SAULIUS SONDECKIS

Conductor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1980). Laureate of the USSR State Award (1987), the Lithuania National Award (1999), etc. President of the “Hermitage Music Academy” Foundation.

Born in Siauliai (1928). Graduated from Vilnius Conservatory as a violinist with Alexander Livontas (1952); now teaches there (since 1977). Studied conducting with Igor Markevich.

Ciurlionis Art School Orchestra’s Chief Conductor (since 1955): won the golden medal at the Karajan Youth Orchestras Competition (Berlin, 1976). Founder of Lithuania’s Chamber Orchestra (1960) and the “Camerata St. Petersburg” (1989), now the State Hermitage Orchestra. Chief Guest Conductor of the “Moscow Virtuosos” Chamber Orchestra (2004). A jury member of major international competitions, such as the Tchaikovsky (Moscow), the Mozart (Salzburg), the Toscanini Competitions (Parma) and others. Member of the Karajan Foundation (Berlin).

Conducted youth groups, including the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra (founded by Leonard Bernstein). Conducted Russia’s State Academic, Berlin, St. Petersburg and Toronto Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as the Belgium National, the French Radio and other orchestras both in Russia and abroad. Conducted the “Othello” ballet composed by Arvo Part and Alfred Schnittke (the Salzburg Festival, 1988), as well as the “Magic Flute” and “Orpheus and Eurydice” operas (the Mariinsky and the Hermitage Theaters respectively, 1994).

Such famous compositions as Part’s “Tabula rasa”, Schnittke’s Concerti grossi Nos. 1 and 3, and some others are dedicated to Saulius Sondeckis.