Klaipėda chamber orchestra

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Klaipėda chamber orchestra

THE PERFECT HARMONY OF SOUNDS

Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra (KCO) is one of the youngest and most dynamic among Lithuania’s professional chamber orchestras. The KCO actively endeavours to stimulate and enlighten its audiences by presenting well thought out programmes and exhilarating interpretations of stylistically varied repertoire and by introducing new traditions of orchestral concerts in Lithuania’s only harbour city.

The KCO’s professional development and the quality of sound have always been in the hands of talented string players. It was formed in 1992 at the initiative of violist Liuda Kuraitienė. And yet a stronger stimulus towards the improvement of orchestral playing came in 2009 when the well-known Lithuanian cellist, Mindaugas Bačkus, was appointed the KCO’s Artistic Director. Internationally acclaimed as one of the most distinguished and versatile Lithuanian cellists of his generation, Bačkus considers his work with the KCO to be the “way of life, a philosophy of one’s relationship with music, a creative community.” His vision and innovative ideas inspired some conspicuous changes in the way the KCO now builds its repertoire, initiates new creative collaborations and contributes to the cultural life of the city. Another important area of the Orchestra’s activity is concerned with educational programmes, since they offer a fertile ground for engagement of young musicians and audiences into the Orchestra’s performances and a very effective way to foster an appreciation of classical music.

In the recent years, the KCO’s tour itineraries have expanded along with the new additions to the repertoire. It has repeatedly appeared at many Lithuanian music festivals and went on tour to Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Russia and elsewhere in Europe. The Orchestra has drawn accolades for its appearances at a number of international festivals, including Gaida in Lithuania, Murten Classics, Montreux and Klangantrisch in Switzerland, Klaviertage Bad Wildungen in Germany, Türi Spring Festival and Glasperlenspiel in Estonia, as well as at major venues, such as Tonhalle in Zürich, Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki, Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Teatro Sociale in Bergamo, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Palma Auditorium in Mallorca, the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, Kaunas State Philharmonic, and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.

ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT:
P.: + 370 46 393 962
M.: + 370 620 64 151
dovile@koncertusale.lt

Artistic director

"The orchestra is an organism whose primary mission is to proclaim the ideology of beauty and meaning through music." – Mindaugas Bačkus, Artistic Director of the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra.

Mindaugas Bačkus is one of the most distinguished Lithuanian cellists, appearing as a soloist and a dynamic component of chamber ensembles and orchestras. His wideranging musical interests are being continuously revealed in his repertoire, which encompasses Western classical music for cello from baroque to contemporary, as well as through intense exploration of his instrument’s (electro) acoustic, expressive and theatrical possibilities.

Born in Vilnius into a musical family, Mindaugas Bačkus was initially educated at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts and later completed his cello studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, earning the Licentiate of Arts. He went on to pursue cello studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and honed his techniques and performance skills in numerous master classes and internships in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the United States.

At the same time he gained experience as an orchestra musician, working with the Kremerata Baltica, Lithuanian and Vilnius chamber orchestras and the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra (1996–2005, leader of the cello section from 1998).Alone and together with the Chordos String Quartet (2003–2009) and the Disobedient Ensemble (since 2006) he has been frequently heard perform 20th- and 21st-century works and world premieres of new Lithuanian pieces at the local new music festivals and further afield in the U.S., Germany, Austria, Sweden and Norway.

After his appointment as Artistic Direc- tor of the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra in 2009, Bačkus has devised and implemented over 500 concert programmes, featuring some of the greatest soloists and conductors of today. In 2017, he founded the In- ternational Cello Festival and Competition in Klaipėda and organized the first Klaipėda International Violoncello Academy the next year. For his endeavours to bring cello music from the concert halls to the most unexpected places he was awarded the title of “Master of Culture” by the Klaipėda Municipality.

Orchestra members

First violins: