News
17.10.2023
Daniils Mickevičs from Latvia emerged as a winner of the Jāzeps Vītols International Piano Competition
Daniils Mickevičs from Latvia emerged as a winner of the Jāzeps Vītols VIII International Piano Competition, which took place from October 7 to October 14 in Riga and Liepaja.
Along with the win, Daniils Mickevičs was awarded a 5,000-euro cash prize and a special prize - a scholarship for master classes at the "Feuerwerk" International Piano Academy in Einbeck, Germany.
In the concluding round of the competition, Daniils Mickevičs performed Sergei Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto accompanied by the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the conductor Atvars Lakstīgala in the "Great Amber" Concert Hall.
The Malaysian pianist Julien Chan won the 2nd place in the competition, while Mykita Burzanitsa from Ukraine was awarded the 3rd place.
In the pre-selection round, the contestants were evaluated by the teaching staff of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Music Academy (JVLMA) based on the submitted video and audio recordings and the young pianists were chosen to perform in the first round of the competition in the Great Hall of the JVLMA. A total of 26 pianists from 14 countries were selected to participate in the 1st round of the competition: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Germany, China, Japan, and Malaysia.
"The competition was of a high standard and very successful," admitted chairman of the competition jury Ivari Ilja (Estonia). "The participants were well prepared, which made the jury’s decisions even more challenging. It was a special pleasure to enjoy excellent performances of Jāzeps Vītols music in the first and second rounds. His piano works are musically and technically very demanding, however they give the pianists the opportunity to showcase their stage charisma, technical skills and, surely, a high-level artistry. The competition featured a series of memorable interpretations of Jāzeps Vītols piano works. This is a great opportunity to promote Jāzeps Vitols creative heritage alongside with the development and preparation of young pianists for the stage life. Hopefully, the competition has given a strong stimulus for young talents to further their development and to dedicate themselves to the art of piano.”
The special prize of the competition for the best interpretation of Jāzeps Vītols music was awarded to Edvin Švaikovski, representing Lithuania and Poland. The Liepaja Symphony Orchestra Affection Prize was won by Mykita Burzanitsa.
More information on the participants and the competition can be found on the official website of the competition www.vitolakonkurss.lv/vpc/
The third round of the competition on October 13 and 14 – featuring performances with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra and the conductor Atvars Lakstīgala, can be viewed as a video recording on the www.digitalaisdzintars.lv platform.
Supporters of the competition: JVLMA, the Ministry of Culture, the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, the “Great Amber” Concert Hall.