ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra presents the 6th International St. Christopher Composer Competition. The aims of the competition are to discover talented music creators, establish creative connections with them, contribute to the successful careers of young composers through professional performances of their music, encourage the creation of new works for chamber orchestra, and promote their dissemination.
The finalist works will be performed by the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra at the International St. Christopher Composer Competition Laureates’ Concert on October 11, 2026, at Vilnius Town Hall. The concert may be filmed and published online. The winning works will also be performed during the orchestra’s 2026–2027 concert season.
ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA
The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra of the Vilnius City Municipality, led by Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Modestas Barkauskas and Honorary Conductor Donatas Katkus, is renowned for its versatility, professionalism, and artistic imagination. The orchestra is a welcome guest in the most prestigious concert halls in Lithuania and abroad.
The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra is distinguished by its exceptional stylistic versatility. Having earned a reputation as a “Baroque orchestra” and a reviver of rarely performed scores, it is also recognized by critics as an outstanding interpreter of contemporary music. Furthermore, it is one of Lithuania’s most active performers of world premieres by both Lithuanian and international composers.
COMPETITION RULES
The competition is open to composers aged 18–40.
Preferred duration of submitted works: 5–10 minutes.
Instrumentation: String Orchestra
(6 First Violins, 5 Second Violins, 3 Violas, 3 Cellos, 1 Double Bass)
Both previously performed and unperformed works composed between 2024 and 2026 may be submitted. Works that have participated in other competitions are not eligible.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Each participant may submit up to three works.
Scores (full score and parts) must be submitted in PDF format. The composer’s name must not appear anywhere in the score. A demo recording of the work in MP3 format must also be provided.
Additionally, applicants must submit a separate Word document containing:
- Full name
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Program note / annotation of the work
The score, parts, annotation, CV (Word document), and MP3 recording must be sent by email to:
COMPETITION TIMELINE
Registration deadline: June 30, 2026
Participation is free of charge – there is no registration fee.
Submission deadline: August 31, 2026
Announcement of selected works: October 2, 2026
Performance of laureates’ works at the concert: October 9, 2026
COMPETITION PRIZES
1st Prize – EUR 1,500
2nd Prize – EUR 900
3rd Prize – EUR 600
The monetary prizes are sponsored by the Vilnius Club.
Special LMIC Prize
Special Orchestra Prize
EVALUATION
The submitted works will be evaluated by a distinguished jury of composers and music performers.
All evaluations are conducted anonymously.
The Competition Jury reserves the right not to evaluate works that do not comply with the competition requirements or that are submitted after the stated deadlines.
The Jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed.
Information about the competition is available on the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra website:
and on the orchestra’s social media channels: Facebook and Instagram.