Grand Prix
Bachelor student Pijus Česaitis wins first prize in the ‘Music without limits’ competition in Lithuania
A bachelor student in Prof. Dr. Friedemann Eichhorn's violin class has achieved a great success. A few days ago, the young violinist Pijus Česaitis won first prize in the ‘Solo String Instrument’ category and the ‘Grand Prix’ in the ‘Solo Concerto with Orchestra’ category at the 25th International Competition ‘Music without limits’ in Druskininkai (Lithuania). He prevailed against more than 100 young musicians from all over the world.
In the final round, Pijus Česaitis played the first movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216. He was accompanied by the ‘Music Without Limits’ chamber orchestra conducted by Martynas Staškus. He also performed various solo works on the violin in the other category. The prize includes a recital in Kielce (Poland).
‘It's a wonderful feeling to be honoured,’ says the Weimar violin student. "For me, the prize is more of a small step on a long journey. More important to me than the award itself is the progress you make through intensive work and the opportunity to share music with others.‘
His main teacher, Prof. Dr. Friedemann Eichhorn, adds: ’I am very happy for Pijus, who, as one of the most outstanding Baltic musicians of his generation, has received these top prizes in his home country of Lithuania."
Pijus Česaitis began playing the violin in 2008 and showed exceptional talent and passion for music at an early age. In 2011, he was accepted into the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art School in Lithuania, where he studied first with Vaiva Vaškevičiūtė and later with Professor Ingrida Armonaitė.
He is the winner of numerous national and international competitions, including 2nd prize at the international competition ‘Mladi Virtuozi’ (2019), the Grand Prix at the International Balys Dvarionas Competition (2021) and 3rd prize with special awards at the International Kloster Schöntal Competition (2022).
Pijus performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and has appeared with the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra, the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra and the Čiurlionis School Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2022, he received the ‘Little St. Christopher’ prize from the Mayor of Vilnius for his achievements. He was also concertmaster of the school orchestra and was selected in 2024 as concertmaster for a concert of the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar under Maestro Vladimir Jurowski.
After graduating from the Čiurlionis School in 2023, Pijus continued his studies at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar with Prof. Dr. Friedemann Eichhorn. Since 2024, he has been a scholarship holder of the Yehudi Menuhin ‘Live Music Now’ programme, which is dedicated to bringing live music to a wider audience.