Vestards Šimkus: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 02:36, 25 January 2017
Vestards Šimkus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 August 1984 |
| Origin | Jūrmala, Latvian SSR |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation(s) | composer, pianist |
| Years active | 1990s– |
| Website | http://vs.no-te.com/ |
Vestards Šimkus (born August 21, 1984 in Jūrmala) is a Latvian pianist and composer.
He won the 2001 International Performers Competition in Stockholm, the 2002 Los Angeles' Liszt Competition and the 2009 Maria Canals International Music Competition, and was awarded the Latvian Grand Music Award in 2002. He has performed through Europe and the United States since 1998.
Biography
Vestards Šimkus was born in 1984 in Jūrmala, Latvia. His mother is a poet and his father an art-rock musician who was active in the 1960s and 1970s and founded the first rock band in Latvia. His sister, Aurelia Shimkus, is an accomplished pianist and recording artist. [1] Šimkus started to play the piano in age of 5. He studied in Emīls Dārziņš Music School in Riga. Later he studied in University of Southern California under Daniel Pollack. He also has studied under Lazar Berman and Igor Zhukov. In 2002–06, he studied in Queen Sophia music academy in Madrid under professor Dmitri Bashkirov. After Bashkirov's invitation in 2003, he also participated in his master class in Savonlinna, Finland. Šimkus also has studied composition for five years under Pēteris Vasks. Today, he continues his studies in R. Strauss conservatory in Munich under Vadim Suhanov. In addition, he performs improvised concerts and takes part in experimental events with actors and performance artists. In 2012, Šimkus married the opera singer Elīna Volkmane.
International recognition came to Šimkus after debut performances with BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Czech Philharmonic, KREMERata Baltica, NDR Symphony Orchestra of Hamburg. He has played with the Borodin Quartet in concert halls around the world, including Konzerthaus (Vienna), Konzerthaus Berlin, Tokyo Opera City, Radio France (Paris), Berwaldhallen (Stockholm), Konserthuset (Stockholm), Moscow Conservatory, Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), Sala Verdi (Milano), and Oriental Art Center (Shanghai). [2] [3]
Selected Awards and Prizes
Vestards Šimkus was decorated the Order of the White Star in 2005, and the Golden Order of Poland for an outstanding contribution to the concert series dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Chopin in 2010.
- Balys Dvarionas International Young Pianists Competition in Vilnius (1994, 1st prize)
- Young Composers Competition in Rīga (1995, 1st prize)
- International Young Pianists Competition in Jūrmala (1995, 1st prize)
- F.Chopin International Young Pianists Competition in Poland (1996, 1st prize and Grand Prix)
- W.A. Mozart International Young Pianists Competition in Rīga (1997, 1st prize)
- Competition of Young Performers NOVA NOMINA in Rīga (1998, 1st prize)
- International Performers Competition in Stockholm (2001, 1st prize and Grand Prix)
- F. Liszt International Pianists Competition in Los Angeles (2002, 1st prize). He was the prizewinner among 129 pianists up to the age 35. The 1st prize award was accompanied by an offer to give a solo concert in F.Liszt Concert Hall in Budapest in May 2003.
Discography
- Bells; LNSO (Latvian National Symphony Orchestra) – 2017; featured pianist playing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
- Wagner Idyll – 2012; solo piano
- Soler: Keyboard Sonatas Nos. 16-27 – 2012; solo Piano
- Interview with Beethoven – 2011; solo piano
- Vasks: The Seasons (Gadalaiki) – 2010; solo piano
- Vestard Shimkus / Fantasies – 2003; solo piano
References
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