Balys Dvarionas

Balys Dvarionas, 19 June [O.S. 6 June] 1904 in Liepāja — 23 August 1972 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian composer, pianist, conductor and educator. Dvarionas first became known as a composer after World War II. His works are in a romantic vein, with roots in folk song.

Balys Dvarionas was born into the large family of an organist. Along with his ten sisters and brothers, Dvarionas was taught music from his early childhood. Later he had private lessons from Alfrēds Kalniņš, the famous Latvian composer. After completing the middle school of commerce, Dvarionas worked as an organist and conductor of the Youth Choir of Lithuanian Society in Liepāja. In 1920, Dvarionas went to Leipzig, where he studied piano under Robert Teichmüller at the Conservatory and attended special music theory and composition courses held by Stephan Krohl and Sigfried Karg-Elert. After graduating from the Conservatory in 1924, Dvarionas returned to Kaunas, Lithuania where he performed his first recital, and afterwards spent two years studying piano in Berlin under Egon Petri, a famous German pianist.

Balys Dvarionas was a synthesis of talents in piano, teaching, conducting and composing. They bloomed almost all at once and Dvarionas soon became one of the most famous personalities in Lithuanian music. From 1924 on he performed throughout Lithuania, and in 1928 he began to perform abroad. In 1926 he began teaching at the Kaunas Music School (after 1933 — Lithuanian Conservatory) and in 1949 he started working at the Music Academy in Vilnius, where he continued teaching until the end of his life. Dvarionas was awarded a professor's title in 1947. Over 50 pianists graduated from Prof. B.Dvarionas’ class. Dvarionas's pupils included conductor Rimas Geniušas, pianists Liucija Drąsutienė, Aleksandras Jurgelionis, Gražina Ručytė-Landsbergienė, and Halina Znaidzilauskaitė.

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