Vytautas Landsbergis

Vytautas LANDSBERGIS

Vytautas Landsbergis was born in Kaunas on October 18, 1932 in the family of  architect Vytautas Landsbergis-Žemkalnis and ophthalmologist Ona Jablonskytė-Landsbergienė. Having finished secondary school and J. Gruodis  Music School in his native city, he entered the State Conservatoire in Vilnius in  1950, graduated in 1955 and has been living in the Lithuanian capital ever since.

In 1952, while still a student,  V. Landsbergis took up a teaching post and held  it until March 1990: he taught piano at Vilnius M. K. Čiurlionis Music School, State Conservatoire and its Klaipėda faculties as well as at Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. In 1969 he defended his thesis “Composer M. K. Čiurlionis’ Creative Work”.  From 1978 to 1990  he held  a professorship at  Lithuanian Music Academy where he wrote a thesis for his Doctor Habilitatus degree in 1994.

V. Landsbergis is a politician, art, music and culture historian who has published about 30 books mainly dealing with M. K. Čiurlionis creative work and later- global and Lithuanian political issues. He has edited and published all the piano works by M. K. Čiurlionis. V. Landsbergis is also known as a publicist, public figure, a long-standing member of  the Board and Secretariat of Lithuanian Composers’ Union and still holds the post of the Chairman of  M. K. Čiurlionis Society  and is the Honorary Chairman of Lithuanian Chess Federation.  V. Landsbergis has published poetry books as well as memoirs.  In 1975 V.Landsbergis was awarded the Lithuanian SSR prize for his  monograph “Čiurlionis’ Creative Work” and in 1988 for his monograph “Česlovas Sasnauskas’ Life and Work’. V. Landsbergis has been awarded  Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great , French Legion of Honour of the Second degree as well as honorary doctor degrees of many world famous universities, etc. V. Landsbergis has held the post of  the Chairman of the Board of  M. K. Čiurlionis International organ and piano  Competition since 1995.

Vytautas Landsbergis  was the first Head of State of Lithuania after  its independence declaration from the Soviet Union.