Gediminas Gelgotas

Gediminas Gelgotas (b. June 1986) is a Lithuanian academic music composer and performer.

Biography

Born in the family of musicians, from the early days he was surrounded by melodies of J.S.Bach performed by his father, the sounds of his mother's choral scores, older brother's and sister's music. All the walls in the rooms at home were decorated with art works of modern Lithuanian painters, and his mother's evening choral rehearsals became concurrent of his childhood. (His mother is the director of three choirs of Vilnius University as well as Vilnius University Cultural Center, his father is the artist of National Symphony Orchestra, concertmaster of flutes' group, docent in Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, his brother plays flute in the Orchestra in National Opera and Ballet Theatre, his sister plays oboe in National Symphony Orchestra.) In 1993 Gediminas entered the Lithuania's National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Arts, the speciality of piano. Raimonda Jasiūnaitė-Savickienė became his first teacher, who had been teaching Gediminas for entire 12 years at school and who opened all the ways to professional music to him. From 1997 to 2005 Gediminas learned to play trumpet at the same school, he was taught by Arvydas Mišeikis (1997-2003) and a well known trumpet player Tomas Gricius (2003-2005). In 2003 Gediminas also started learning composition, polyphony and instrumentation in a class of Nailia Galiamova. A well known Lithuanian piano teacher Taisija Rubackienė also left an indelible impression. When learning at school, Gediminas performed a lot, he took part in various competitions, festivals, musical projects, played as a soloist or as a part of different ensembles. In the years 2001 and 2003 he became a laureate of J.Pakalnis competition in the wind- instrument section; in the year 2002 he became a laureate of a National Piano Competition. Gediminas took part in the courses of mastership held by trumpet player Leif Bengson (2004), piano player Mūza Rubackytė (2004). As a soloist, Gediminas has been performing in various concert halls in Lithuania, Germany, France, Hungary, and Spain. In 2003 he took part in The Great Parade of Musicians ("Didysis Muzikų Paradas") in National Philharmony, where he played as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Lithuania's National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Arts conducted by Martynas Staškus. Later in 2004 he was performing in different Lithuanian towns with the same Orchestra. Gediminas was encouraged to play by warm and professional teachers. Gediminas came to a composition teacher Nailia Galiamova with his created composition for the first time in 2003 - in the same year he started learning composition, polyphony and instrumentation. Gediminas made his debut as a composer in 2004 in an event The Spring of Creation ("Kūrybos Pavasaris") organized by Lithuania's National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Arts. In this event he presented two of his works: a piece for two flutes Anonymous Calls ("Anoniminiai Skambučiai") and a piece for trumpet and piano Three Quarters ("Trys Ketvirtinės"). His piece Anonymous Calls was later performed in an International Modern Music Festival Close Distance, ("Iš Arti", 2004, Kaunas). His work for a mixed choir Sodauto was for the first time performed by Vilnius University mixed choir Pro-Musica on the 11th of March , 2005, in National Philharmony. Gediminas has been working as a choirmaster at the same choir since 2004. In the summer of 2005, Gediminas successfully graduated from Lithuania's National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Arts, where he got his common secondary and special musical education certificates and entered Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) in Vilnius, the speciality of composition in the class of a well known Lithuanian composer professor Vytautas Barkauskas, as well as the professor Leonidas Melnikas' piano class, Asta Krikščiūnaitė's vocal class and Gintaras Rinkevičius's symphonical conducting class. During the first studying year at LMTA (2005 - 2006) already Gediminas was distinguished by especially active and wide-ranging musical activity: works composed during the first and second terms - songs for a soprano and piano Letters of the Night, String Quartet with Oboe and Piano Trio - have been performed in three evenings of Gediminas' works in Lithuania and Russia. During the study year 2005 - 2006 Gediminas also performed four piano recitals in Lithuania and Italy, gave concerts in Russia. A song for mixed choir Sodauto was performed in international festivals in Italy and Cuba as well as in concerts in Lithuania . Gediminas has been an artist of Vilnius Municipal Choir Jauna Muzika since January 2006. In June, 2006, the first CD of Gediminas' Works (Gediminas Gelgotas. Works) was recorded. In July Gediminas became the winner of International Piano Competition in Italy Piano Virtuosite and a diplomant in an international pianist contest Music without Boarders in Druskininkai (Lithuania). In December Gediminas has been awarded an acknowledgement of Lithuanian Prime Minister for successful creative activity and spreading the name of Lithuania. A second-year student at LMTA, Gediminas established New Ideas Chamber Orchestra NICO. It is a project-based collective that represents Gediminas‘ music, reflects and realizes his musical ideas and philosophies. The collective, known for innovative activity, earned fame in Lithuania in a six-months period and went on its first concert tour abroad in July 2007: it gave four concerts in Russia (Moscow and Saints Petersburg), which brought numerous concert invitations to other countries. The orchestra consists of the most gifted young Lithuanian musicians, international contests‘ laureates studying not only in Lithuania but also at the most prestigious academies abroad. It is not in vain that the press has titled the orchestra as a Dream Team. The collective is a unique musical phenomenon in the Lithuanian history of music.

References

* [http://www.culture.lt/lmenas/?st_id=10238] "ediminas Gelgotas: Mano Misija – Suvirpinti Širdį". Literatūra ir menas, February 16, 2007.
* [http://litas.lt/laisvalaikis/velykines-staigmenos-gedimino-gelgoto-tylos-ieskojimas/] "Velykinės Staigmenos - Gedimino Gelgoto Tylos Ieškojimas." Lytas.lt, March 20, 2008.

External links

* [http://www.gelgotas.com/bio.html Personal site]
* [http://www.gelgotas.com/nico.html New Ideas Chamber Orchestra NICO]