Saulius Sondeckis (11 October 1928 – 3 February 2016) was a Lithuanian violinist, conductor,

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

leader and professor. He founded the

Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra The Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (LCO) () is a chamber orchestra based in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was established by Saulius Sondeckis in 1960, giving its first performance on April 30, 1960. Along with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, ...

in 1960 and was its artistic director and principal conductor until 2004.

Biography

Sondeckis was born in

Šiauliai Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County. Names Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different ...

in 1928. He graduated from the

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a state-supported conservatory that trains students in music, theatre, and multimedia arts. History Composer Juozas Naujalis founded a music school in 1919 in Kaunas. This ...

(Vilnius Conservatory) as a violinist with

Alexander Livontas Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

in 1952 and studied conducting with

Igor Markevich Igor Borisovich Markevitch (russian: Игорь Борисович Маркевич, ''Igor Borisovich Markevich'', uk, Ігор Борисович Маркевич, ''Ihor Borysovych Markevych''; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Russian- ...

. Sondeckis was a member of the Department of String Instruments at the Lithuanian SSR State Conservatoire.Computer Music Association
/ref> Sondeckis began conducting in 1955 and started at the Student Orchestra of the National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Art. He became a teacher at the Lithuanian Academy in 1959 and became a professor there in 1976. In 1960, Sondeckis founded the

in 1960 and it gave its first performance on 30 April 1960. He served as its artistic director and principal conductor until 2004. Sondeckis led the

St. Petersburg State Hermitage Orchestra ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

of St. Petersburg (Camerata) from 1989 and from 2005, he has led the

Lithuanian Baltic Chamber Orchestra Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

. He has conducted orchestras in many countries and was an honorary member of the

Lithuanian Musicians' Union Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

. He is one of the most decorated figures in contemporary classical music in Lithuania, including

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significa ...

(1980), a Laureate of the

USSR State Award The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...

(1987) and winner of the Lithuania National Award (1999). He has served as a jury member of major international competitions, including Mozart in Salzburg, Tchaikovsky in Moscow and the Toscanini Competitions in Parma. He was also a member of the

Herbert von Karajan Foundation Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

in Berlin. In 2010, Šiauliai Conservatory was renamed after Saulius Sondeckis as Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis Conservatory. Later it was known as Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis School of Arts (since 2011) and

Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis Gymnasium of Arts Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis Gymnasium of Arts (Lithuanian: ''Šiaulių Sauliaus Sondeckio menų gimnazija'') is a state art gymnasium located in Šiauliai, Lithuania.''Šiaulių Sauliaus Sondeckio menų gimnazija, Istorija'/ref> History In ...

(since 2013). He died on 3 February 2016 in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

, Lithuania.

References

External links

Саулюс Сондецкис: «Я в отечественной культуре не задействован»
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sondeckis, Saulius Lithuanian conductors (music) Lithuanian violinists 1928 births 2016 deaths Burials at Antakalnis Cemetery Musicians from Šiauliai Lithuanian musicologists Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Musicians from Vilnius Moscow Conservatory alumni Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) People's Artists of the USSR Soviet classical violinists 20th-century classical violinists Male classical violinists Soviet violinists Soviet conductors (music) Knights of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Recipients of the USSR State Prize 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century male musicians Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 4th Class