The International Eduardas Balsys Young Composers Competition was established in 2019 to celebrate the centennial of this famous Lithuanian composer. The competition caught the attention of a lot of young composers worldwide and the final concerts, that happened in Vilnius and Klaipėda, were broadcasted by LRT and live-streamed to viewers across the world. The tremendous interest in the Balsys competition raised ambitions for it to become well established and relevant to the contemporary music scene outside the Baltic region as well.

The Balsys Competition stands out in its variety of creative options given to the participants regarding the choice of instruments (from chamber ensembles to orchestra and choir). As it is the main event of the competition, a lot of attention is given to the pieces that are selected for the final round. The musicians, that perform these works, are highly established performers and highly experienced in playing contemporary music. Amongst the performers from the 2021 competition, there were Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” (conductor Andris Veismanis), Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra (conductor Robertas Šervenikas), string quartet “Chordos” and piano trio “FortVio”.

The competition is based upon anonymity – the names of the participants are only revealed after the final results are announced. Until then, both jury members and listeners are only able to evaluate the works by their artistry and creativity. Hence, there is a lot of effort put into selecting a jury panel, usually made up of well established musicians that are active members in the contemporary music scene. Amongst the jury members in the last competition were composers Eriks Ešenvalds, Ayal Adler, Algirdas Martinaitis, Loreta Narvilaitė and violinist Philippe Graffin.

The 3^rd International Eduardas Balsys Young Composers Competition is coming back to Vilnius in 2023 as one of the final events commemorating Vilnius 700^th Jubilee. The final concert will be live-streamed worldwide from the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. In collaboration with National Opera and Ballet Theatre, National Philharmonic Society and other partners, the organisers will bring great contemporary music performers to play the pieces selected for the final round. Therefore, amongst the monetary prizes, the winners and the finalists will also have an opportunity to hear their works being performed live and recorded by great contemporary music performers and their collectives.

Competition is organised by “Ars & Sonoris”. 

Partners and sponsors of the competition are Lithuanian Council for Culture, Lithuanian National Radio and Television, Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Lithuanian Composers’ Union, “Vilnius 700”, Professor Dalia Balsytė, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, JSC “Itoma”, Music Information Centre Lithuania.

To Vilnius about Vilnius – this is the vision we want to share with all the young composers participating in the competition by inviting them to dedicate their pieces to the city celebrating  its 700 jubilee.