Final preparations are underway for Friday's (4 October) first and second semi-finals of the 2013 edition of the music competition "New Talent" at the Dvorana Concert Hall in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Eight musicians under the age of 30 will compete to go through to Monday's Final, which is organized under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the International Music Council (IMC), and co-produced by Radio and Television Slovakia and the Slovak Philharmonic-Bratislava Music Festival. 

All three concerts will be offered to Members of the EBU Community as part of the Euroradio music exchange, bringing pleasure to an estimated 1,950000 radio listeners throughout Europe.    

The young artists facing the international judging panel chaired by Adrian Rajter of the Slovak Republic, include:

Jan Czech, clarinet (The Czech Republic)
Maria Kalugina, piano (Ukraine)
Emöke Baráth, soprano (Hungary)
Atanas Krastev, cello (Bulgaria)
Kacper Szelazek, countertenor (Poland)
Magdaléna Ondičová, piano (Slovak Republic)
Razvan Stoica, violin (Romania)
Filip Draglund, trumpet (Sweden). 

The competition was created in 1969, with support from American violin virtuoso and conductor Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who died in 1999. Its aim is to encourage and promote young musicians through radio, by the organisation of public concerts that are broadcast by EBU Members.

Candidates selected for the public final concert will be accompanied the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by the internationally renowned conductor Pawel Przytocki on Monday 7 October 2013 at 18.05 GMT (20.05 CEST).