Diana Galvydyte
2009 Winner
Diana has given a number of solo performances in the UK, Lithuania, Netherlands, France, Italy and USA. Diana's recent engagements included performances at the Windsor Festival with the Philharmonia Orchestra and at the Vilnius Philharmonic Hall with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra broadcasted live by Lithuanian National Television. In November 2009 Diana made her USA debut performing Elgar's Violin Concerto with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra.
Diana has also appeared with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Madeira Classical Orchestra, Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra, The New Professionals Orchestra, Charkov Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian National and State Symphony Orchestras which enabled her to work with conductors including Martyn Brabbins, Neil Thomson, John Farrer, Juozas Domarkas, Robertas Servenikas and Saulius Sondeckis.
Diana's recent appearances include Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall's Purcell Room, St.James's Piccadilly as Park Lane Group Young Artist 2012 and live on BBC Radio 3. Diana has also given recitals in venues such as Cadogan Hall as part of the Chelsea Festival, , Hall Pasteur at La Corum in Montpellier for the Radio France Festival in 2009, Chamber Hall of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Theater Diligentia in the Hague and in 2004, to mark Lithuania's inauguration into the EU, represented her country at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. In 2010 Diana was chosen to represent the Baltic Nations at the U.S.-Baltic Foundation’s Annual Gala held in Washington DC.
Diana was born in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1984 and received her early musical education at the Ciurlionis Gymnasium of Art in Vilnius. Since 2000 Diana studied with Prof. Natalia Boyarsky at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and at the Royal College of Music in London obtaining a Masters Degree in Performance with Distinction.
Diana has also participated in masterclasses at the Kronberg Academy, IMS Prussia Cove and the Holland Music Sessions, receiving coaching from Christian Tetzlaff, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Gerhard Schulz, Rudolf Koelman, Miriam Fried, Midori, Zakhar Bron, Mstislav Rostropovich, Petru Munteanu, Lewis Kaplan and Zvi Zeitlin.
Diana is a prize-winner of 16 international competitions for young artists including becoming a laureate of the Jasha Heifetz International Competition in Lithuania and winning the Windsor Festival International String Competition in October 2009 which offered her two recitals for the William Walton Trust in Ischia, La Mortella. Diana was also a finalist in the Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Competition and was awarded the prize for the best interpretation of the contemporary set work. In Denmark Diana was awarded the 'European Prize for Achievement'.
Diana is a recipient of Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation Award, Martin Musical Scholarship Fund Award, Hattori Foundation Award and Musicians Benevolent Fund Music Education Award. She is also a winner of the 2007 Philip & Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists, awarded by the Making Music Federation.
Due to her international performing success the president of the Lithuanian Republic, Algirdas Brazauskas, awarded Diana with a special commendation: ‘These awards are in recognition of your successful efforts in promoting our Homeland Lithuania throughout the World’.
Website: http://www.dianagalvydyte.com