Young musicians aged between 16 and 35 can register until 7 September for the 13th edition of the 'Johnny Raducanu' International Jazz Festival, which will take place in Braila from 9 to 11 October, the organisers announced.

According to the competition rules, the contest is divided into the following sections - vocalist (soloist), instrumental performer, bands (maximum octet) and composition.

Contestants must perform one standard piece or a piece from Johnny Raducanu's repertoire and one piece from their own repertoire.

'All materials related to participation in the 'Johnny Raducanu' International Jazz Festival (registration forms, competition scores, technical rider and demo tracks only in MP3 and/or WMA format) must be sent by 7 September 2026 to: festival.braila@gmail.com. The pre-selection of contestants will take place between 9 and 11 September 2026, based on the submitted materials. Successful applicants will receive a response on 14 September 2026. The maximum number of admitted contestants (individuals or groups) is 10,' the organisation regulations informed.

The evaluation will be carried out by a specialist jury, which will assess jazz vocabulary and improvisation, rhythm and execution rate, musical arrangement, sound / technique / interaction / dynamic and timbral nuances, expressiveness, stage presence and creativity.

The competition will take place on 9 and 10 October, while the Prize Awarding Ceremony is scheduled for 11 October.

The total value of the prizes exceeds 13,000 euro.

The 'Johnny Raducanu' Trophy comes with a 4,000-euro prize, the prize for Best Instrumental Performer and Best Vocalist (Soloist) are worth 1,500 euro each, the prize for Best Band is 3,000 euro, while the Prize for the most promising young artist and the Prize for the best composition are worth 1,500 euro each.

The organisers will also award a Special Prize worth 300 euro.

The festival is organised by the Braila County Council, through the Braila County Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture, in Johnny Raducanu's hometown.

'The festival is organised to honour the illustrious Braila-born Johnny Raducanu and to preserve his work and distinct artistic personality. His great love for his hometown, Braila, surpassed only by his love for music, as well as his constant attention to young jazz creators and performers, will also be celebrated in this way every year. The competition festival is an annual competitive event organised by the Braila County Council and the Braila County Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture, with the aim of discovering and promoting new performing talents. Throughout the festival, jazz recitals will take place, allowing young contestants and the public to come into contact with established names of the genre,' the Braila County Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture told AGERPRES.

Musician Johnny Raducanu (real name Raducanu Cretu), a renowned double bassist, pianist, composer and arranger, was born on 1 December 1931 in Braila, into a family with more than 300 years of musical traditions dating back to the time of fiddler Petre Cretu Solcanu. He was a member of the 'Electrecord' record label orchestra (1957-1971) and a member of the Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania (1971).

As an instrumentalist and orchestrator, he contributed to the production of most Romanian jazz records. The renowned American jazz critic Leonard Feather called him 'Mr. Jazz of Romania.' AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Ecaterina Ignat; EN - writing by: Rodica State)