LSM has announced Latvia’s return to Eurovision Young Musicians having last competed in the contest in 2002.
Latvia joins Cyprus and Portugal in returning to Eurovision Young Musicians for its 2026 edition. LSM will compete in the contest after a twenty-four year absence from the competition.
LSM will organise a televised national selection to select its representative for the contest in Yerevan, Armenia. Latvijas jaunais virtuozs, will see two musicians from each professional music education institutions in Riga, Cēsis, Daugavpils, Rēzekne, Ventspils, Jelgava, Jūrmala and Liepāja go through to the first phase of the selection. These musicians will perform two classical music pieces as part of an audition for a jury formed of classical music experts and representatives of the Latvian State Philharmonic Society, where they will select six finalists for the televised selection.
The final of Latvijas jaunais virtuozs, will be held on February 15 and will be broadcast on TV on LTV1 and on radio through LR3. The winner of the competition will be determined by a jury. Ieva Rozentāle, Head of Culture Editorial Department of Latvian Television commented:
Our participation in the competition will raise the prestige of music professionals, and European viewers will get to know our young musicians more widely, as the competition is broadcast by public television in other countries as well. Latvia has previously been represented in the competition by well-known musicians – Lauma Skride, Baiba Skride, Liene Circene and others. Qualitative music education is of great importance in the development of young people, and this competition will strengthen understanding of its importance.
Latvia’s Eurovision contest debut came in Eurovision Young Musicians in 1994. Latvia has participated in five editions of the contest to date, their last appearance was in 2002.
1994 – Liene Circene – 2nd
1996 – Baiba Skride
1998 – Lauma Skride
2000 – Ieva Rūtentāle – Did not qualify for the final
2002 – Ruslans Viļenskis – Did not qualify for the final
Eurovision Young Musicians 2026 will take place on June 6 in Yerevan. This will be the third time that a Eurovision contest has been held in the city.
Armenia first participated in Eurovision Young Musicians in 2012 and returned to the contest in 2024, where they were represented by oboist Hayk Hekekyan. To date, the following countries have confirmed participation:
Eurovision Young Musicians
Eurovision Young Musicians is a contest for musicians between the ages of 12 and 21. It has been held since 1982, as the first spin-off contest of the Eurovision Song Contest. The event celebrated its 20th edition in 2022, when Montpellier hosted the competition.
A total of 42 countries have competed over 21 editions of the contest. Norway has competed in 20 out of the 21 contests, tied with Austria. Austria is the most successful country, having won six editions and competed in 17 finals. Leonhard Baumgartner from Austria is the latest winner of the contest, taking victory in Bodø in 2024.
Image Source: EBU | Source: LSM
