Palanga International Piano & Violin Masterclasses, 5th—10th October 2024

Justas Dvarionas, Artistic Director

Justas Dvarionas holds the position of Associate Professor at the Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy. Additionally, he has conducted numerous Master Classes across five continents. Many of his students have achieved significant recognition by winning top honors at prestigious piano competitions. Since 2008, Justas Dvarionas has served as the Vice-President of EMCY (European Union of Music Competitions for Youth).

With a wealth of experience, Justas has served as a jury member in various international competitions, including the Aarhus International Piano Competition in Denmark, the Liszt Junior Piano Competition in Germany, the International Radio Competition for Young Musicians 'Concertino Praga' in the Czech Republic, the Volodymyr Krainev Competition in Ukraine, the Gina Bachauer Piano Competition in the USA, the Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz in Ukraine, the Santa Cecilia International Competition in Porto, Portugal, the PIANALE Competition in Germany, the R. Schumann Junior Competition in Germany, and many others.

In addition to his role as a jury member, Justas serves as the artistic director for several competitions and holds the position of chairman of the jury. Leveraging his extensive professional background, he actively promotes and implements the core principles of fairness, transparency, and justice in the orchestration of these competitions.

Justas' musical journey began in Lithuania and took him to the Moscow P. Tchaikovsky Conservatoire for graduate and post-graduate studies, which he completed with the highest honors (CUM LAUDE) under the guidance of Prof. Lev Vlassenko and Mikhail Pletnev. His pianistic and musical abilities were further enriched through acquaintances with pianists Sviatoslav Richter and Elisso Wirssaladse.

In 1992, during his final years of study, Justas won the Italian "Viotti-Valsesia" International Piano Competition. He also received special awards from the Portuguese "Porto" International Piano Competition and the "International M.K. Čiurlionis" Piano Competition in Lithuania, earning high praise from jury chairman Daniel Pollack: "Justas Dvarionas from Lithuania left me with one of the biggest impressions...[he] has unique interpretation."

Justas remains actively engaged in concerts, teaching, and jury activities across Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

Irena Gulzarova Keller, piano

"25 minutes of high tension: the pianist Irena Gulzarova, born in Uzbekistan in 1982, presented the audience with a magnificent performance of Liszt's Concerto No. 2." – Basler Zeitung.

Irena Gulzarova can be heard on world-renowned concert stages and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Tonhalle Zurich, the Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Grafenegg Festival, Oxford Piano Festival, and the Moscow Philharmonic. She has collaborated successfully with conductors such as Lawrence Foster, Vladimir Spivakov, Konstantin Orbelian, Dmitry Kitayenko, Kamolidin Urinbaev, Eldar Azimov, Aziz Shokhakimov, and others. For many years, Irena Gulzarova has performed with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Tonkunstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, Basel Symphony Orchestra, and the Uzbek Philharmonic Orchestra. Her passion for chamber music sees her share the stage with musicians like Rudolf Buchbinder, Mischa Maisky, Vadim Repin, Ilya Gringolts, Daniel Hope, and others. Irena's repertoire spans from Bach to contemporary pieces. She actively promotes new music and has introduced numerous world premieres by contemporary composers, including Daniel Andres, Dilorom Saidaminova, Beat Gysin, and Dmitry Varelas.

Irena Gulzarova was born in 1982 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in a family of musicians. She received her first piano lessons at the age of six. Irena first performed on stage at the age of eight and at 13, she toured several cities in Germany. While studying at the V. Uspensky Specialized Central Music School, she won first prize at the International Piano Competition in Palma de Mallorca; this was followed by concert invitations to Spain, Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Russia. She later received the First Prize and the Audience Award at the International Piano Competition in Salerno, Italy.
Irena began her studies at the V. Uspensky Specialized Central Music School, where her teachers were Lyudmila Mermelstein and Alla Kim. Continuing her education, she became a student of Professor Marat Gumarov at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, while simultaneously taking classes with Professor Alexander Mndoyants at the Moscow State Conservatory. She further refined her skills under Professor Rudolf Buchbinder at the Basel High School of Music.

Since 2000, she was a scholarship recipient of the Vladimir Spivakov International Charity Foundation and, since 2013, she represented the Foundation in Switzerland.
Irena Gulzarova has received various awards, including the "Best Debut of 2004" nomination by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the Presidential Scholarship of the Republic of Uzbekistan (2004) and the "Golden Talent" award from the Charitable Foundation "Russian Performing Art" (Moscow, 2004).
From 2020 to 2021, Irena Gulzarova organized a series of chamber concerts in Zurich.

From 2023, Irena Gulzarova took on the important role of President of the Association "Youth inspired" ("Jugend beflügelt"). This Association focuses on supporting young talents, which is the main mission of the organization. In addition, the Association actively works on organizing innovative projects in the field of music. One of the main priorities is to sensitize young people to classical music, cultivating an understanding and love for this art form in the younger generation.

In November 2023, Irena received a special invitation from the Uzbekistan government to perform at a reception in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron, and in July 2024, she played in honor of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Irina Georgieva, piano

Born in Sofia, Irina Georgieva embarked on her musical journey at the tender age of 6. Just two years later, she achieved the milestone of her inaugural solo concert, swiftly followed by her first international prize. Displaying exceptional talent, she made her debut as a soloist with orchestra performing Beethoven’s 1st Piano Concerto op.15 just a year later.
In 1997, she gained admission to the prestigious Sofia Conservatory, marking the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with Prof. Marina Kapazinskaya. Simultaneously, Irina showcased her prowess as a solo pianist with major orchestras in Bulgaria. Her unwavering commitment to artistic growth led her to participate in master classes conducted by renowned pianists such as Lazar Berman and Dmitry Bashkirov.

A pivotal moment in Irina’s journey occurred in 2001 when she received a scholarship from the “Gerber-ten Bosch” foundation, propelling her to the Basel Music Academy and into the master class of Rudolf Buchbinder. The influence of this experience shaped Irina into the artist she is today.
Rudolf Buchbinder, with over 35 years of pedagogical experience, hails Irina as one of his outstanding piano students. Her impeccable sound culture, formidable technique, innate sense of style, strong charisma, and distinctive personality all point toward a promising career as a pianist.

Buchbinder’s foresight proved accurate as Irina Georgieva now graces international stages. Notable performances include concerts at Wigmore Hall in London (2010), Musikverein in Vienna (2015), Tonhalle in Zurich (2015), and the KKL Lucerne (2019). Collaborating with esteemed conductors such as Stefan Lano, Mihal Nesterowicz, Pablo Gonzàlez, and Sascha Goetzel, Irina has established herself as a prominent figure in the classical music scene.

Throughout her career, Irina has been recognized for her excellence, winning accolades at competitions like the Steinway Piano Competition in Berlin (1995), the Concurs Maria Canals in Barcelona (2006), and the Kurt Leimer Piano Competition in Zurich (2008).

Irina Georgieva’s expansive repertoire encompasses 20 piano concertos with orchestra, spanning from the Baroque era to contemporary compositions. While she interprets works by various composers such as Berio, Carter, Ligeti, Baltakas, Gubaidulina, and Gysin, her profound fascination lies with Rachmaninoff, whose complete piano works she has mastered with unparalleled skill.

Jurgis Dvarionas, violin

Jurgis Rimas Dvarionas is Professor of String Department at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Doctor of Humanities, Chairman of the Balys Dvarionas Charity and Support Foundation, a founder of the B. Dvarionas Competition.

Jurgis Rimas Dvarionas graduated from the Moscow P. Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in 1965 with distinction and completed postgraduate course in 1969. Since then he started working at Lithuanian State Conservatory. In 1981, Dvarionas was honoured a title of Associate Professor. In 1983 Prof Dvarionas became a member of Lithuanian Composers’ Union and the chairman of the Musicologists’ sections. Over the time, he has published more than a hundred of reviews and articles. Following his profound achievements, in 1992, Dvarionas was granted a title of Professor. Throughout the period 1989-1998, Dvarionas was the chairman of the Lithuanian Cultural Foundation.

For three decades (1965-1995), Jurgis Rimas Dvarionas was giving concerts around Europe, USA, ex-Soviet Union. In parallel, he recorded several vinyl/CD records, broadcasted on various radio stations, including Vilnius, Moscow, Warsaw, New York and Madrid. His extensive performances contributed significantly to publicising the works of Lithuanian composers. Amongst other contributions to Lithuanian national music by Dvarionas, are his editing, authorship and adaptations of pieces for violin and piano.

Over more than fifty years of teaching, Professor Jurgis taught many young generations of professional future violinist. Amongst them, more than twenty laureates of national and international competitions. He has given masterclasses at music academies and conservatoires in Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Malmö, Warsaw and Moscow. Likewise, Jurgis Dvarionas taught at the international summer seminars Gintarinė svetainė in Lithuania, music universities in Greece, and masterclasses in Poland. He is the initiator and organiser of the International B. Dvarionas (Vilnius), J. Heifetz (Vilnius), A. Glazunov (Paris) competitions for violinists and is regularly invited to take part as an adjudicator on the judging panel of various violin competitions that are taking place in various countries. Professor Dvarionas has also significantly contributed to the development of Lithuanian music culture.

Aistė Beržanskienė, violin

Born into the world of music, Aiste’s musical path began from early age under the thoughtful supervision of her father.
Whilst still studying at the Ciurlionis School of Arts and later at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Aiste delivered numerous performances and became a laureate of multiple competitions. Aiste also participated in many international artistic projects and has taught at various masterclasses in Russia, France, Germany, Belgium, Poland and Spain.

Although the beginning of Aiste’s pedagogical career dates back to 1994, after graduating from Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2001 and completing three separate Master programs (Violin Soloist, Chamber Ensemble Performer, Violin Teacher), Aiste dedicated all her energy and passion to teaching children the art of violin performance. Since then she has been in various posts such as Assistant Lecturer at Department of Pedagogy at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Supervising Violin Teacher at Ciurlionis School of Arts. Currently, she holds a post of Violin Specialist Teacher at The Purcell School for young musicians in London.