Ignalina District Tourism Information Center

Kogan / Bank Duo

Concerts

More than a quarter of a century ago, violinist Atis Bankas moved to Canada from Lithuania. After winning a huge selection, he began playing in the Toronto National Symphony Orchestra.

The violinist has performed as a soloist in Canada, Europe, the United States, Korea, Japan, as well as with orchestras conducted by Neeme Järvi, Iona Brown, Sir Andrew Davis, and JoAnn Falletta and others.

A longtime member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Atis Bank is the first violinist of the Gould String Quartet, a member of the Potsdam Trio, founder of the Ensemble CamerAtis, founder and artistic director of the Canadian Chamber Academy Orchestra, and artistic director of the Music Niagara Festival (Canada).

For the first time, Atis Bank received international attention by winning an international violin competition in Tallinn, Estonia. After graduating from the Lithuanian Conservatory of Music, he continued his studies at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow. His main teachers are Viktor Radovich and Semyon Snitkovsky (students of David Oistrakh).

For its musical contribution, Atis Bank was included in the International St. Order of the Knights of George. 2017 The violinist has been awarded the prestigious Christopher Newton Award for Extraordinary Business Vision - his Music Niagara Festival has become one of the most important and valued music festivals in Canada.

Victoria Kogan is the granddaughter of famous violinists Leonid Kogan and Elizabeth Gilels. Victoria started playing the piano at the age of just five. A year later, the young pianist made her debut in the Small Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.

"A remarkably good performer" - conductor Yuri Temirkanov.

"The performer is endowed with unlimited musicality, unique talent and skills" - pianist Mikhail Pletnev.

As a soloist, Victoria has performed with orchestras in major concert halls - the Great Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the Concertgebouw, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Meistersinger Hall, the San Carlo Theater in Naples, Salle Pleyel in Paris, and more. The artist often performs in Russia, the USA, Canada, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, Egypt, France and Korea.

Victoria Kogan is a winner of Stravinsky, Andorra, Minneapolis and Korean pianist competitions.