RULES
The Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition is open to pianists of any age and nationality, born after October 1st 1991.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

Registration for the competition will be made exclusively online on the competition website, available at www.dinulipatticompetition.com , until July 31, 2025 and must include the following documents:

  • A copy of candidate's Identity Card or Passport
  • Updated biography in English
  • A recent portrait photo
  • A link to the registration for the Online Round
  • The competition repertoire (this cannot be changed afterwards)
  • Proof of payment of the entry fee of €150, paid into the Fundația Culturală "Pro Arte" bank account

PAYMENT BY BANK TRANSFER

ACCOUNT HOLDER: FUNDAȚIA CULTURALĂ "PRO ARTE"
RON
IBAN: RO85RNCB0134041655630004, BANCA COMERCIALĂ ROMÂNĂ S.A
EUR
IBAN: RO58RNCB0134041655630005, BANCA COMERCIALĂ ROMÂNĂ S.A
SWIFT CODE: RNCBROBU
COMPETITION TIMETABLE
The competition will have four rounds, as follows:
ONLINE ROUND
15.04 - 31.07.2025
Eliminatory
  • Candidates will submit a video recording of the required repertoire for this round.
  • The video recording must contain the name and surname of the candidate and the titles of the works.
  • The video recording must not be more than 6 months old at the time of the application.
  • The video recording will be uploaded to a YouTube link (the video can be public or unlisted).
  • Editing the works performed in the video recording in any form is strictly forbidden.
  • Sound and image quality are the sole responsibility of the candidate.
  • The recording must be made with a static camera so that both the candidate's face and hands can be seen.
Any video recording which does not comply with the above rules will result in the rejection of the application.
Results of the Online Round will be announced on August 15, 2025.
DRAWING
20.08.2025
The drawing will take place online and will determine the candidates' order for the first round. Each candidate will receive via email all details regarding the online procedure.
FIRST ROUND
22.09 - 23.09.2025
A maximum of 40 candidates will be selected in the first round.
SEMIFINAL
24.09 - 25.09.2025
A maximum of 12 candidates will be selected for the semifinal.
Candidates will follow the repertoire set out in the rules for this round.
MORNING REHEARSAL WITH THE ORCHESTRA FOR THE FINAL
26.09.2025
THE FINAL - Concert with the Radio Chamber Orchestra - Bucharest
26.09.2025
A maximum of 3 candidates will be selected for the Final.
AWARD GALA - Radio Hall
26.09.2025
The awards gala will take place after the final round, following the jury’s deliberation.
COMPETITION REPERTOIRE
ONLINE ROUND
Maximum 20 minutes
A program of candidate's choice which should include:
  • One work selected from the First Round repertoire
  • One free-choice work selected from the entire Competition repertoire
ROUND I - National University of Music Bucharest
Maximum 25 minutes
A program of candidate's choice which should include either of the following:
  • One virtuoso etude by Frédéric Chopin or Franz Liszt
  • One sonata by Joseph Haydn or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (without repeats)
SEMIFINAL - National University of Music Bucharest
Maximum 50 minutes
A recital which should include:
  • Two works selected from one of the following composers:
    - Two sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, or
    - Two impromptus by Franz Schubert, or
    - Two intermezzi by Johannes Brahms, or
    - Two pieces from the Suite op. 10 by George Enescu
  • At least two representative works by two different composers, freely chosen by the candidate
FINAL - WITH RADIO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - Radio Hall
A concert of candidate's choice which should be selected from:
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
    Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major, KV 271
    Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, KV 466
    Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, KV 467
    Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, KV 482
    Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, KV 488
    Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, KV 491
  • Ludwig van Beethoven
    Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
    Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19
    Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
    Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
    Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 ("Emperor")
  • Frédéric Chopin
    Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
    Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
  • Franz Liszt
    Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major
  • Robert Schumann
    Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
  • Edvard Grieg
    Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
  • Dinu Lipatti
    Concertino in Classical Style
THE JURY
Martin Hughes
Dana Borșan
Antonio Di Cristofano
Philippe Dinkel
Daniel Goiți
Denis Pascal
Mihai Ungureanu
Xiao-Mei Zhu
THE CONDUCTOR
TBD
THE ORCHESTRA
The Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra
PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE - €10.000
SECOND PRIZE - €5.000
THIRD PRIZE - €3.000
SPECIAL PRIZES
  • Prize for the best-ranked Romanian pianist
  • Concerts with the selected Romanian Philharmonic Orchestras
    Other special prizes offered by our partners and sponsors
OTHER TERMS
Proof of payment for the participation fee must be submitted concurrently with the online registration.

The registration fee will not be refunded in the event of rejection following the preselection, withdrawal or non-attendance.

The candidates' order, set by lot at the beginning of the competition will be maintained throughout all rounds of the competition.

The results will be announced by the Organising Committee after the completion of each round, after deliberation by the Jury.

The Jury shall abide by the provisions of the Competition Rules.

Candidates are strictly forbidden from having any contact with members of the Jury throughout their participation in the competition. Jury members are not allowed to evaluate their own students or pupils.  

Practice rooms will be made available to the candidates before each round of the competition.

Finalists will have one rehearsal with the orchestra.

Candidates must perform the repertoire from memory.

All the semifinalists will receive diplomas.
All the finalists will receive diplomas and medals.

By participating, the candidates will grant the Radio Chamber Orchestra the right to audio-video broadcast of all the materials from the competition, on all media channels deemed appropiate by the organizers, the right of photography, live transmission and recording. The materials used will have the sole purpose of promoting both the competitors and the competition.

By completing and submitting the ONLINE entry form, the candidate agrees to the terms and conditions of these rules.

All information published on the official Competition website is correct at the time of publication. The Organising Committee reserves the right to make changes if circumstances so require.

The original Romanian version of the competition rules supersedes all other interpretations.

Candidates are responsible for their travel and accommodation costs.

The Competition will issue participants official invitations for their visa applications.
CONTACT
For any information and details:

contact@dinulipatticompetition.com
MEET THE FINALISTS!
We’re thrilled to introduce the talented musicians who have made it
to the final round of the Dinu Lipatti Competition.
SEE RESULTS