Press-release Days of Kazinik 2026

The 16th International Young Performers Competition - for Instrumentalists and Vocalists "Rising Stars" is now accepting applications

The competition organizers – the "International Talent Center" and the world-renowned musicologist, violinist, pedagogue, and great enlightener Mikhail Kazinik (Sweden) – will hold a series of concert-meetings around the annual international "Rising Stars" competition for the 16th time this year.

Applications are being accepted on the competition's official website, ict-stars.eu, in the "Competitions" section until February 23. Soloists and musical ensembles are invited to participate in the categories "Classical Music" and "Academic Vocal." The first round of the competition takes place online. Auditions for the second round will be held on February 28 and March 1 at the Reform Church (Mārstaļu 10, Rīga).

The jury for "Rising Stars 2025" includes eminent musicians and pedagogues from various countries. The Chairman of the Jury is the world-renowned musicologist, pedagogue, violinist, enlightener, Maestro Mikhail Kazinik (Sweden).

Winners of the "Rising Stars" competition can look forward to awards and grants from the International Talent Center itself, monetary grants from the VIVAT FUTURE charity foundation, individual masterclasses with jury members, the opportunity to represent their country at the World Championship of Performing Arts in Las Vegas (Worldstars Olympiad – www.wcopa.com), an invitation to participate in the Nelli Shkolnikova Summer Academy in France for violinists and cellists (https://www.shkolnikovaacademy.com), and a performance at the Gala Concert alongside competition jury members.

For instance, previous gold medalists and Grand Champion title holders from Latvia at the prestigious championship in Los Angeles include: in 2018 – the Latvian instrumental trio "The Grinberg Brothers"; in 2019 – guitarist Pēteris Pauličāns; in 2020 – violinist Ankit Tripathi; in 2022 – the ensemble "Amber Springs" from the Liepāja Music School; and in 2023, the gold medalist and Champion in her age category was visually impaired girl Marta Kornēlija. In 2024, the entire Kornēlija family – Marta, her brother Gustavs, and mother Inga – all participated in the Championship with the direct support of the production company "International Talent Center" and won awards in various categories. In 2026, the Championship will take place in Las Vegas from July 12 to 22, and participants from our competition will receive spots to attend.

Furthermore, finalists of the young talent competition receive invitations to participate in events organized by the "International Talent Center" and the Mikhail Kazinik Academy, both in Latvia and abroad.

The competition traditionally features the participation of Mikhail Kazinik and, for the 16th time, will enrich Latvia's cultural life with vibrant and significant events surrounding the competition itself.

The event program is being finalized; a preliminary schedule is:

February 28 at the Reform Church:
From 11:00 AM – Contestant auditions, Day 1
7:00 PM – Meeting with Mikhail Kazinik

March 1 at the Reform Church:
From 11:00 AM – Auditions, Day 2
At the Small Guild at 7:00 PM – Concert by Dainis Mediņš

March 2 at the Small Guild (Amatu 5, Rīga):
At 3:00 PM – Awards Ceremony
At 7:00 PM – The official Gala Concert of the "Rising Stars" competition – the most significant event of these days, featuring the best competition participants and jury members.

Masterclasses will be held throughout all the days.
Additional information and detailed participation conditions are available at ict-stars.eu.
Info by phone: +371 28 491 488.
Competition Organizer: International Talent Center.
For the latest updates, follow the project's official Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/KazinikvRige
https://www.facebook.com/TalantuCentrs