Where Are They Now? Pianist Ruta Kuzmickas
October 7, 2023
All Classical Radio celebrates the 10th anniversary of On Deck with Young Musicians by following up with 10 of the musicians who were interviewed in the first season of the show. The series is hosted by All Classical intern Jahlysa Azaret.
In our first episode, pianist Ruta Kuzmickas reacts to her interview from 10 years ago and talks to Jahlysa about her rebellious nature which pushes her to create both music AND visual art, and about her commitment to expressing gratitude. Ruta will also share her advice for young musicians.
Click here to listen to Ruta’s 2013 interview.
The following is Ruta’s 2023 bio:
Pianist Rūta Kuzmickas has established herself as an avid performer in both traditional and unconventional settings. Her engagements span from solo recitals to chamber and new music concerts that have taken her to venues in the United States and Europe. She has participated in masterclasses with noted artists such as Emanuel Ax, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Philipe Bianconi, and Frederic Chiu.
Born to a Lithuanian family in Utah, Rūta began her musical training at age 6 with Ekaterina Melkamini. Entering piano competitions by age 8, she made her debut as a concerto soloist with an orchestra at age 9. Her training continued with Dr. Jean-David Coen while in Portland, Rūta went on to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in piano performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University as a student of Dr. Robert Roux. Other studies have included work with pianist Ann Schein during her two consecutive summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School. In 2020, Rūta completed her Master’s degree at Rice University as a student of Dr. Jon Kimura Parker.
Rūta is an active multidisciplinary artist with a focus in music, poetry, visual art/illustration, and photography. Recent projects include recordings of the complete Chopin Ballades as well as a guest appearance for pianist Hunter Noack’s In A Landscape series. Her second book of poetry, Per Se Phone, has just been published by No Reply Press. Most recently, she has been songwriting and releasing music with Kenneth Edwards under the artist name Rū.
