BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The National Music and Global Culture Society (NMGCS) will hold the 5th International Composition Competition in 2026, the President of the National Music and Global Culture Society, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, Professor, Dr. Nargiz Aliyarova said, Trend reports.
“The competition is dedicated to the folk songs of Turkic-speaking nations.
The aim of the competition is to promote a new presentation of the rich folklore heritage of Turkic-speaking peoples through the language of contemporary composition, to introduce this heritage on an international scale, and to strengthen bridges of understanding and cooperation between peoples through culture. In the current period, preserving and strengthening the cultural ties of Turkic peoples and promoting shared values is of particular importance; the competition also seeks to contribute to these ties through the unifying power of music.
Composers from all over the world, regardless of age, can participate in the competition. According to the rules, each participant must submit an instrumental work (for no more than five performers) composed based on the theme of one or several songs from a selection of 10 folk songs of Turkic-speaking peoples chosen by the Organizing Committee. The title of the submitted work must indicate the origin of the melody used and the people to whom it belongs.
The competition rules were announced on January 15 of this year. Participants can submit their works to the jury until July 1. The jury will review and evaluate the works by July 15.
After the competition concludes, winners of 1st place ($2,000), 2nd place ($1,000), and 3rd place ($500) will be announced and awarded cash prizes and diplomas.
The premiere of the winning works will take place in September in Baku as part of the Uzeyir Hajibeyli International Festival.
On October 7, the final concert of the 5th International Composition Competition will be held at Lincoln Center in New York.
The best submitted works will be compiled into a collection, registered with the U.S. Library of Congress, published in New York with individual numbers and barcodes, and distributed worldwide.
It should be noted that this international composition competition, established by NMGCS, is the first and only international composition competition in Azerbaijan’s music history. In the four competitions held so far, composers representing more than 40 countries across five continents have participated, and winners have been selected from among participants representing various countries.
In different years, winners have represented the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine.
An appeal has been made to the State Committee on Work with Diaspora for financial and organizational support in holding the international competitions. It should be noted that the Committee has consistently provided significant support to this competition since its inception. We also express our gratitude to the Ministry of Culture for its assistance in organizing the final concerts in Baku within the framework of the Uzeyir Hajibeyli International Festival,” Nargiz Aliyarova said.