FREE Cello & Piano Recital: Maria Zachariadou and Ugnius Pauliukonis

Maria and Ugnius will be bringing a varied programme to life in their Cello and Piano recital from contemporary Ukrainian composer Sivestrov to Bach and Vaughan Willams via Greek composer Theodorakis ending with a firey tango by Piazzolla.

Postlude Valentin Silvestrov (born 1937) (for cello and piano)

Viola da Gamba Sonata No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029 J.S Bach (1685-1750)

I Vivace

II Adagio

III Allegro

Nearly Waltz, Op. 98 Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020)

Six studies in English Folk Song Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

I Adagio “Lovely on the Water”

II Andante sostenuto “Spurn Point”

III Larghetto “Van Diemen’s Land”

IV Lento “She Borrowed Some Of Her Mother’s Gold”

V Andante tranquillo “The Lady and the Dragon”

VI Allegro vivace “As I Walked Over London Bridge”

East of the Aegean Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021)

Le Grand Tango for Cello and Piano Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Cellist Maria Zachariadou is Assistant Principal of the BBC Philharmonic since 2017. Principal guest appearances include RSNO, CBSO and Opera North, among others. She had previously been a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London where, in 2014, founded the acclaimed Philharmonia Chamber Players.

With a great passion for chamber music, Maria also toured Japan twice with her baroque group La Sfera Musicale to critical acclaim and released the CD “Baroque Dialogues” on Waon Records.

Maria studied in Stockholm (with Mats Rondin), London (with Melissa Phelps) and Düsseldorf, where she completed her Konzertexamen Solo/Dip with distinction with Johannes Goritzki and Nicolaus Trieb. During her time in Germany, her piano trio “Melange” won different regional prizes and performed extensively in the country. Maria played in Masterclasses (with Ralph Kirschbaum, Frans Helmersson, David Geringas, Truls Mørk, among others) and in festivals – Paxos and Samos music festivals in Greece, Mendelssohn on Mull in Scotland and Holland Music Sessions.

She also obtained a Winter residency at the Banff Center of Arts in Canada and a semester at the University of Bloomington in the US. Her experience as a music Professor includes the Royal College of Music in London.

She plays on an F. Ravatin cello kindly loaned to her from the Järnåker Foundation in Sweden.

Maria is now based in Manchester where she lives with Rino and their son Nicholas.

Edward Seckerson, British Journalist and Music Critic

One of the leading pianists of Lithuania’s new generation, Ugnius enjoys a wide-ranging career performing and teaching. After finishing his studies in Lithuania, Ugnius moved to the United Kingdom to study at the Royal Northern College of Music where he graduated in 2018 and is currently based in Manchester.

Ugnius has won numerous awards, including the RNCM Gold Medal, and the Silver Medal Award by the Worshipful Musicians Company UK for excellence in performance.

Amongst many other successes, Ugnius has been a winner of the Phillip & Dorothy Green Young Artist award for 2018-2020, which supports artists by providing numerous performance opportunities around the UK.

Ugnius’ musical career covers a wide range of areas. A passionate Chamber Musician, Ugnius is a founding member of a flexy form chamber music group ‘SONO ensemble’ based in Manchester.

He performs with various orchestras too, including the BBC Philharmonic, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, and Kaunas State Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Ugnius has performed recitals at the Bridgewater Hall, Wigmore Hall London, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Lithuanian National Philharmonic, amongst other venues.

Ugnius is a passionate music educator too. He is teaching at his private piano studio in the heart of Manchester and runs his highly successful Youtube Channel, exploring key aspects of piano playing, sharing piano tips, techniques and many other things related to Music and Piano Performance.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Forsyth Brothers Limited, 126 Deansgate, Manchester, United Kingdom