Since 2002 and at an interval of five years, the Moscow Children's Music School No. 68, which bears the name of its promoter Rodion Shchedrin, organises a children and youth festival. This year, the school invited children and young people to a musical contest to celebrate the 80th birthday of the great Russian composer of contemporary music. From 13th to 17th December the participants of the festival, who were separated in two age groups – 15 and up to 19 years –, had the chance to perform, alone or in an ensemble with other young pianists, piano compositions of Shchedrin in front of a competent jury and to qualify for gala concerts on 18th and 19th December. As recommendation and for guidance the school provided a list with compositions of Shchedrin in original or as an arranged version, e.g. Piano Sonata No. 1 (1962) and Piano Sonata No. 2 (1996), „Poem“ (1954), „Humoresque“ (1957), „Imitating Albèniz“ (1959), „Basso ostinato“ (1961), „Polyphonic Notebook“ (1972), „Notebook for the Youth“ (1981), „24 Preludes and Fugues“ (1964, 1970), a scene from the Ballet „The Little Humpbacked Horse“ in the arrangement of K. L. Chelpan for two pianos (2009), „Small Sonata“(after „Solfeggien“) in the arrangement of R. Kharadzhanyan.
The concert of the prize winners of the festival that Rodion Shchedrin attended with his wife, Maya Plisetskaya, was for the two great stars of the Russian cultural scene and for all performers a memorable celebration.