In 1957 he became a laureate of the All-Union competition, subsequently winning a bronze medal at the World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow. 1958 brought his first international success, at the competition for young musicians in Bucharest – within the framework of the International Festival named after Romanian musician, George Enescu. Snitkovsky won 1st prize, which he shared with Romanian born Hungarian violinist Stephan Ruha. He also, along with the pianist Olga Stupakova, won the second prize for the best performance of Enesco’s Third Sonata for violin and piano.
