Anatolijus Šenderovas

Anatolijus Šenderovas (1945-2019) studied composition with Prof. Eduardas Balsys at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, graduating in 1967, and simultaneously pursued composition studies with Prof. Orest Evlakhov at the St. Petersburg Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov State Conservatory. In 1990, he was on the Samuel Rubin Israel Academy of Music (Tel Aviv) Scholarship. Anatolijus Šenderovas' artistic accomplishments have garnered him the Order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas (Knightly Cross) in 1996, and the Order of Merit to Lithuania (Officer's Cross) in 2006, as well as the Lithuanian National Prize in 1997. The composer is a prize-winner of several composition competitions: in 1993 he was awarded 2nd Prize at the International Composition Competition in Prague for the composition "Der tiefe Brunnen..."; in 1994 he received a diploma at the International Witold Lutoslawski Composition Competition in Kil, Sweden, for "M. K. Čiurlionis' Sketches". In 2002 Šenderovas was awarded the European Composer's Prize at the 'young.euro.classic' festival in Berlin for the Concerto for cello and orchestra "Concerto in Do". In 2005 he won the Prize for the best stage work (ballet "Desdemona") at the composers' competition organized by the Lithuanian Composers' Union, in 2012 another prize for Concerto for Cello and Symphony Orchestra No.3 at the same competition. In 2008 the composer was awarded the prize of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

His music is regularly performed at various festivals in Lithuania and abroad: VI Musik-Biennal in Berlin (1977), Cello-Festival in Kronberg (1977, 2002, 2006, Germany), Warsaw Autumn (1978, Poland), International Festival Echternach (1978, Luxembourg), Music Festival Edinburgh (1987, UK), Schleswig-Holstein Festival (1992, 2006, Germany), Musica Iudaica (1993, Prague), II International Jewish Music Festival (1993, Ukraine), Norrtelje Kammarmusikfestival (1995, Sweden), Baltische Woche in Boswil (1996, Switzerland), ArtGenda (1996, Denmark), Kogojevi Dnevi (1996, Slovenia), Baltic Arts (1996, UK), Music of Our Age (1996, Hungary), World New Music Days (2000, Luxembourg), Europäischer Musik Sommer in Berlin (2000), Festival of Dialogue between Four Cultures in Lodz (2004, Poland), Our Europe in Edinburgh (2004), etc. In 2004 Šenderovas was composer-in-residence at the Osnabrück Music Festival (Germany); in the same year he was also invited as an honorary guest to the Europäischer Musik Sommer in Berlin. In 2005 he was guest composer at the 54. Festival Pablo Casals in Prades (France) and the International Cello Congress in Kobe (Japan); in 2006 guest composer at the Internationales Gitarren Festival in Münster (Germany). Šenderovas' works were presented in 3 portrait concerts of his symphonic music in the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall (1995, 1998, 2005), 8 portrait concerts of his chamber music in Lithuania, Israel, Germany, Canada and the UK. His music has also been performed in concerts in many European countries, the USA, New Zealand, South Africa, and elsewhere. His works are part of the repertoire of many prominent performers, among them David Geringas, Geir Draugsvoll, Mircea Ardeleanu, Elsbeth Moser, Jeff Moore, Cecile Peryol, Mark Drobinsky, Misha Machtin, Tamami Honma, Reinbert Evers, Emperor Quartet, Edinburgh Chamber Orchestra, and numerous Lithuanian performers.

Penetrating in expression, Anatolijus Šenderovas' music displays a rich palette of timbres, dynamics and textures. A powerful dramatic element combines with an expansive sense of time. The composer was not attached to a single composing method; essentially characterized by moderate modern idiom, his music utilizes a variety of contemporary composing techniques.