III Interregional Open Competition of Performers on String Instruments named after V. Ya. Shpet. Interview with Gaik Kazazyan

A series of interviews with jury members of the III Interregional Open Competition for Performers

on String and Bowed Instruments named after V. Ya. Shpet and past laureates.

Guest: Gaik Kazazyan, jury member, associate professor of the violin department under Professor

E.D. Grach, lecturer at the Moscow Conservatory, soloist at the Moscow Philharmonic,

winner of numerous international violin competitions, recipient of a scholarship from the President

of the Russian Federation, and recipient of a scholarship from the Government of the Russian Federation.

The III Interregional Open Competition for Performers

on String and Bowed Instruments named after V. Ya. Shpet will be held in Omsk from February 7 to 15, 2026, as part of the "Omsk – Cultural Capital of Russia – 2026" program.

Wilhelm Yakovlevich Shpet is a Siberian educator who has trained several generations of professional musicians working throughout Russia and abroad.

The competition is organized to enhance the performance skills of students in educational institutions offering additional pre-professional and professional education, and to identify and support talented and gifted young musicians. The competition is open to performers on stringed instruments—violin, viola, and cello—between the ages of 7 and 23. The official website

of the competition is https://shpet-konkurs.ru/