Martynas Levickis likes to call his instrument a ‘box of magic tricks’. And it’s true: when this Lithuanian musician straps on his accordion and begins to play the audience often falls silent, spellbound as if watching an amazing magic show. The soundscapes that Levickis succeeds in prising from his ‘box of tricks’ are truly as varied as they are unexpected and masterly. Levickis is a man with a single mission: to at last secure for his eternally underestimated instrument the renown that it deserves. And he could hardly be more successful. The Independent had this to say about him: “The unbelievably talented Martynas Levickis, the man who is single-handedly reinventing the accordion“. While Classic FM declared: “This brilliant Lithuanian accordion player has captured the attention of the world of music and has caused people to see his instrument in a new light, realising that it is capable of great emotional expression”.

Levickis‘ career began in the dense woods of Lithuania, where he was already imitating the birds and the sound of the trees with his accordion at the age of three. When he was eight he then attended the S. Sondeckis School of the Arts in his hometown of Šiauliai before later going on to study under Owen Murray at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

The steep trajectory of Levickis‘ career as the ambassador of the accordion speeded up further when he won the casting show ‘Lithuania’s Got Talent’ in 2010, becoming a superstar in his own country and thus finally proving that he and his instrument deserved international attention. This was followed by a debut album with Decca Classics – Levickis was the first accordionist to sign with the label – and this shot immediately to number one in the British classical music charts. He also received more than 30 international awards for his work, including first place in the Coupe Mondiale World Accordion Championships.

In 2020 released the album with Vivaldi´s “Four Seasons” to be followed by Piazzolla´s “Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas” (accentus 2021). 2023 marks the release of his first solo album “Autograph” (accentus) featuring pieces by P. Glass, J.S. Bach, F. Angelis and folk song compositions by Martynas Levickis himself. The OPUS KLASSIK awards Martynas Levickis as “Instrumentalist of the Year 2023” for this album.

Today Martynas Levickis is one of the most sought-after accordion soloists in the world. His many appearances have included performances with the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Sinfonieorchester des Hessischen Rundfunks, Kammerakademie Potsdam,  City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the National Philharmonic Orchestra Vilnius. Guest performance venues have included the Royal Albert Hall, the Wigmore Hall, the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico and the Seoul Arts Centre and festivals such as Bath, the Dresden Music Festival, the Thuringia Bach Festival, Bremen Music Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Gaida, the International Chamber Music Festival Utrecht, the MDR Musiksommer, Heidelberger Frühling and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. His musical partners include Iveta Apkalna, Benjamin Appl, Andris Nelsons,  Andrés Orozco-Estrada and Clemens Schuldt.

In 2023 Levickis was “Preisträger in Residence” of the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and has presented the great diversity of his instrument in over 25 concerts.

However his success as a soloist only describes part of what distinguishes Martynas Levickis as a musician. He is also so much more: educator, promoter, conductor and composer and just some of the roles that he has, seemingly in passing. Levickis established an academy for composers of accordion music and for several years also organised a festival for these composers in Vilnius. In the ‘Mikroorkéstra’ he brought to life an ensemble with which he fills stadiums across the Baltic region at shows that he conceived and produced himself and that provide an impressive showcase for his limitless creativity. Levickis also systematically promotes up and coming accordion players internationally. 

It is therefore a great honour for him that his alma mater has appointed him “Visiting Professor” at the Royal Academy of Music.

In the 2023-2024 season, Martynas Levickis will no doubt continue to inspire countless people to play the accordion. 

In Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Martynas Levickis is a guest with four different projects; a tour with the Festival Strings Lucerne and Bomsori Kim takes him to Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen; the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra starts the year 2024 with Martynas Levickis in the New Year’s Concert; he follows invitations to Antalya, Seoul and Malta as well as re-invitations to the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Istanbul Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival and Grafenegg Festival, where he takes part in the big TV opening gala. 

In December 2023, Martynas Levickis delights his Lithuanian audience with his “Cinema Show”.

This should give the magician and his musical box of tricks enough opportunities to enchant his audience again.

An ARTE TV film team will accompany Martynas Levickis throughout 2023 and produce a portrait of him that will be broadcast in 2024.

Season 2023 / 2024