Baltic Young Jazz Competition Stages Its 2026 Final in Riga

The third Baltic Young Jazz Competition is holding its final on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 11:00 at Ezītis miglā in Riga's Tallinas quarter, as part of the second Riga Music Week. The competition is organized by the Latvian Music Information Centre and supported by Latvia's Ministry of Culture, with a special prize microphone from Latvian manufacturer JZ Microphones.

According to LMIC's Oct. 6 announcement of the finalists, applications came from young artists in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The acts named for the final, listed alphabetically by LMIC, are Beāte Meirāne Quintet (LV), Betija Keita Balode (LV), Bogdans Mihailovs Synth Trio (LV), Elza Marija Rudzīte (LV), Petra Perella Griškēviča (LV), Seodophy (LT), Sofija Graviņa (LV) and Some Times (EE). An international jury is judging the final, which LMIC said would also be observed by international media.

The open call, published earlier by LMIC, invited jazz soloists and ensembles under 30 from the Baltic countries to apply by Sept. 21. All finalists are invited to attend Riga Music Week's professional program and showcase concerts free of charge. The winner receives a 1,000-euro grant to create a professional studio demo recording.

Special guest at the final is 2025 winner Sniedze Kārkliņa, the Latvian flautist now studying in Copenhagen, who is presenting her new EP Putniem (For Birds) after the finals. In comments carried by UK Jazz News when the finalists were announced in late October, Kārkliņa described the previous year's win as surprising and said she was grateful for the support to record her own music.

UK Jazz News noted that this is the second year applications have come from all three Baltic countries, a sign the competition's reach is growing. As of publication, LMIC and English-language outlets had not yet posted the 2026 winner; JazzLib will update when an official result is confirmed.