Biography:

Osvaldas Jonas Balakauskas (19 December 1937 – 15 April 2026) was a Lithuanian composer of classical music and diplomat.

Career

Balakauskas was born on 19 December 1937.[1] He graduated from Vilnius Pedagogical University in 1961.[2] After his mandatory service in the Soviet Army between 1961 and 1964, he studied composition with Boris Lyatoshinsky and Myroslav Skoryk at the Kiev Conservatory until 1969.[2] From 1992 to 1994 he was the ambassador of Lithuania to France, Spain and Portugal (resident in Paris).[3] In 1996 he was awarded the Lithuanian National Award, the highest artistic and cultural distinction in Lithuania. He was the head of the composition department of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. His output consists of symphonies, concertos, chamber and instrumental music.

Balakauskas died on 15 April 2026, aged 88.[4]

Music

Important works include Sonata of the Mountains inspired by the paintings of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1975), Symphony No. 2 (1979), Opera Strumentale (1987) and Symphonies No. 4 (1998) and No. 5 (2001), the last two named works having been recently recorded by Naxos Records.

Credits: