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Festival
FESTIVAL REGULATIONS

Preamble

These regulations of the children’s and youth jazz music festival-competition “JAZZ Fontanas” (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) have been evolving and improving based on experience gained over the years.

The Lithuanian children’s and youth jazz music festival-competition “JAZZ Fontanas” was first held in 2002. The festival-competition, now being held for the 24th time, is known as the oldest children’s and youth jazz project in Lithuania. The author of its idea is jazz music composer, jazz music project manager, and performer Rimantas Juozas Bagdonas (1952–2019). He is also the author of the festival-competition motto.

Over the entire life of the project, more than one and a half thousand performers have participated in the festival-competition, for many of whom it has become a solid stepping stone to larger stages and future endeavours (Grand Prix laureates).

The authors of the logo of the Lithuanian Children’s and Youth Jazz Music Festival-Competition “JAZZ Fontanas” are artists Gintaras Grigas and Rita Kosmauskienė.

The author of the Grand Prix trophy of the festival-competition is artist and glass-maker Remigijus Kriukas.

The Regulations are the principal document guiding the organisation of the festival-competition and the resolution of related issues. If a situation arises that is not covered by the Regulations, it is resolved by the organisers, who subsequently improve the main document.

2026 Competition-Festival Format

  1. Participants’ performances will take place in a mixed format:

    1. The competition programme is performed live. Participants who are unable to attend may submit their programme as a video recording; other competitors will be able to view these recordings on the YouTube platform.

    2. Performers appear only at the time scheduled for their age group.

      Important! The festival-competition organisers reserve the right to suspend registration for a specific age group depending on the number of applications received. In such cases, remote participation may be offered.

    3. The organisers may change the format of the festival-competition if objective circumstances prevent the project from being held in person. In that case, participants will be sent an appendix to these Regulations outlining the remote format of the competition-festival.

  2. The closing concert (GALA CONCERT) may also be held in a mixed format.

2026 Project Stages

  1. Applications are accepted from April 1, 2026 to May 1, 2026.
  2. The festival-competition will take place on May 8–9, 2026.
  3. Participant check-in begins 2 hours before the concert and closes 30 minutes before the concert.
  4. Results are announced on the same day, after deliberations following each age group's performances. At that time, selected participants are invited to take part in the closing concert (GALA CONCERT).
  5. The closing concert will be held on May 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Age groups of participants

A – up to 10 years (inclusive).

B – from 11 to 14 years (inclusive).

C – from 15 to 18 years (inclusive).

D – from 19 to 23 years (inclusive).

If the number of participants is large, division into subgroups is possible.

Important! Every festival-competition participant must provide a copy of a personal identity document (should the jury have any doubts regarding the performer’s age).

Preliminary competition-festival schedule:

May 8 (Friday)

9:00–19:00 Sound rehearsals and concerts for Group B ensembles, Groups C and D

May 9 (Saturday)

10:00–13:00 Sound rehearsals and concerts for Group A soloists and Group B soloists

5:00 p.m. Closing laureate concert (GALA CONCERT), awards ceremony, at the Panevėžys Cultural Centre.

Important: the festival-competition organisers, depending on the number of registered participants, reserve the right to change the time and/or day of category sound rehearsals and concerts.

Requirements for the Festival-Competition Programme

  1. Instrumentalists, vocalists, vocal and instrumental ensembles, choirs, orchestras, and mixed projects may participate in the festival-competition “JAZZ Fontanas”.

  2. Only jazz instrumental or vocal music, or jazz arrangements, interpretations, and transcriptions are performed at the festival-competition. The repertoire is freely chosen. Jazz standards are not mandatory.

  3. Instrumentalists, vocalists, and ensembles (ensembles, choirs, orchestras) are evaluated separately.

  4. At least two jazz pieces of different character must be performed. A single piece is not considered a complete programme.

  5. Pieces listed in the application may be changed no later than 2 days before the start of the festival, except in cases of insurmountable obstacles (force majeure).

  6. Performers appear only at the time scheduled for their age group.

  7. Programme duration:

for soloists (instrumentalists, vocalists) – up to 10 min. (2 pieces);

for ensembles (large and small ensembles, choirs, orchestras) – up to 15 min. (2 pieces).

Important! Teachers may participate in the project only as accompanists.

Conditions of Participation

  1. The application is submitted online: Application Form

  2. Registering as a participant constitutes consent for the participant’s personal photos and recordings to be used free of charge and publicly published for educational purposes, without infringing on the participant’s rights, honour, or dignity.

  3. Participation fee:

    Soloist (differentiated by age category):

    A – 15 EUR/person.

    B, C, D – 20 EUR/person.

    Combo ensembles (up to 6 members inclusive) – 10 EUR/person.

    Large and small ensembles and orchestras (from 7 members) – 5 EUR/person.

    Orchestra composition – at least 15 performers including performing teachers.

    If a participant performs in several ensembles, they pay only one (the higher) fee.

    Teachers do not pay a participation fee.

  4. The participation fee is paid during registration by transfer to the association “JAZZ Fontanas” account No. LT107300010173870339 at SWEDBANK.

    The purpose of payment must be stated: “Festival-competition ‘JAZZ Fontanas’, participant’s (or ensemble representative’s or director’s) name and surname.”

Evaluation Committee (Jury)

  1. The jury composition is announced before each concert.

  2. The jury composition is at the sole discretion of the festival-competition organisers.

  3. The evaluation committee includes a representative of a Lithuanian higher education institution and a laureate of previous festival-competitions.

  4. Committee members perform their duties objectively, impartially, professionally, and without bias. If a committee member’s student is among the participants, that committee member recuses themselves from evaluating that participant.

    Jury decisions are final and may only be changed by the full commission acting collegially.

  5. Special evaluation criteria:

    1. Priority is given to original compositions.
    2. Live accompaniment is an advantage.
    3. If a backing track is used, it must not contain a soloist part (“minus-one”).

Awards

  1. Participants in groups A, B, C, and D compete within their groups for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, special nominations, and the Grand Prix (GRAND PRIX).

  2. The Grand Prix is an artistic glass work.

  3. Since 2021, the festival-competition “JAZZ Fontanas” has established a special Rimantas Bagdonas Prize for creativity, improvisation, and charisma, open to all festival participants.

  4. Since 2022, the festival-competition “JAZZ Fontanas” has established a special prize for performing a work by Rimantas Bagdonas or improvising on one of his themes, open to all festival participants.

The festival organisers invite participants to improvise on themes by the festival’s founder Rimantas Bagdonas (e.g. from the publication “Nuo bliuzo iki sutartinės”, 2013). The best improvisation will be awarded a special diploma.

Sheet music by Rimantas Bagdonas can be downloaded here.

IMPORTANT! In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the festival-competition organisers reserve the right to amend the festival regulations.

Requirements for Video Recordings

  1. If a participant/participants cannot attend in person, they must submit a good-quality audio and video recording in landscape (horizontal) format. For technical questions, please contact jazzfontanas@gmail.com.

  2. The soloist/ensemble and the official festival-competition logo must be clearly visible.

  3. The festival-competition logo must be visible in the recording space.

  4. The programme may be recorded one piece at a time, but the video must be edited into a single recording. Video and audio correction of individual piece recordings is not permitted. The commission reserves the right not to evaluate a performance due to inadequate video or audio quality.

  5. Recordings are to be uploaded to Google Drive, www.wetransfer.com, or www.transfer.pcloud.com, with the link sent to jazzfontanas@gmail.com.

For further information: mob. +370 681 45713 (Igor Švedko)

For programme scheduling enquiries: mob. +370 683 10145 (Vitalija Čepulienė)

e-mail: jazzfontanas@gmail.com

For technical questions: mob. +370 612 83920 (Darius Dimbelis) e-mail: jazzfontanas@gmail.com

APPENDIX TO THE REGULATIONS

This appendix forms part of the Regulations of the festival-competition “JAZZ Fontanas” and comes into force under exceptional circumstances in public life. The content of the appendix takes precedence over the main Regulations once the organisers announce that, due to a force majeure situation, the project format is changing to mixed or fully remote.

Mixed format – the competition programme is compiled from submitted video recordings and a live programme performed and filmed in a hall where only the jury, the sound and filming crew, the performer, and their teacher/manager are present. The order of performance follows the pre-announced programme, taking age category into account.

Audience attendance (or non-attendance) is determined by applicable state legislation. If audiences cannot attend, the jury selects nominees and laureates, compiles the closing concert programme, and edits a film that is broadcast on the YouTube platform at a pre-specified time.

The link to the closing concert broadcast will be published on panjazz.lt.

Remote format – the competition programme is compiled solely from submitted video recordings. The jury works remotely, selects nominees and laureates, compiles the closing concert programme, and edits a film that is broadcast on the YouTube platform at a pre-specified time.

The link to the closing concert broadcast will be published on panjazz.lt.