls in central Barcelona, preceded by a ~15-minute audience meeting with the laureate.

• Diploma for the best interpretation of Anatolijus Šenderovas’ Four Miniatures for cello and piano (from the required repertoire of Group C).

• Diploma for the best interpretation of Eduardas Balsys’ work for cello and piano (from the required repertoire of Group D).

Note: The organizers reserve the right to modify or supplement the list of prizes.