CREATIVE ACTIVITY

Klaipėda Brass quintet is perhaps the only brass ensemble that has started counting the second decade of its activities and that is constantly working and preparing new programs. The members of the Quintet: Vilmantas Bružas (Director, trumpet), Alius Maknavičius (trumpet), Steponas Sugintas (trombone), Algirdas Ulteravičius (French horn), Jurgis Dargis (tuba). They are pedagogues of Klaipėda University, Eduardas Balsys Gymnasium of Arts, S. Šimkus Conservatoire. They also are the first voices in the orchestra of Musical Theatre and Little Lithuania Symphony orchestra. 

The collective invited to its first concert in 1986 and musical critics called it „debutant that surpassed all expectations“. In the competition of brass quintets, which took place in 1988 in Saratov (Russia), Klaipėda Brass Quintet won the third place. The Quintet returned with the diploma from the international “Philip Jones| competition in Hungary. In 1994 the collective participated in one of the most prestigious competition of European chamber ensembles in Alsace, France.

The repertoire of the Quintet includes music of various epochs and styles, beginning with Renaissance till the authors of the 20th century and compositions of jazz. Klaipėda composers have also dedicated several compositions to the Quintet: A. Remesa – “Ragtime”, “Jomarkas” (“Mart”), suite “Paskutiniam kuršiui atminti” (“In memoriam of the last Curonian”), R. Šileika – quintet “Graviūra varyje” (“Engraving in brass”).

Singers V. Vadoklienė, N. Grigalavičiūtė, Š. Juškevičius, saxophone player P. Vyšniauskas, clarinetist P. Mateika performed with the Quintet.

Geography of the tours of the collective is very wide. The group had several concerts in Germany, Denmark, Holland, France, and Poland. Brass Quintet has become an inherent part of culture panorama of the seaport.
 

Members of the Quintet