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4th PANHELLENIC MUSIC COMPETITION "SOLON MICHAELIDES 2025"

The "SOLON MICHAELIDES" Cultural Foundation announces the 4th Panhellenic Music Competition 2025 for young, talented musicians.

The competition is carried out every two years.

The "Solon Michaelides 2025"  Competition will be conducted in Nicosia on the 1st and 2nd of November 2025, at the Concert Hall of the ARTE Music School in Nicosia.

Applications will be accepted until October 15, 2025.

Competition Jury 2025

The President of the Jury 2025 is the soprano Ms. Georgia Michaelidou and the members are the pianist Ms. Elena Mouzala, the violinist/conductor Mr. Mikis Michaelides, the flautist Ms. Virginie Bove and the percussionist Mr. Marios Nikolaou.

Awards

The "Solon Michaelides" Foundation will award three monetary prizes as follows:

Category C Award: € 700

Category B Award: €500

Category A Award: €300

A Prize for the best performance of a work by Solon Michaelides will be awarded.

The Jury has the right not to award any prize or to share any prize.

The award winners will perform in concerts organized by the Foundation.

Competition Concert 2025

The award winners and distinguished performers of all instruments will participate in a joint Concert that will take place on Sunday 2nd November  2025, at 7.30 pm at the Concert Hall of the ARTE Music Academy in Nicosia.

Competition Regulations 2025

Α. Right to Participate

The following categories are entitled to participate in the competition.

1.     Cypriots and Greek nationals.

2.     Residents of Cyprus and residents of Greece with a residence permit in Cyprus or Greece.

3.     Foreign students of Universities, Colleges and Higher Education Institutions in Cyprus and Greece.

4.     Foreign students studying in Cyprus within the framework of the ERASMUS exchange program.

B. General Regulations

The program proposed by the contestants for all rounds of the Competition must be approved by the Jury.

All works must be performed from memory. Works for wind instruments and chamber music works are excluded.

Works must be in their original form and not transcriptions. This applies to all instruments and voice.

Solon Michaelides transcriptions are excluded, which are intended to enable them to be presented by more instruments.

Works from the first round may not be repeated in the second round.

Works with many repetitions are excluded from the program.

The Jury has the right to interrupt the performance of a work or the audition in general, if it deems it necessary.

All participants in the competition must be accompanied by their own pianist. For competitors from abroad, an accompaniment with a pianist in Cyprus will be arranged.

The decisions of the Jury are irrevocable.

All rounds of the competition are open to the public.

C. Competition Program 2025 - Regulations

PIANO, STRINGS, GUITAR

Category A: Piano, Strings, Guitar – Ages up to 12 years old

Program 10′ to 12′ with works of free choice. The works to be performed must be from two different musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary).

Date of Birth: 1.11.2013 and after.

Category B: Piano, Strings, Guitar – Ages up to 12 - 18 years old

1st Round : 15′ to 20′ program with works of free choice. The works to be performed must be from two different musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary) plus the mandatory one.

2nd Round : New Program 10′ to 15′ with free-choice works.

Date of Birth: 1.11.2007 – 31.10.2013.

Category C:  Piano, Strings, Guitar – Ages up to 18 - 30 years old

1st Round : Program 17′ to 20′ with works of free choice. The works to be performed must be from two different musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary) plus the mandatory one.

2nd Round :  New Program 20′ to 25′ with free-choice works.

Date of Birth: 1.11.1995 – 31.10.2007.

SINGING, WINDS (WOODWINDS/BRASS), PERCUSSIONS

Category A : Singing, Winds (Woodwinds/Brass), Percussions – Ages up to 12 years old

Program 8′ to 12′ with works of free choice. The works to be performed must be from two different musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary) plus the mandatory one.

Date of Birth: 1.11.2013 και μετά.

Category B : Singing, Winds (Woodwinds/Brass), Percussions  – Ages up to 12 - 18 years old

1st Round : Program 12′ to 20′ with works of free choice. The works to be performed must be from two different musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary) plus the mandatory one.

2nd Round :  New Program 10′ to 15′ with free-choice works.

Date of Birth: 1.11.2007 – 31.10.2013.

Category C : Singing, Winds (Woodwinds/Brass), Percussions – Ages up to 18 - 30 years old (and up to 32 years old for male singers)

1st Round : Program 17′ to 20′ with works of free choice. The works to be performed must be from two different musical periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic or Contemporary) plus the mandatory one.

2nd Round :  New Program 20′ to 25′ with free-choice works.

Date of Birth: 1.11.1995 (1.11.1993 for male singers) – 31.10.2007.

The mandatory works must be compositions by Solon Michaelides. In the event that there are no compositions by Solon Michaelides for some instruments, the competitor's program will be supplemented with another work of free choice, preferably by a Cypriot or Greek composer.

Obligatory Works of Solon Michaelides

Each competitor is invited to choose one (1) of the following works:

PIANO

1.     Girl of 13 years old

2.     Prelude “Sappho´s Lyre”

3. Prelude “Lambri” (Easter)

4.     “Suite Grecque” (a fast and a slow part)

VIOLIN

1.     “Prelude”for violin and piano

2.     “Αulos” for solo violin

3. “Greek Melody” for violin and piano

4. “Nostalgie” for violin and piano

VIOLA

1.     “Nostalgie” for viola and piano

2. “Melodie Grecque” for viola and piano

3. “Ode” for viola and piano

CELLO

1.     “Suite Grecque” for cello and piano (a fast and a slow part)

2.     “Ode” for cello and piano

3.     “Nostalgie” for cello and piano

CONTRABASSO

1. “Melodie Grecque” for contrabasso and piano

2.     “Nostalgie” for contrabasso and piano

FLUTE

1.     “Aulos” for solo flute

TUBA

1.     “Pean” for tuba and piano

SINGING: Voice with Piano accompaniment

SOPRANO

1.     Aria of Nausicaa from the opera “Ulisses”

2. La Flŭte

3. My Kyrenia

4.     Dark eyes

MEZZO SOPRANO

1.     Aria from the Cantata “Tafos”

2.     The prayer of the humble one

3.     Your eyes

ΤΕΝΟR

1       Aria of Demodokos from the opera “Ulysses”

2   My Kyrenia

3   La Flûte

ΒΑRΙTONE

1.     Aria of Ulysses from the opera “Ulysses”

2.     The prayer of the humble one

3.     Your eyes

Scores of the Works of Solon Michaelides will be sent electronically.

Applications to participate in the Competition 2025

Applications to participate in the Competition 2025 will be accepted till 15th October   2025.

The Application for Participation will be made online through the Foundation's Website, the address of which will be announced soon.

For participation to be considered valid, all of the following must be submitted:

1.     Application Form of Participation fully completed

2.     Copy of Birth Certificate or photocopy of Identity Card

3.     Residence / stay permit in Cyprus or Greece (valid only for foreigners)

4. Brief CV

5.     Details of the proposed program (subject to approval by the Jury)

6.     Photocopy of the deposit of a contribution of €50 to the Foundation as a right to participate in the 2025 competition.

7.     BANK OF CYPRUS, SOLON MICHAELIDES CULTURAL FOUNDATION

ΙΒΑΝ: CY86 0020 0195 0000 3570 1986 1665

In addition, all competitors must submit to the Jury three (3) copies of the scores of the works they will perform in the 2025 Competition.