A little bit about me
I was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, and remember the Mülbach Grand Piano standing in my parents' house. Very old, built in 1856. Later it disappeared somewhere.
One day when I was maybe 5 years old, my mother took me to the music school, where she was working. I had my first piano lesson there how to put my hand on the keys. It was Victor Drachli, my first piano teacher. Around 1977 I was presented with a new piano Petrof and started attending Ciurlionis' Art School preparative class. In 1980 there was an entrance exam. It was open, the parents of all children were sitting. One teacher told me to turn around and made an accord asking "What do you hear?". I sang "La Do Re Fa#". The started an uproar among the audience. This way I was accepted to the first grade. My speciality teacher was Skaiste Baubiniene, who was known for her rigour, and many pupil studying with her couldn't sustain psychologically and used to determine their studies. But I was a patient child and used to stand everything. She was the best among teaching smaller children here, in Lithuania. In 1980 and 1981 I made my first recitals, each of them 45 minutes long. I was playing by heart, but the list of them was written in different colors and was laying on the desk, so that I remember the consequence. There was also a prompter sitting in the wings.
In 1984 a new teaching epoch started I was taken over by Liucija Drasutiene, who was, I think, the best older students' teacher in the territory of Lithuania. During that time I used to learn incredibly fast and many new creations. I got strong technical and musical background. Being a pupil i learned around 14 etudes of Chopin. I have mastered many important piano, sound culture, hearing, thinking, historical things, which were very useful, essential and still are today.
While learning in "Ciurlionke" classical music wasn't the only, which attracted. Electronic instruments' sounds, new rhythms, fashionable at that time, emotionally attracted very much. We used to get jazz-rock tape recordings from somewhere. Luckily, we have caught the "right" train. We used to listen to Al Jarreau, George Benson, Earth Wind and Fire, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Bob James, Michael Franks, Jermayne Jackson, Spyro Gyra, Chaka Khan and etc.. With a friend, Tomas Levickis, who today is a monk Franciscan, during the breaks between the lessons used to play four hands "Imagination" from 1984 Al Jarreau album "High Crime". In summer of 1990 together we wrote a New Year jazz/rock/fusion opera "Mirage". I created a plot and libretto, arrangements we made together and more that a half of pieces were mine. It was the occasion for which my mother has bought me my first synthesizer YAMAHA DX21!
After the peal of our opera, events of January 13th started. After that I started my preparation to Maria Canals International Young Pianists' Competition and from jazz/rock returned to classic again. In April 1991 I, being 18 and almost not speaking foreign languages, went to Barcelona through Moscow for the first time to the Western world. In the third tour playing Chopin Nocturne c-moll I have cut out a Corean girl, who had the same amount of points as me. I won the first prize and became one of the first Lihuanians to become a winner in an international competition.
My victory to many in school was unexpected and to some maybe unpleasant. Till then other pupil were considered to be "good and perspective" I had to give one fourth of my award to school.
So I was lucky with teachers and at the end of Drasutiene era, in 1994 I entered Salzburg Mozarteum, class of a legendary pedagogue, who is considered to be the best on the planet Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. Interesting is the fact that Kämmerling never plays in public. But he really is a pedagogue-phenomenon, who makes you play royally in 15 minutes. Facts speak of his success great pianists, his students, have spread all over the world. Around 20 of his students are high schools' professors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Really all my pedagogues were more devoted to pedagogical, but not their own concert-artistic activity. But maybe that's for better instead of copying your teacher, you find your own artist face. The description of my studies at Kaemmerling class wouldn't fit here and I have written a spec. methodical work, which can be found in LMTA.
2000 is the year of my graduation. In March I played my "Absolventen Konzert" and got the highest evaluation "Auszeichnung". I became free as a bird. Good feeling. I was thinking what I shall do. Should I change the instrument? I wanted to buy and to learn playing trumpet independently. I also didn't want to play only music written by others all my life.
Jazz music was my hobby and has escorted me during all those years. In Salzburg for the remains of my scholarship I used to buy original jazz CD's Miles, Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Johny Griffin, Adrew Hill, Lee Morgan, Oliver Nelson.. A whole jazz encyclopedia. There was some time when I wanted to emigrate behind the Atlantic, play that music. Very often while listening live concerts of Al Jarreau and Chick Correa life used to turn upside down and I was about to make radical decisions. One of the most memorable moments in my life which is more important that any of the competitions I have won , is meeting Al Jarreau personally. It was a telepathic coincidence that he and I were in London the same day. I always remember the words he said to me with a great emotional expression "Play Wwwell, Play Grrrreat!". Al Jarreau by hand wrote a historical letter to me from London. This looks incredible to many even today. Later in my life I had an opportunity to watch 11 more of his shows and to chat with him not once, also with Chick.
Time was passing and I understood that it's important to me not what to play but how. My as jazz pianist's degree wouldn't be that super high as some of the nowadays pianists on a planet Brad Mehldau or Joey Calderazzo. At least not so fast. And I wouldn't like to hear myself playing colourless. A person has to do things he knows best. I think, that's what I'm doing today. To me music is one from baroque to R&B, most important is to enjoy it. I play different written music as a soloist and with chamber ensembles. I feel pleasure of doing it in best quality.
Since 2001 I have also been doing a pedagogical work in Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy. It was an absolutely new activity to me for some time. To meet many beautiful people, to give them my experience, feel that someone needs me is a good feeling. Though I appreciate more my own artistic activity.
Nobody knows what happens tomorrow, but I believe that some things create other and they progress.
Some facts:
1972- the date of birth
1984 a name of the winner in National Dvarionas' Young Pianists' Competition
1989 2nd prize in National Vainiunas' Young Pianists' Competition
1990 2nd prize in National Fledzinskas' Cahmber Ensembles' Competition
1991 1st prize in the International Maria Canals Pianists' Competition in Barcelona
1991 finalist diploma in the International M.K. Ciurlionis' Pianists' Competition
1991 first playing with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by J. Domarkas
1992 Grand Prix in the International Students' Jazz Improvisation Festival in Vilnius
1993 first playing with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra conducted by S. Sondeckis
1994 a diploma with an autograph of Princess Diana in the International New Port Pianists' Competition, London
1994 first playing with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra
1994 went for studies to Austria, where lived for 6 years
1996 a concert with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
1997 a Bachelor's Diploma in "Mozarteum", Salzburg
1997 a "Boesendorfer" Diploma with scholarship in Vienna
2000 a Master's Diploma with citation on the graduation from "Mozarteum" University Salzburg
2000 "Wuerdigungspreis" a premium of Austrian Ministress of Culture in Vienna
2001 started working in LMTA
2002 an international tour "UP BEAT" North Countries' Chamber Music Festival
2003- a concert with National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Georg Mark
2004 Grand Prix in the International Piano Music Festival "Muzika be sienu" (Music without Walls)
2005 a Congratulation Letter of the President, Valdas Adamkus
2005 with Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra performed Chick Corea's Concert No 1 for Piano and Orchestra for the first time in Lithuania
2006 bought a new Bechstein Academy 190 piano
2006 recorded and released the first CD "Carl Vine Miklos Maros Piano Sonatas"
2007 for the first time played in Mozarteum Grand Hall
2008 My thirst collaboration with Artis-Quartett, Wien.
2008 recorded and released the follow up CD "Nothing But Chopin"
2009- Touring with "Sinfonietta Riga" orchestra.
2010 Third CD "The Old Photo Box" released
I have participated in Gaida, Tomas Manas, Pazaislis, Kristupas Summer, Electronical Music (Jauna Muzika), Alternative to Europe, UP BEAT, Glasperlespiel, Atzalynas, Sugrizimai, Salzburg Klavier Kaleidoskop, Permainu Muzika, Solertinskij, Münsterland, Frankofonija, Ensemble Europa, Viva Musica Via Baltica festivals.
Played in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Sicilia, Canada, USA, Baltic States, Finland, Sweden, Norway.
I have made about 100 recordings to Lithuanian Radio.
I could make a list of competitions I didn't win. But skip it! I won't be bothering you.
Official Bio: http://www.musicperformers.lt/vid.php3?lang=en&menu_id=9&at_id=134
