Vykintas Baltakas

Vykintas Baltakas

Born: 10.07.1972 in Vilnius / Lithuania

Education: Vilnius Music Academy (1990-93, composition studies with Vytautas Barkauskas), Karlsruhe Music Academy (1993-97, composition studies with Wolfgang Rihm, conducting with Andreas Weiss), International Peter Eötvös Institute (1994-97), Conservatoire National Supérieur, Paris (1997), Course at  IRCAM in Paris (1999-2000) 

Prizes: second Prize at the Youth Conductors’ Competition in Kaunas (1990), awarded a prize for “Pasaka” for piano solo at the Darmstadt Summer Courses (1996), scholarship from the Heinrich Strobel Foundation for Composition in Freiburg (1996), scholarship at the Herrenhaus Edenkoben (1997), scholarship from the Fondation Internationale Nadia et Lili Boulanger for Composition in Paris (2000 and 2002), Composition-Prize for Pasaka of the Concours International de Piano XXème siècle d’Orléans (2002), second Prize at the Bad Homburger Conductors’ Competition (DE) (Germany, 2002), International Composition Prize Claudio Abbado (2003), awarded “Best Lithuanian Music-theater piece in 2004” for Cantio, Ernst von Siemens Grants-in-aid Prize (2007).

Main activities: Founder and conductor of the vocal ensemble “Penki vejai” in Vilnius (1990-1993), as well as co-founder and conductor of the chamber choir “Aidija” (1990), Assistant at the Oper-school in Karlsruhe (1994-96), Assistant to Peter Eötvös (since 1995), Music Director and Conductor of L‘Ensemble du nouveau Siècle in Strasbourg (1995-97), Founder and director of LENsemble Vilnius (2011 until now), Curator of series of contemporary music at the label No Business Records  (2020), co-curator of the festival contemPLAY Vilnius (2023).

Pedagogical activity:

Guest lecturer at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik Darmstadt (Darmstadt new music summer courses), The University of Haifa (IS), Matrix Academy of SWR (Freiburg), Kintai music festival (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music London.

2015-2017 guest Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels;

From 2015 composition class at the conservatory in Maastricht;

From 2016 creating and teaching at the master program for performance of contemporary music at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

From 2019 Professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

Main performances: Ferienkurse für neue Musik in Darmstadt (1996 /1998, 2008), Schloß Rheinsberg Opernfestival (1997),  Köln Philharmonie, Wien Modern Festival (1998, 2007), Ars Musica Bruxelles (2000, 2006, 2008), Tanglewood Music Festival (2000), Gasteig Hall Munich (2001), Queen Elizabeth Hall London (2003), Maerz Musik Berlin (2003, 2006), Musica Strasbourg (2003, 2006, 2008), Centre Pompidou Paris (2003), Münchener Biennale (2004), Biennale Venice (2004 and 2019), Musica viva München (2004), Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik (2005, 2007), Warsaw Autumn Festival (2006), ISCM World Music Festival Stuttgart (2006), Ultraschall Festival Berlin (2006, 2007), “Ultima” Oslo contemporary music festival (2007), Festival “Music in Curren” Tokyo (2008), ISCM World Music Festival Vilnius (2008), Ars Musica Brussels, Eclat festival Stuttgart (2008, 2019), 

Main works: Poussla for ensemble and orchestra (2002-2004, 2006), Saxordionphonics (2013) for solo saxophone, accordion and orchestra, Sandwriting II (2019) for orchestra, Cantio – music theatre (2004), (co)ro(na) (2005), Lift to Dubai (2009) and ouroboros (2004) for ensemble, Pasaka for piano and electronics, b(ell tree) for string quartet (2007).

Cooperations:

Orchestras

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchesters Berlin, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg, WDR-Sinfonieorchester Köln, Münchener Kammerorchester, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, etc.

Ensembles

Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, Klangforum Wien, London Sinfonietta, MusikFabrik NRW, Scharoun Ensemble Berlin , ICTUS, Arditti quartet, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgar, Ensemble Resonanz Hamburg, Gaida Ensemble Vilnius, LIthuanian Ensemble Network, Remix Ensemble Porto, Champ d’Action Antwerp, Het Collectief, Hermes Ensemble, der/gelb/klang München, etc.

Audio productions

Wergo, Kairos music, Neos, Fuga Libera, Ensemble modern media, No Business Records

Publishers: Universal Edition Wien (2000-2018), Aust-Musik-Verlag Köln (1993-2000), Composers Edition London (from 2018