Applications open in Moscow for IV All-Russian Competition of Young Composers "Partitura"

Applications have opened in Moscow for participation in the IV All-Russian Competition of Young Composers "Partitura". Authors under the age of 35 may submit their applications via the website until 1 May 2026. The TV BRICS International Media Network acts as the international information partner of the competition.

Works are accepted in eight categories covering all genres – from symphonic music, opera and ballet to film music and choral compositions. Five best works will be selected in each category. At the press conference dedicated to the launch of the application process, the organisers and jury members emphasised the special role of the competition in the country’s musical life.

“The ‘Partitura’ competition is, in general, an invaluable contribution to promoting our Russian music. […] Once again, I must express my deep gratitude to the organisers, to those who take this on entirely selflessly, caring for our art, caring for music. […] This competition is growing into a huge force in our country, which is truly making a major breakthrough in this field,” said composer, People’s Artist of Russia and jury member Maksim Dunaevsky. He added that the project provides critically important motivation for young authors.

According to the chair of the competition’s organising committee, General Director and Artistic Director of the Russian State TV and Radio Music Centre "Orpheus", Irina Gerasimova, for laureates the competition is not a finish line but the start of a career. The organisers provide winners with comprehensive support: from performances of their works at leading venues to large-scale media promotion.

“I must say that both Orpheus Radio […] and our wonderful partners TV BRICS help our young composers a great deal and talk about them wherever such an opportunity exists. In particular, TV BRICS produced a full documentary film entitled ‘Partitura. Young Music of Russia’. And it is clear that the dialogue of cultures continues not only among countries close to us and familiar with Russian culture, but also in those parts of the world where people do not always know what Russian music is,” Gerasimova added.

The TV BRICS film is based on the experience of holding the III All-Russian Competition of Young Composers "Partitura", which took place in Moscow. The film has already been translated into six languages and screened at two film festivals. In an exclusive comment for the media network, Irina Gerasimova also spoke about the mission of the competition – to give listeners new music that resonates with the times.

"Contemporary music, firstly, must be very compact. It should combine new explorations in the field of harmony and at the same time be tonal. As Maksim Dunaevsky said, it should combine all genres and all kinds of harmonic refinements. Then modern people will hear this music, and, undoubtedly, their hearts may respond to it"

Irina Gerasimova General Director and Artistic Director of the Russian State TV and Radio Music Centre "Orpheus"

This season, special orchestration masterclasses will be prepared for participants for the first time. They will be conducted by conductor Aleksey Khodorchenkov and musicologists. The culmination of the competition will be a gala concert in November 2026 at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, where the winning works will be performed by the Moscow State Academic Symphony Orchestra.

The strategic importance of the competition for the development of academic genres was noted by Andrey Borisov, Director General of the Moscow State Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre. “This new music must be heard by Russia, and it must be heard by the world. The competition creates conditions for this new music to live and to manifest itself,” he added.

The competition has confirmed its scale: in 2024, 1,094 applications were received from 101 cities in Russia, as well as from Kazakhstan and Belarus. Previous winner Artyom Romodanov assessed the project’s support based on his own experience. “The volume of media coverage offered by the competition is very valuable […] That is why it is important for us to be heard and important for us to sound and to speak about our music,” he said.

The competition is organised by the Foundation for Innovative Development of Culture, Education, and Science (FIRCON) and the Russian State TV and Radio Music Centre “Orpheus”, with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

Photo: Yori Meirizan / iStock