EXCERPTS FROM THE ADJUDICATING RULES
* The jury decides on the admission of competitors to the second and the third (final) stages as well as on the award of the prizes. Decisions of the jury are final and are not subject to questions, revisions or appeal;
* Jury members will not make contact and communicate with competitors while such competitor is continuing to compete;
* No more than 16 competitors with the highest scores obtained in the first stage will be admitted to the second stage;
* No more than 6 competitors with the highest scores obtained in the second stage will be admitted to the third (final) stage;
* The names of competitors admitted to the second and the third stages will be announced as soon as the jury makes the decision following the end of the stage. The names will be given in order of appearance. The competitors’ scores will not be made public;
* The 3 competitors with the highest scores obtained in the final stage will receive the first, second and the third prize, according to their respective number of points and diplomas accrediting prize-winner status. Candidates who reach the final round will receive a diploma accrediting their participation in the final round;
* All prizes are indivisible;
* The jury may withhold one or more of the prizes, if it so decides.
COMPETITION CONDITIONS
1. The Competition will be held in Belgrade in March 2026. All tests will be public.
2. All pieces included in the program must be prepared in their entirety.
3. Competitors shall perform in order of appearance decided by the lot. The draw will take place before the Competition’s opening in the presence of the competitors and jury. The performing order of competitors will be adhered to in the first two stages of the Competition. The order in the final stage might be changed due to the program planning.
4. Competitors who are not ready to perform when called upon to do so may be disqualified.
5. Rights on any Competition performances, recordings or filming belong to International Jeunesses Musicales Competition and no fee is payable to any competitor on account of those performances, recordings or broadcastings of them.
6. All participants must be available to representatives of the media throughout the Competition.
7. The Competition Board is entitled to cancel the Competition if there are less than 6 applications.
8. All first prize-winners must come to receive their prizes in person, except in the event of illness, upon presentation of a medical certificate. Otherwise, the money will be returned to the Competition Fund.
9. At the end of each stage all the participants are required to be present when the results are announced.
ENTRY CONDITIONS
1. The Competition is open to violists of any nationality who are under the age of 35 on January, 31th 2026. Candidates may not be evaluated based on any idealogical, linguistic, political, religious, racial, gender or sexual grounds.
2. Candidates should provide the following items: a) a duly completed application form or online registration b) a brief Biography c) copies of documents testifying candidates’ musical education and copies of prizes/diplomas d) references from their present or previous professors (original) e) one recent photograph in high resolution – that will be used for competition booklet, social media, media, press and website. All documents should be sent by January, 31th 2026 via the application on mubazar, or to the e-mail: competition@muzicka-omladina.org
3. Candidates should pay an entrance fee of €100 until the January 31th, 2026 exclusively via the Mubazar platform.
Payment must be made exclusively in Euros. Any wiring fees must be paid by the applicant. Check with your bank about the precentage of the transfer fee. This application fee is non refundable.
4. Each participant will be asked to show their ID before the Competition’s opening, during the registration period on 21st of March 2026.
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FIRST STAGE
Duration: up to 35 minutes (including breaks and stage entrance/exit)
A) Johann Sebastian Bach
One of the following works or their combinations, with a total duration fitting within the time limit:
Suite No. 6 for Cello (transcription for viola) – two movements of the candidate’s choice
Partita No. 1 in B minor for Violin (transcription for viola) – two movements of the candidate’s choice with corresponding doubles
Chaconne from the Partita in D minor (transcription for viola)
B) Aleksandar Simić – Kaddish for viola solo
Mandatory piece by a domestic composer (download the score)
C) Caprice or Étude
One selected from the following:
M. Anzoletti – 12 Études (Dodici Studi), Edizioni Ricordi
F. A. Hoffmeister – 12 Viola Etudes, Edition Peters
M. Vieux – Études pour Alto (Twenty Études)
SECOND STAGE
Duration: up to 45 minutes, but not shorter than 40 minutes (including breaks and stage entrance/exit)
A) One of the following sonatas for viola and piano (or solo viola):
J. Brahms – Sonata in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1
J. Brahms – Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120 No. 2
P. Hindemith – Sonata “Fantasie”, Op. 11 No. 4
P. Hindemith – Solo Sonata, Op. 11 No. 5
P. Hindemith – Sonate für Bratsche Solo, Op. 25 No. 1
F. Schubert – Sonata “Arpeggione”
L. v. Beethoven – Notturno, Op. 42 (Edition Schott, W. Primrose)
D. Shostakovich – Sonata, Op. 117
B) One piece with piano:
G. Enescu – Concert Piece
R. Schumann – Adagio and Allegro
M. Bruch – Romanze
C. M. von Weber – Andante and Rondo Ungarese
A. Pärt – Fratres
B. Britten – Lachrymae, Op. 48a
C) One virtuoso piece:
Emil Petrović – Rhapsody No. 2 for solo viola
K. Penderecki – Cadenza for solo viola
Paul Patterson – Tides of Mananan
J. S. Bach – Chromatic Fantasy (arr. Zoltán Kodály)
L. Berio – Sequenza VI
FINALE STAGE
A) Mandatory piece:
K. Stamitz – Viola Concerto in D major, 1st movement with cadenza (performed with piano accompaniment)
B) One concerto with orchestra of the candidate’s choice:
W. Walton – Viola Concerto
B. Bartók – Viola Concerto
A. Schnittke – Viola Concerto
P. Hindemith – Der Schwanendreher