Leonid Kogan International Competition for Young Violinists

Bases y repertorio

Inscripción y cuota

• The organizer accepts entries for the 11th edition by email through 14 February 2027 inclusive. Brussels is on CET (UTC+1) on that date. The organizer gives no cutoff hour or explicit submission time zone. The Rules page sets age limits of 9, 13, 17 and 23 inclusive on 14 February 2027. The Program page instead refers to the time of the competition. Anyone turning the relevant age before the May final should confirm their category with the organizer. The published materials do not specify minimum ages or a nationality restriction.
• Pay the non-refundable EUR 250 entry fee by bank transfer before emailing the application. Include Violin Virtuosi 2027 and the applicant’s full name in the transfer reference. The applicant pays transfer charges. The organizer specifies EUR 14.52 extra for non-SEPA transfers. An official accompanist costs EUR 150 non-refundable, including one rehearsal and the final, payable to the same account.
• Send one email to kogan.intcompetition@gmail.com with the signed, computer-completed Word or PDF form, all video links, transfer receipt, passport copies for the candidate and accompanying persons, a short biography, a professional high-resolution colour JPEG portrait and relevant diplomas. The form lists an ID card or passport; the registration page specifically requests passports. Award certificates are optional on the form.
• The linked template asks for emergency contact, training and teacher history, repertoire and optional accompanist details. Categories 3–4 have separate fields for the video round and final. The application page also asks for accompanying adult and pianist details and to indicate if one person fills both roles. The linked filename says 2021, although the 2027 instructions link to it. The public materials do not specify recommendation letters, referees or a recording witness.

Eliminatorias y duración

Category 1 · video preselection and Brussels final

• Preselection: free programme, at most 15 minutes. No fixed number of pieces or specific work is published. Final: repeat the exact preselection programme and add one prescribed piece from the classical violin repertoire. The title will be announced to finalists. No final time cap including the extra piece is published.

Category 2 · video preselection and Brussels final

• Preselection: free programme, at most 20 minutes. No fixed number of pieces or specific work is published. Final: repeat the exact preselection programme and add one prescribed piece from the classical violin repertoire. The title will be announced to finalists. No final time cap including the extra piece is published.

Category 3 · video preselection

• Choose one Bach work and play both listed movements: BWV 1001 Siciliana and Presto; BWV 1003 Andante and Allegro; BWV 1005 Largo and Allegro assai; or BWV 1004 Sarabanda and Giga. Play two caprices: either two by Paganini, or one by Paganini and one by Wieniawski.
• Choose movement I of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 or 4. The Program page specifies no cadenza for Category 3; the Rules page does not state a cadenza condition for this category.

Category 3 · Brussels final

• Required work: Tchaikovsky, October (Autumn Song) from The Seasons, Op. 37a, using the linked violin score. Choose one virtuoso work by Paganini, Bazzini, Sarasate, Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Ernst, Waxman or Saint-Saëns, or Ysaÿe’s D-minor Sonata No. 3, Ballade.
• Choose movement I or III of a concerto by Paganini (No. 1), Wieniawski (No. 1 or 2), Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Brahms or Khachaturian. Alternatively choose movement I of Vieuxtemps No. 5 or Mendelssohn Op. 64.

Category 4 · video preselection

• Choose one Bach sonata, with both movements: BWV 1001 Adagio and Fugue, or BWV 1003 Grave and Fugue. Play two Paganini caprices and movement I of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, 4 or 5, without cadenza.

Category 4 · Brussels final

• Required work: Glière, Romance in D for violin and piano, Op. 33, using the linked score. Choose one virtuoso work by Paganini, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Tchaikovsky, Ernst, Wieniawski or Waxman, or Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 6.
• Choose movement I of one concerto: Paganini No. 1, Mendelssohn Op. 64, Vieuxtemps No. 5, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski No. 1 or 2, Sibelius or Khachaturian.

Repertorio

• Play all repertoire from memory and bring scores, including piano parts. The organizer does not state a performance order, a general final repeat or cadenza rule, a ban on using the same work across rounds for Categories 3–4, or time caps for their programmes.
• Make new recordings exclusively for this competition. Begin each with the spoken identification: “This recording is made for Leonid Kogan Competition 2027”. Upload separately to YouTube, one link per piece, with both assigned Bach movements together. Use a fixed camera and one take, with face and both hands clear and full bodies of both performers visible if accompanied. No editing or cuts. Use piano for all accompanied video repertoire. Play no Bach repeats, including fast movements. Title each video with name, category, age and work. The rules call for private recording circumstances but do not specify a precise YouTube visibility setting.
• Finalists are invited by email to the Musical Instruments Museum, Brussels, during 11–15 May 2027. The gala is on 15 May. Travel and accommodation are at the candidate’s expense. Bring the required scores. No separate finalist form or resubmission deadline is stated in the published sources.

Fuente: 2027 competition rules and video instructions · Official repertoire for all four categories · 2027 application instructions · Application form linked by the organizer · Category 3 final score · Tchaikovsky · Category 4 final score · Glière