Classical Music of Lithuania

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis was a Lithuanian painter and composer. During his short life he made about 200 pieces of music. His works have had profound influence on new Lithuanian beliefs.

source of picture: www.eu2013.lt

Ciurlionis studied piano and composition at the Warsaw conservatory from 1894 to 1899. After he attended the composition lectures at the Leipzig conservatory from 1901 to 1902.

His symphonic poems in the forest (miske) and the sea (jura) were performed only after his death.

The Ciurlionis cord quartet performs in Lithuania and overseas. In several years, younger artists from Lithuania and neighbouring countries took part in the Ciurlionis contest.

Osvaldas Balakauskas who was born in the year 1934 in Miliunai, graduated from the Vilnius pedagogical institute in the year 1961 and attended Boris Lyatoshinsky’s composition class at Kiev conservatory in the year 1969. From 1992 to 1994 Balakauskas was the ambassador of Lithuania and in 1996 he was awarded with the Lithuanian national award, the prominent artistic and cultural distinction in Lithuania. He is presently the head of the composition department of the Lithuanian academy of music and theatre. His output comprises of symphonies, chamber, concertos and instrumental music.

Vytautas Miskinis who was born in 1954, who is a composer and choir director who is very famous in Lithuanian and overseas, he has written over 400 secular and about 150 religious works.