Aivaras Stepukonis (born 1972) is a Lithuanian musician and philosopher.

Biography

From 1983 to 1986 he studied at the Kaunas music school Nr. 1 and from 1987 to 1991 at

Kauno konservatorija Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trak ...

(the clarinet class). From 1992 to 1994 Stepukonis earned baccalaureate in theology and philosophy from the

Franciscan University of Steubenville Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The stude ...

(Ohio, USA) in 1995 and master's degree from the International Academy of Philosophy in

Schaan Schaan () is the largest municipality of Liechtenstein by population. It is located to the north of Vaduz, the capital, in the central part of the country. it has a population of 6,039 making it the most populous administrative district in Li ...

(

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...

) in 1997. From 2001 to 2005 he received his doctorate in philosophy at the Lithuanian Culture, Philosophy, and Art Research Institute in Vilnius. In 2005, he defended his PhD thesis at the Institute. In the same year he published monograph on

Max Scheler Max Ferdinand Scheler (; 22 August 1874 – 19 May 1928) was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers,Davis, Zacha ...

and

sociology of knowledge The sociology of knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises, and the effects that prevailing ideas have on societies. It is not a specialized area of sociology. Instead, it deal ...

(''Pavergto mąstymo problema: Maxas Scheleris ir žinojimo sociologijos ištakos''; ). In 2007, he received a research fellowship from

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

and

Keizō Obuchi was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1998 to 2000. Obuchi was elected to the House of Representatives in Gunma Prefecture in 1963, becoming the youngest legislator in Japanese history, and was re-elected to his ...

to study of the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

. Since 2005 he is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Science Lithuanian Cultural Studies. Since 2007 he is also a director of UAB "Kranto studijos". He was vocals in a band called ''Pėdsakai'' (Footprints) from 1998 until 2001, when he decided to start a solo career. He was nominated as the artists of the year for the 2001 Bravo awards. In the national selections for the

Eurovision Song Contest 2002 The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tallinn, Estonia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Everybody" by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL. Organised by the E ...

, he placed second. Nevertheless, he was allowed to represent Lithuania with the song '' Happy You'' at the international final in

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

because the winners B'Avarija were disqualified. Aivaras was not very successful reaching only 23rd place. Since then, Stepukonis has released three solo albums: eponymous ''Aivaras'', ''Myliu arba tyliu'', and ''Sage & Fool''. After the second album he retired from the stage, working as composer and sound director with other artists.

Discography

*''Aivaras'' (2002) *''Myliu arba tyliu'' (2005) *''Sage & Fool'' (2010)

References

External links

Sample songs at Music.lt

1972 births 21st-century Lithuanian male singers Franciscan University of Steubenville alumni Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Lithuania Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2002 Lithuanian pop singers Living people English-language singers from Lithuania Musicians from Vilnius Musicians from Kaunas 21st-century Lithuanian philosophers {{Lithuania-singer-stub