Hailed by the UK’s Independent newspaper as “amazingly talented… the man who is single-handedly reinventing the accordion”, Martynas Levickis is one of the world’s leading exponents of the instrument. Acclaimed for his virtuosity and versatility in the classical and contemporary repertoire, Martynas is the recipient of more than 30 international awards. Both solo and in collaboration with internationally renowned instrumentalists and orchestras, Martynas continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his musicality, charisma and dynamic performances.
“The amazingly talented Martynas Levickis, the man who is single-handedly reinventing the accordion” The Independent
“The brilliant young Lithuanian accordionist is making the music world sit up and reevaluate his instrument as one capable of great expression and emotion” Classic FM
“Come and hear the past, reinvented” Manchester Camerata
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.
Today Martynas Levickis is one of the most sought-after accordion soloists in the world. His many appearances have included performances with the HR-Sinfonieorchester, the 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. Past and future musical partners include Iveta Apkalna, Benjamin Appl, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Anu Tali, Kian Soltani, Harriet Krijgh and Avi Avital. In 2020 Levickis was made the ‘Prize-winner in Residence’ at Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – an honour he will have for a second time in 2023.
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 stadia 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.
In the 2022-2023 season, Martynas Levickis will no doubt continue to inspire countless people to play the accordion. In August, Martynas will make his debut at the Rheingau Musik and Grafenegg Festivals. In addition to his busy concert schedule in Lithuania, he is scheduled to perform at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Berlin Konzerthaus, with the Stuttgart Philharmonic, at the Kurhaus Wiesbaden (with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra), among others, before Martynas starts his residency at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival with concerts with the NDR Radiophilharmonie.
This should give the magician and his musical box of tricks enough opportunities to enchant his audience again.
Season 2021 / 2022
