#ArsSummerFest
Faculty
Masterclasses for violin, cello, piano and chamber music
Important information regarding Covid-19
Last few months have been difficult for all of us. We had to learn to live and do a lot of things differently. World wide quarantine is a unique precedent in history with its struggles and possibilities either. We are forced to make a huge leap towards online communication if we want to continue a lot of things we used to do, for example studying.
So we are happy to announce, that this year will be very special for Ars SummerFest, because for the first time we are going ONLINE! Students will have an opportunity to participate in a masterclass with well-known professors despite the quarantine.
Furthermore, there is a -50% discount for all the courses. The dates of masterclasses will remain the same except for Reinhard Latzko and Maria Kliegel lessons – they are postponed for 2021.
EARLY BIRD registration is extended to 11th of May.
You are still also able to qualify for the main prize – Lithuania Concert Tour 2021 until the 11th of May!
Ars SummerFest 2020 ONLINE Faculty:
VIOLIN
Džeraldas Bidva - June 30 - July 5
Dalia Dedinskaite - June 30 - July 5
Stephan Picard - July 7-11
CELLO
Gleb Pyšniak - July 7-11
PIANO
Anna Geniushene June 30 - July 4
Lukas Geniušas - July 5-9
CHAMBER MUSIC
Džeraldas Bidva, Dalia Dedinskaite, Gleb Pyšniak - June 30 - July 11
We proudly present our faculty of Ars SummerFest 2020!
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Violin
Džeraldas Bidva - June 30 - July 5
Dalia Dedinskaite - June 30 - July 5
Stephan Picard - July 7-11
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Cello
Reinhard Latzko - June 30 - July 5 (postponed for year 2021)
Maria Kliegel - July 7-11 (postponed for year 2021)
Gleb Pyšniak - July 7-11
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Piano
Anna Geniushene - June 30 - July 4
Lukas Geniušas - July 5-9
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Chamber music
Džeraldas Bidva, Dalia Dedinskaite, Gleb Pyšniak - June 30 - July 11
Violin
Džeraldas Bidva (LT)
Džeraldas is a first violin, concertmaster of Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra and Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. In the last years he mainly performs in various chamber music ensembles. D. Bidva plays solo regularly with Lithuanian Symphony and Chamber Orchestras.
Džeraldas Bidva was born in Lithuania. He graduated from Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater in 1999.
D. Bidva has been a guest-player in many prestigious festivals like Lockenhaus, Gstaad, Maerze, Les Museiques, Salzburg, etc. He has played with artists like Oleg Maisenberg, Yurij Bashmet, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Gidon Kremer, and many other great musicians.
2005 together with his friends from chamber orchestra Džeraldas has formed a string quartet Kremeratini.
D. Bidva is a member of Kremerata Baltica since it’s foundation in 1997.
Course languages: English, Russian, Lithuanian
Optional: German
Dalia Dedinskaite (LT)
Dalia Dėdinskaitė, a laureate of national and international competitions, is one of the most prominent Lithuania’s violinists. She won the main prize at the international competition “Violine in Dresden” in Germany in 2010 after which she was invited to perform L. van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at the prestigious festival “Dresdner Musikfestspiele 2012”. D. Dėdinskaitė has given concerts around Europe, the USA and New Zealand. She has also performed as a soloist together with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, “Dresdner Kappelsolisten” and the symphonic orchestra “Carl Maria von Weber” of Dresden, conducted by Saulius Sondeckis, Juozas Domarkas, Georg Mark, etc. In 2014 Dalia debuted at the Wiener Musikverein with great success where she performed the world premiere of V. Barkauskas’ “Duettissimo”. It was her first teacher Elena Lašaitė who noticed her budding talent. Later Dalia continued her studies with prof. Jurgis Dvarionas, whereas lessons given by Christian Altenburger, Austrian violinist and a professor at the University of Vienna, left the most visible trace. At the moment Dalia Dedinskaite is holding a teaching position as an assistant of prof. Christian Altenburger at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Course languages: English, German, Russian, Lithuanian
Stephan Picard (DE)
Stephan Picard’s most heartfelt objective is to support and encourage violin students until they become truly independent musicians. Since 1995 he has been Professor of Violin at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin, after having taught at the music academies of Mainz, Munster, and Aachen. Many of his students have become very successful as music professors, orchestra musicians, chamber music performers and concert soloists. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands, and was likewise invited to teach at a series of prestigious music academies, universities, and conservatories including CNSM Paris and Lyon, Conservatoire de Genève, Conservatorio Real de Madrid, Royal Northern College Manchester, Tokyo University of Arts-Geidai, Yonsei University Seoul University. He has taught a great number of masterclasses in Europe: at Nice International Academy, Académie de Musique de Sion (Switzerland), Keshet Eilon (Israel), the Vienna University of Music International Summer Academy ISA, Bowdoin International Music Festival (USA).
Stephan Picard studied with Saschko Gawriloff, Wolfgang Marschner, Rami Shevelov, und Roman Nodel. He won a series of competitions including the German Music Competition (Deutscher Musikwettbewerb), the Maria Canals International Music Competition in Barcelona, and the Rodolfo Lipizer Competition in Gorizia (Italy) and went on performing the core violin concerto repertoire with a series of German orchestras, including the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Beethovenhalle Bonn Orchestra, the Bremen Philharmonic and Munich Chamber Orchestra.
His passion for chamber music is reflected in his international music activities: among others, as a member of established chamber music ensembles such as the Michelangelo String Quartet and the Mendelssohn Trio Berlin (Discography).
As chamber musician and soloist, Picard has performed in the Berlin Philharmonie, Salle des Champs-Elysées, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tonhalle Zurich, and Wigmore Hall in London. He has been invited to appear in festivals such as Edinburgh, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Seoul Spring Festival.
For many years, Stephan Picard was the leader of the Stadttheater Aachen opera orchestra, then of Munich Chamber Orchestra; he also guested as leader in the NDR Symphonie- Orchester and freelanced in the Berliner Philharmoniker. He recorded a CD of Wolfgang Rihm’s Chiffren with Musikfabrik NRW (Discography). As a frequent guest of the latter ensemble, he took part in performances of the complete chamber music works of Anton Webern at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn. With pianist Ben Süverkrüp and cabaret artist Tina Teubner he has developed the Musikgedankentheater project (Theatre of Musical Ideas).
Stephan Picard was head of the string department at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler for over ten years and has been a member of competition juries such as the Max Rostal Competition, the Leopold Mozart Violin Competition, and the Seoul International Violin Competition.
Stephan Picard plays a violin made by Petrus Guarnerius in Mantua in 1715.
Course languages: English, German, Spanish, French
Optional: Russian, Lithuanian
Cello
Reinhard Latzko (AT)
Reinhard Latzko is one of the most multifaceted cellists of his generation. In addition to his extensive performing career, he has especially made a name for himself as a successful cello teacher and music communicator. Born in Freising, near Munich, he studied with Jan Polasek, Martin Ostertag and Heinrich Schiff. From 1987 - 2003 Reinhard Latzko was solo cellist of the Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Gielen.
Teaching has been one of the special focal points in his artistic career, already since 1990, when he was tutor in the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. From 1988 - 2005 he took over Boris Pergamenschikow's cello class at the Music Academy in Basel. Since 2003 he has held a professorship at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. His students include prize winners of international competitions and hold leading positions in orchestras around the world. World-wide masterclasses underscore Reinhard Latzko's international status as one of the most sought-after instructors.
Additionally he has been since October 2016 Senior Lecturer for chamber music at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz.
Reinhard Latzko is himself a winner of national and international competitions, performing as soloist as well as chamber music partner, with Markus Schirmer, Christian Tetzlaff, Ernst Kovacic, Christian Altenburger, Christopher Hinterhuber. He has performed in concert halls world-wide, including the Musikverein as well as Konzerthaus in Vienna, Shanghai Concert Hall, Philharmonie in Berlin, among others. He has also been invited to the Cello Biennale in Amsterdam, the Shanghai Cello Festival and the Supercello Festival in Peking. Reinhard Latzko has performed as soloist with the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Wiener Kammerorchester and the Camerata Salzburg. His thorough exploration into comtemporary music has resulted in world premieres of works, including those by Wolfgang Rihm, Ernst Krenek and Michael Gielen.
Reinhard Latzko is artistic director of the chamber music festival "con anima" in Ernstbrunn.
For several years Reinhard Latzko has put his stamp on a new and innovative form of orchestra leading, working with Ensemble Resonanz in Hamburg and Het Balletorkest in Amsterdam, among others.
Course languages: English, German
Optional: Russian, Lithuanian
Maria Kliegel (DE)
“She has at her disposal all the necessary attributes: a fantastically light, yet not perfectionistically moribund technique, entrancing intensity, glamorous and nonetheless endearing charisma.” - Der Tagesspiegel / Berlin
After studying with Janos Starker at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA, Maria Kliegel won, amongst others, the 1st Grand Prix of the “Concours Rostropowitsch Paris” (in 1981). Mstislav Rostropowitsch thereupon engaged the services of his prize winner as a soloist with the Orchestre National de France for several tours through France and invited her to his orchestra in Washington D.C. He became one of her most important mentors.
Maria Kliegel – La Cellissima – since then an artist in demand throughout the world - started an unusually successful record career on the Naxos label in 1991 alongside her stage triumphs .
In this way, her recording of Dvorak’s and Elgar’s cello concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London has been maintaining its success as a bestseller for many years now. Or the composer Alfred Schnittke declared her recording of his
1st cello concert his reference work in 1992. In reviews and essays, the international trade press is constantly confirming the top quality of the violoncellist and praises many interpretations as exemplary and directional.
Frequent honours followed, including 2 Grammy nominations. In the meantime, Maria Kliegel leads the market in cello literature with some 1 million CDs sold throughout the world.
In her multimedia book and DVD project Schott Master Class – Cello: Mit Technik und Fantasie zum künstlerischen Ausdruck about cello techniques and “famous – infamous” passages (played and analysed) published in 2006, she pursues completely new paths; and within the shortest time received 2 prestigious prizes for it:
in Duesseldorf the special Digita prize (best German educational software) and in Berlin the European Media Prize Comenius EduMedia – Siegel. This was the starting point for the production of the English version Cello – Master Class “Using Technique and Imagination to achieve Artistic Expression”, released on the Naxos label in 2010.
Contemporary composers like to dedicate their works to the cellist. Wilhelm Kaiser Lindemann, for example, composed at her request Hommage á Nelson M. for cello and percussion. This musical reference to the civil-rights activist Mandela finds great attention internationally. After the premiere of this work in Capetown, South Africa in 1997, President Mandela reacted profoundly emotionally by inviting the artist to a private concert in his residence.
For her spontaneous commitment to the Nelson Mandela Children ́s Fund and her untiring efforts for other relief projects, in 1999 La Cellissima received the Order of Merit
of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia from the hands of the First Minister at that time, Wolfgang Clement. Since 1986 she has been professor at the Cologne Academy of Music and in 2001 established with Ida Bieler (volin) and Nina Tichman (piano) the Xyrion Trio, which undertook the artistic supervision of the Andernach Music Festival at Namedy Castle in 2007.
Maria Kliegel plays a cello made by Carlo Tononi, Venice, ca. 1730
Course languages: English, German
Optional: Russian, Lithuanian
Gleb Pyšniak (LT)
... All conjured honest communication with the artist Gleb Pyšniak. According to witnesses, and everybody only heard Yo Yo Ma spoken words to him: "Excellent! Charming! Unique!" following open master classes wrote the newspaper "Lietuvos rytas"
... It seems, there is not a single emotion that couldn't be conveyed by this fiery temperamental virtuoso, stunning the listeners with its technical arsenal. "Respublika"
Born in 1987 in Vilnius, Lithuania, Gleb Pyšniak is one of the brightest in his generation of Baltic cellists. He made his concerto debut at age 14 in Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall as a soloist with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra under prof. Saulius Sondeckis. Since then he has performed as a soloist internationally in Europe and USA in prestigious venues such as the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Vienna Musikverein, Casa da Musica of Porto, Fazioli Concert Hall in Italy, Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Teatro Verdi in Pisa, at the Great Guild of Riga City and others. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Moscow Conservatory Symphony Orchestra (conductor Andris Vecumnieks), Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (conductor Georg Mark), Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra (conductor prof. Saulius Sondeckis), Symphony Orchestra of Porto (conductor Alexandr Shelley), Symphony Orchestra of Kaunas (conductor Modestas Pitrenas), Sinfonietta Rīga, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius, Vidzeme Chamber Orchestra (conductor Andris Veismanis) and others.
Gleb Pyšniak has worked with several internationally recognized maestros including Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, David Geringas, Philippe Muller, Heinrich Schiff, Lluis Claret, Maria Kliegel, László Mezö, Miklós Perényi, Gustav Rivinius, Silvija Sondeckienė and many others.
Gleb Pyšniak is a prize-winner of many national and international competitions including the Karl Davydov IV International Cello Competition; the 1st prize as well as a special prize Accord case winner of the VI Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition in Poreč , the 1st prize as well as a special prize of the August Dombrovskis VI International Competition, the 1st prize in the competition of string instruments of all Lithuanian academies in 2008, Grand Prix in the competition organized by the society of Jews in Lithuania in 2008, Yamaha Award winner in 2010, and in addition to winning many others.
In 2005 Mr. Pyšniak was awarded a grant of the Monsignor Kazimieras Vasiliauskas Fund. In 2006 he was awarded by Lithuanian president Valdas Adamkus for the making known the cultural name of Lithuania abroad. In 2009 Gleb Pyšniak was selected the “New Master on Tour" in the International „Holland music sessions“ and able to perform in the world's famous concert halls. In 2012 during the festival "ISA Prague-Vienna-Budapest" together with violinist Dalia Dedinskaite Gleb Pyšniak won "Kodály Award" for an outstanding performance of Zoltán Kodály Duo op. 7 for violin and cello.
In 2008 he performed a world premier with prof. David Geringas, prof. Rimantas Armonas and others - CONCERTO DA CAMERA for 7 cellos by Vytautas Laurušas and after recorded it.
In 2014, together with violinist Dalia Dedinskaite and pianist Ole Christian Haagenrud, Gleb Pyšniak recorded CD "Piano trios by Johanna Doderer" (label: Capriccio/Naxos), which received very positive reviews in Austria - "... Stunning recording. An absolute must-listen.” review of the new Vilos Trio CD "Piano Trios" by Johanna Doderer, "Wiener Zeitung", 14.10.2014
In 2015 together with violinist Dalia Dedinskaite and pianist Gintaras Janusevicius he recorded and presented CD "Window to Lithuania" (selected chamber music for violin, cello and piano) in the USA, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine.
Mr. Pyšniak began his formal studies in 1998 at the Balys Dvarionas Ten-Year Music School under Tatjana Kuc. Afterwards, he graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre as a student of prof. Rimantas Armonas. In 2015 he graduated "Master solo" studies with distinction at the Konservatorium Wien University as a student of prof. Natalia Gutman.
Among many concert activities Mr. Pyšniak is artistic director of festivals "Christmas in Vilnius" and "Ars SummerFest".
Since 2019 Gleb Pyšniak has been teaching at Lithuanian Academy for Music and Theatre, Vilnius.
Course languages: English, Russian, Lithuanian
Optional: German
Piano
Lukas Geniušas (RU/LT)
‘Geniušas seems to know how to do everything better than anyone…’
Diapason Jan.2019
Russian-Lithuanian pianist Lukas Geniušas has firmly established himself as one of the most exciting and distinctive artists of his generation.
Praised for his ‘brilliance and maturity’ (The Guardian) he is invited to give recitals in the most prestigious venues all over the world such as the Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Salle Gaveau, Auditorium du Louvre, Frick Collection New York, Phillips Collection, Gilmore Keyboard Festival, Teatro Carlo Felice, Sala Verdi in Milan and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. He is also regularly invited to festivals including La Roque d’Anthéron, Piano aux Jacobins, Rheingau, the Ruhr Piano Festival, Schloss-Elmau and the Lockenhaus Music Festivals.
Lukas performs with numerous orchestras including the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre national de Lyon, NHK Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Kremerata Baltica, Russian National Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Victoria, Montreal and Toronto Symphonies, Warsaw Philharmonic, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, under the batons of conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Pletnev, Leondard Slatkin, Charles Dutoit, Andrey Boreyko, Tugan Sokhiev, Saulius Sondeckis, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Antoni Wit, Rafael Payare, and Dmitry Liss, to name but a few.
Forthcoming highlights include debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Yomiuri Mainichi Symphony Orchestra, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival and a series of three concerts at the Salle Gaveau in the 2019/20 season.
Known for his innate curiosity and extensive musical interests, Lukas explores a wide range of repertoire, from the baroque to works by contemporary composers. His repertoire spans from Beethoven Piano Concerti through to Hindemith’s Ludus Tonalis and John Adams, as well as a strong interest in Russian repertoire such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and, of course, Prokofiev. He is an avid chamber musician and an extremely inquisitive performer and enjoys working on new works by modern composers, as well as resurrecting rarely performed repertoire.
These aspects of his career are reflected in Lukas’ critically acclaimed discography, which includes works by Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninov (the complete Preludes); Chopin (Etudes opus 10 and 25) and works by Stravinsky, Desyatnikov, and Tchaïkovsky with Aylen Pritchin at Melodiya. His most recent CD, of Prokofiev’s 2nd and 5th sonatas, was awarded the prestigious Diapason d’OR by Diapason Magazine in January 2019.
Born in Moscow in 1990, Lukas Geniušas graduated from the Chopin Music College Moscow, in 2008. He is the laureate of several prestigious international competitions, notably Silver Medalist at the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and at the 2010 International Chopin competition.
Since 2015, Lukas has been a featured artist of "Looking at the stars" a philanthropy project based in Toronto, whose purpose is to bring classical music to institutions and organizations (prisons, hospitals and shelters) where people may not have an opportunity to experience it live in a traditional setting.
Course languages: English, Russian, Lithuanian
Optional: German
Anna Geniushene (RU)
Born in Moscow on New Year’s Day in 1991, Anna began her career as a solo performer at the age of six. She graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory in 2015 and completed her Masters with Distinction and Advanced Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music (London) in 2018. She is currently pursuing as one of the elite Bicentenary Scholars at the Academy under tutelage of Professor Christopher Elton.
Anna’s major achievements on the international stage so far have been reaching the Final of the Leeds Piano Competition in September 2018 and Semifinals of Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition being broadcasted by medici.tv.
She also gained Third Prize at the Feruccio Busoni International Piano Competition the year before – also winning three additional prizes in chamber music, the audience and Junior Jury prizes, the latter of which offered her a chance to perform at the same festival with Grigory Sokolov. She was also, recently, a semi-finalist of the Dublin International Piano Competition, Schumann Klavierwettbewerb in Zwickauand took First Prize at the Second Orbetello International Piano Competition.
Anna's debut CD with Rachmaninov Etudes-Tableaux op.33 and Prokofiev Sonata no.8 has been released on LINN Records in July 2019.
Anna has already performed in several major concert halls such as Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, the Town Hall in Leeds, the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Museum of Arts in Tel-Aviv, the Konzerthaus ‘Neue Welt’, Sala Greppi in Milan and Chamber Hall of Berliner Philharmonie in Berlin.
Being an active participant of the masterclasses, Anna was selected to take part in the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove (2017) and for the Imogen Cooper Music Trust (2018) where worked with many renowned artists, including Ferenc Rados, Kirill Gerstein, Rita Wagner, Klaus Hellwig, Tamas Ungar, Stephen Hough and Paul Lewis.
Anna’s career as a pianist is becoming increasingly versatile with her dedication to chamber music as central, including piano duo repertoire with her husband, Lukas Geniusas, and close collaboration with Quartetto di Cremona. She also runs her own annual festival in collaborative music-making (‘NikoFest’) in Moscow.
Course languages: English, Russian