IV International Virgilijus Noreika Competition for Singers – 19-26 September 2026, Vilnius

          1. About the competition

The competition will take place 19-26 September, 2026 in three stages:

• The pre-Selection Round will be held ONLINE.
• 1st and 2nd rounds will take place at the Great Hall of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Central Building, Gedimino ave. 42, Vilnius);
• The Final Round - at the Lithuanian Opera and Ballet Theatre (A. Vienuolio g. 1).
• Singers of all nationalities can participate in the competition (sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, tenors, baritones, basses), aged 18-35 (born not earlier than 1 January, 1991). The competition is held in one group for all voices together, and singers will not be divided into separate categories.
• The competition is not open to previous 1st prize winners of this competition.

           2. Registration

• The Registration for the competition will be open from 20 September, 2025.
• Registration will be executed through the professional music competition administration platform artistDB only.
• Participants should register online through their existing or new artistDB accounts by 10 July, 2026.
• Registration link: artistDB.eu
• You will be able to change and update all information you upload during the registration process until 10 July, 2026.

Deadlines and requirements:

• PRE-SELECTION ROUND VIDEO: may be submitted, amended or modified until the end of the registration.
  The applicant must provide a valid YouTube video performance link about 10 - 15 minutes, where he/she/they perform a free program (maximum 3 links with arias from the Operas). Editing of the video recordings is prohibited, but different pieces may be recorded at different times and in different locations.
• COMPETITION PROGRAM: should be submitted during the registration process, but can be modified and amended according to the requirements of the competition repertoire by 10 August, 2026
• APPLICATION FEE: Early registration fee until 1 January, 2026 - 100 Eur. Thereafter - 130 Eur.

          3. Program

• Each participant shall prepare a programme in accordance with the Competition repertoire. The selected programme should be stated in the application form.
• For Pre-selection Round the applicant must provide a valid YouTube video performance link about 10 - 15 minutes, where he/she/they perform a free program.
• All programs of all Rounds should perform from MEMORY.
• Participants who have logged in to their artistDB account will be able to change their programs and performance order until 10 August, 2026.
• Participants will be required to perform their programs in the order of their own choice finally made in artistDB on 10 August, 2026.

          4. Application Fee

• For soloist - 130 EUR

• Early Payment Discount will be given to those participants, who register and pay 100 Eur by 1 January, 2026.
• The fee is non-refundable. You will be able to pay by credit card, bank transfer, or PayPal. You will be provided with more detailed information during the registration process.
• It is not necessary to pay the application fee before you start the registration, but if you would like to do so in advance, information on payment methods and bank details can be found at this link.

          5. Selection of Participants and Evaluation

• Received applications will be forwarded to the Pre-selection Committee.
• Candidates will be informed about their acceptance until 20 July, 2026. 
  The possible number of participants:
• I Round - no more than 80; II Round - no more than half of the I round participants; Final - no more than 6. 
• The results of the I and II Rounds will be announced at the end of them, and the results of the Final will be announced during the Laureates Awards Ceremony. The number of participants in the final round is decided by the jury depending on the circumstances.
• After the announcement of the results, those who did not make it to the next round are welcome to ask the opinion of the Jury.
• The decisions of the Jury are final and not subject to appeal. The Jury decisions have primacy and take precedence over these rules if the two conflict.

          6. Jury members

• Students of the Jury members may participate in the competition, but those Jury members withdraw from the evaluation of their students and can not influence the decisions of other Jury members.
• Jury members could stop unprofessional performance.

          7. Prizes and Awards

• The main prize fund of the Competition is 35.000 EUR.
• Other Concert Prizes or Awards from the public or private initiatives may be announced and awarded until the end of the Competition.
• According to the voting results and evaluation rules, the Jury (or founder of the prize) will decide who and which prize will get.
• The Jury has the right to announce no more than three laureates. 1st Prize is indivisible. If a higher prize is not awarded, the additional lower prize can be appointed, but no more than 3 awards. 
• The Jury or Prize Founders decisions about prize winners are final and not subject to appeal. These decisions have primacy and take precedence over the announced rules of prize distribution if the two conflict.
  
  8. Accompanist
   
• Singers in the first and second rounds of the competition can participate with their accompanists, the costs are covered by themselves.

• The organizing committee will provide professional accompanists for the competition participants. 

• Information regarding payments will be updated.

          9. Obligations of Participants

• It is forbidden to have contact with the Jury during the competition (unless the participant is a student of a Jury member).
• Chosen competition laureates, diploma holders and winners of the special prizes are obliged to take part in the Competition Final concerts of the competition without remuneration.
• The competition's all rounds and final concerts of the winners can be streamed online on Radio and Television, recorded on audio, video, or compact CD without any additional payment for the participants of the competition. The competition will be available online.
• The Management of the Competition reserves a right to permit all the Competition performances and final concerts to be broadcasted by Radio and Television and to be produced as audio, video, film, CD, tape cassette and vinyl recordings without remuneration to the competitors.

          10. Travel and Accommodation

• Travel to and from Vilnius and accommodation costs are each competitor's responsibility and expenses.
• The Competition will offer special prices and cancellation conditions for selected Hotels in Vilnius to all participants.
• The competition partner Travel Agency "Menų Turas" has appointed a personal manager to help you with the travel, visa, accommodation, and other technical issues or requests.
• Management of the Competition intermediates for the participants who need Visa in order to come to Lithuania, but it doesn't bear any financial responsibility.


• IMPORTANT: The competition organizers do not take responsibility for travel restrictions and other mandatory decisions made by Lithuanian or/and other countries' authorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers will do everything to mediate between competitors and Lithuanian authorities and make sure to arrange visas and permissions necessary to enter The Republic of Lithuania. Nevertheless, the final decision about arrival to the conditions (quarantine or isolation) will be made individually for each competitor depending on the COVID-19 situation in the outbound country.

           11. Competition Schedule
            (The schedules below are preliminary and probably will be modified and refined)

In the event of any discrepancies, the Lithuanian text of these rules shall prevail.
The Jury decisions have primacy and take precedence over the rules and regulations published on the Competition page if the two conflict.
The next International Virgilijus Noreika Competition for Singers is planned for 2029.