Marius Reklaitis, Director of the orchestra

Marius Reklaitis, a Lithuanian born conductor and founder of Kent Philharmonic Orchestra. Marius graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University with an Honours in Music before pursuing Conducting Studies at Masters level. He has participated in several international competitions in Europe, notably winning the National Maxima Scholarship, which was presented by the First Lady, Alma Adamkiene and the former President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus. Marius was also a finalist of international Lanyi conducting competition in Serbia.

As a conductor, Marius has been fortunate to have worked with orchestras including the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of New York, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Pärnu Linnaorkester / Pärnu City Orchestra, Berlin Sinfonietta, Hamburg Camerata, North Czech Philharmonic, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra, South London Sinfonietta and Canterbury Christ Church Symphony and String orchestras. Marius has also worked with talented musicians from all around the world including musicians from Opéra National du Rhin, Lithuanian National Opera, Britten’s Sinfonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked alongside Oliver and Tony award nominee choreographer and opera director, Terry John Bates.

Marius is an artistic director of the international music festival in Lithuania, ‘Kulturos Savate’, an honorary chairman of Canterbury Arts Council and musical director of Kent Chamber Opera. Marius was a guest conductor at the Mendelsohn International Music Festival in 2019 and international Canterbury Festival in 2021.

One of Marius’s proudest achievements were performances in the Royal Albert Hall, the Lithuanian National Opera House, the Vienna Musikverein, and Canterbury Cathedral.

“Marius has a lot of natural musicianship and his enthusiasm for music results in him being a strong motivator when working in front of the orchestra.”

— Professor Colin Metters Hon RAM

Stephen Bryant, Leader

Stephen Bryant was born in Croydon, London and began playing the piano at the age of 5 and the violin at 6. At 18, he won a joint first study scholarship to the Royal College of Music studying violin with Professors Kenneth Piper and Hugh Bean – both pupils of the great English violinist, Albert Sammons and piano with Professor Angus Morrison. Whilst there, he won every violin prize open to him and, in addition the medal of The Worshipful Company of Musicians, two Leverhulme Scholarships, the Craxton Trust Award and first prize in the Royal Overseas League Competition. After further study with Professor David Takeno he was appointed co-leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 24 – a position he held until taking up his present post of Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 1992.

In addition to his BBC role he is in demand as a guest leader and has led all the major British orchestras and a number of orchestras in America, Europe and Asia. As a concertmaster he has collaborated with some of the world’s finest conductors including Pierre Boulez,
Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Witold Lutoslawski, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Michael Tippett, Maxim Shostakovich, Klaus Tennstedt, Sir Andrew Davis, Sakari Oramo and the late Jiri Belohlavek.

artists of residence:

Kamile Zaveckaite, Piano

Lithuanian Pianist Kamile Zaveckaite born in 1996 graduated National M.K.Čiurlionis school of arts in 2015 with a diploma of honour and at the same year successfully joined F.Liszt‘s Academy of Music in Weimar (Germany), where she studies under Prof. Grigory Gruzman. During this year she won numerous national and international solo and chamber music competitions which lead her to an honour of getting awarded twice for her achievements by the president of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite.

From 2014 Kamile is an annual guest at the famous french piano festival "Piano aux Jacobins" (Toulouse, France), where young pianist shares the stage with some of today's most celebrated pianists such as Martha Argerich, Lukas Geniušas, Lucas Debargue, François Dumont, Arcadi Volodos and others. Winner of more than 10 national and international solo piano competitions, Kamile can also be proud of her latest succes becoming a grant holder of Richard Wagner Scholarship (Bayreuth Association).

Her concert career lead her already to the Baltic States, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czechia and Croatia. Kamile has performed with Jenaer Philharmonie Symphony Orchestra as well with Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra conducted by Martynas Staškus.

ROMANAS KUDRIASOVAs, BARITONE

Lithuanian baritone Romanas Kudriašovas has been described by The Telegraph as having a "voice with shades of Alan Rickman in speech and John Shirley-Quirk in song — that certainly catches the ear".

In the 2019/20 season, Mr. Kudriašovas made his role debuts as Frédéric in Lakmé at Theatre Valladolid in Spain, and as Prince Yeletski in The Queen of Spades at the Vilnius City Opera in Lithuania.

Recent performances include his return to Glyndebourne to reprise the role of Le Surintendant des plaisirs in Massenet's Cendrillon, a part he has sung for Glyndebourne on Tour in 2018, his Vilnius City Opera debut performing Sagrestano in Tosca, his return to Amy Lane‘s acclaimed production of Tosca for a run at the Abu Dhabi Festival alongside Kristine Opolais, Vittorio Grigolo and Sir Bryn Terfel as well as Polyphemus in Handel’s Acis and Galatea at the Baroque Opera Theatre of Lithuania.

Other roles of the previous seasons include The Footman in Barber‘s Vanessa at the 2018 Glyndebourne Festival, where he also covered the role of Conte d’Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Commissionario in La traviata for Glyndebourne on Tour, Eolo in La fida Ninfa for the Lithuanian Baroque Opera Theater, Lockit in The Beggar’s Opera and Antenor in Dardanus with the European Opera Centre, Valens in Theodora with the Sacred Opera Berlin, Mr. X in Kalman’s Zirkusprinzessin with the State Music Theatre in Klaipėda (Lithuania), Bill in Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny with the Hamburger Symphoniker, and Elviro in Serse for Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy.

In the Oratorio repertoire Mr. Kudriašovas has recently sung the bass solo in Bach’s Magnificat at Laeiszhalle in Hamburg with the Hamburger Symphoniker, conducted by Sir Roger Norrington. He has also performed at venues such as the Luxembourg Philharmonic Hall, The Rudolfinum in Prague, the new Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall, Kanazawa Hall, Tokyo Opera City, Singapore Philharmonic, the Beijing Forbidden City Concert Hall, among others.

Mr. Kudriašovas has given recitals and solo concerts throughout Germany and the UK, at the Royal Opera House in Oman, Teatro Vittoria in Turin with Coin du Roi baroque orchestra, as well as in his home country of Lithuania, where he frequently performs at the National Philharmonic Halls of Vilnius and Kaunas. This year Mr. Kudriašovas presents a programme dedicated to the renowned 20th century baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

Born in 1988, Romanas Kudriašovas studied singing at the Music and Theatre Academy in Lithuania, Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg, the Wales International Academy of Voice with Dennis O'Neill and Nuccia Focile and at the London National Opera Studio. Supplementing his education, he has trained at the Georg Solti Bel Canto Academy with Leo Nucci, Barbara Frittoli, and Richard Bonynge, as well as taking masterclasses with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

Concert Management

Kamile Zaveckaite
Orchestra Manager

Viktoras Gerasimovas
Concerts and Planning Director

Ieva Caulfield
Development Director

Paulius Zeimys
Marketing and Communications Director

Marius Reklaitis
Education & Community Director

Michelle Wadforth
PA to the Executive