Šarūnas Nakas (born August 2, 1962) is a Lithuanian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, essayist,

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

, filmmaker and broadcaster. A student of Julius Juzeliūnas at the

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

, he graduated in 1986 before going to Poland for further study between 1988 and 1991; he has also worked at the

IRCAM IRCAM (French: ''Ircam, '', English: Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) is a French institute dedicated to the research of music and sound, especially in the fields of Avant-garde music, avant garde and Electroacoustic ...

in Paris (1998). Meanwhile, he followed classes with Witold Lutoslawski,

Louis Andriessen Louis Joseph Andriessen (; 6 June 1939 – 1 July 2021) was a Dutch composer, pianist and academic teacher. Considered the most influential Dutch composer of his generation, he was a central proponent of The Hague school of composition. Although ...

and

Gérard Grisey Gérard Henri Grisey (; ; 17 June 1946 – 11 November 1998) was a twentieth-century French composer of contemporary classical music. His work is often associated with the Spectralist Movement in music, of which he was a major pioneer. Biograp ...

. In 1982, Nakas founded the Vilnius New Music Ensemble, with which he has toured in 15 European countries and Canada for eighteen consecutive years. Nakas was also artistic director of the ''Gaida'' contemporary music festival (1996) and ''Musica Ficta'' festival (1997), both in Vilnius. In 2001 he wrote a textbook on contemporary music, the first of its kind in Lithuania. Between 2000 and 2007 he was a musical editor of the cultural monthly ''Kultūros barai'' in Vilnius. Since 2002 he's hosting programs about contemporary music on Lithuanian radio. Since 2011, he has been moderating the online magazine for contemporary musi
modus-radio.com
Since 2005, he has worked on multi-channel video installations, using his own music as soundtrack. In 2012, Nakas founded the Šarūnas Nakas' Multimedia Quintet. He was co-curator of the international art exhibition Dialogues of Colour and Sound. Works by M. K. Čiurlionis and his contemporaries in Vilnius (2009). Nakas was awarded the Lithuanian National Arts and Culture Prize in 2007, and has received numerous other awards for his work.

Selected compositions

* ''Merz-machine'' for virtual orchestra (1985) or six pianos (1997) * ''Vox-machine'' for virtual choir (1985) * ''Ricercars'' for seven amplified instruments (1985) * ''Motet'' for five voices (1985) * ''Arcanum'' for viola and organ (1987) * ''Sarmatia'' for organ (1990) * ''And this Tranquillity'' for voice, singing violinist, singing trombonist and singing pianist (1991) * ''Fluctus semigallorum'' for actress, soprano, bass, viola and trombone (1991) * ''Cenotaph'' for chamber ensemble (1995) * ''Crypt'' for percussion and double-bass (1996) * ''Chronon'' for clarinet, trumpet, piano, percussion, cello and double-bass (1997) * ''Ziqquratu'' for flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin and cello (1998) * ''Vilne'' for tenor, four horns, two pianos and percussion (1998) * ''Ziqquratu-2'' for percussion, chamber ensemble and electronics (1999) * ''Fight and Escape'' for ensemble (1999) * ''Aporia'' for three chamber groups (2001) * ''The Cup of Grail'' for clarinet and two percussion (2001) * ''Drang nach Westen. A New Sermon to the Barbarians'' for large ensemble (2003) * ''Eyes Dazzled by the North'' for chamber ensemble (2004) * ''Nude'' for large orchestra (2004) * ''Crown'' for wind orchestra (2005) * ''Dreamlike Venice, a Flammable Hurricane of Love'' for violin, soprano, baritone, two actors and chamber orchestra (2006) * ''Reliquary'' for voice, electric zither and oboe (2008) * ''Icon of Fire'' for chamber ensemble or piano solo (2008) * ''Resistance'' for large orchestra (2009) * ''Kitman'' for piano (2012) * ''Tuba mirum'' for tuba and 10 brass (2012) * ''Machine désirante'' for cello and 17 strings (2015) * ''Target'' for seven cellos (2017) * ''Hymn'' for piano, harpsichord and organ (2017) * ''Merz-Machine-Postlude'' for any number of keyboards (2017) * ''Vilne'' for voices, piano, percussion and electronics, lyrics by Moshe Kulbak (2017 m.) * ''A Woman Under the Influence'' session for a set of kanklės and winds (2017) * ''Silence and the Mirror'' for kannel and kanklės (2022) * ''Women's Gaze'' session for two orchestras (2022) * ''very simply'' for birbynė and kanklės (2023) * ''Mélisande'' for violin, cello and piano (2024)

Multimedial works

* ''At Heaven's Door'' performance (2000) * ''Falling Portraits, Broken Hearts, Eternal Victims'' performance (2002) * ''Sanguis Is Blood'' performance (2003) * ''I Was Shot'' performance (2003) * ''Painting on Sky'' installation (2005) * ''Aporia'' 3-channel video and music installation (2006) * ''The Gospel According to Blacksmith Ignotas'' 7-channel video and music installation (2007) * ''100 hi-STORIES: The National Museum of Musical Legends'' multimedia installation with series of short silent experimental movies (2008-ongoing) * ''Čiurlionis as Composer: Soundscapes'' educational multimedia installation (2009) * ''Ziqquratu-3'' for performer, multi-percussionist, live- and pre-programmed electronics, and video (2012) * ''Delirium of Apollo'' for piano, kanklės (zither), prerecorded voice and transmitting objects (2015) * ''La fenêtre mystique'' for piano and transmitting objects (2015) * ''Vilne'' for voices, piano, percussion and electronics (2017) * ''Cipher'' for piano, percussion, musique concrète and radio noises (2017) * ''Vibrations Cosmiques'' for piano, synthesizer, percussion, electric guitar, contrabass clarinet and electronics (2018) * ''A Woman Under The Influence'' performance with installation for woman instrumentalist and male performer (2019) * ''How It Is'' for voice and electronics (2021) * ''Strip-Tease Intégral'' for electric violin, electric cello and silent performer (2025)

Recordings

Nude
(2007) chamber and orchestral music (CD)
Eyes Dazzled by the North
(2012) chamber music (CD)
Ziqquratu
(2012) electronic music (CD) and multimedia works (DVD)
At Heaven's Door
(2016) chamber music and musique concrète *Cipher (2017) chamber and electroacoustic music (CD) also in:
Experimental Music
(1997) incl. ''Merz Machine'' (tape music version)

(2001) incl. ''Merz Machine'' (six pianos version)
Zoom in: new music from Lithuania
(2002) incl. ''Chronon''
Zoom in 2: new music from Lithuania
(2003) incl. ''Aporia''
Gaida
(2005) incl. ''Aporia'' and ''Drang nach Westen. A New Sermon to the Barbarians''
Zoom in 5: new music from Lithuania
(2007) incl. ''Crown''
Zoom in 8: New Music from Lithuania
(2010) incl. ''Icon of Fire''

References

Biography

External links

Šarūnas Nakas: A Maverick from the 'Peripheral Village'. The composer in conversation with Asta Pakarklytė, 2008

Essays by Šarūnas Nakas on modus-radio.com

Profile with music samples on mxl.lt

Pieces by Šarūnas Nakas on soundcloud.com

Final part from the ''Dreamlike Venice, a Flaming Hurricane of Love'', 2006

Performance of ''Merz-machine'' for six pianos live in London, May 14, 2008

''Ziqquratu-3'' (with video), 2012

''Ziqquratu-3'': Secret Thirteen Mix 067, 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakas, Sarunas 1962 births Living people 20th-century Lithuanian classical composers 21st-century classical composers Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Lithuanian male classical composers Contemporary classical composers 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians