Yohei Nakajima – viola Rimantas Vingras – piano

The Programme

Yohei Nakajima – viola
Rimantas Vingras – piano

Märchenbilder for viola & piano, Op 113
i. Nicht schnell
ii. Lebhaft
iii. Rasch
iv. Langsam, mit melancholischem Ausdruck

Arpeggione Sonata, D 821
i. Allegro moderato
ii. Adagio
iii. Allegretto

The Artists

Yohei Nakajima is a violist who studied viola under Rivka Golani, and prior to that, the violin under Mayumi Fujikawa at Trinity College of Music in London. He is supported by several awards and scholarships and regularly performs recitals and chamber music across the UK and Japan, as well as in international Festivals in the UK, Spain, Japan, USA and Israel. Recent projects include the complete Bach Cello Suites, recitals of multiple violas (two/four violas quartet), and his Solomon Piano Quintet’s tour in UK and Japan.
Yohei teaches both the violin and viola to students of all ages. His unique approach has helped numerous students successfully complete Grade 8 (ABRSM / Trinity / Guildhall) within three years, and a number of them have also gone on to secure music scholarships at schools/colleges across the UK. Passionate about exploring new possibilities for the viola, Yohei has created and performed his own transcripts of arrangements for solo viola. He also collaborates on various projects with Rivka Golani.
Yohei holds a BA (Music), BMUS, FTCL (viola), LTCL (violin), and has also won several awards, including Winner – Barbirolli String Quartet prize (2011) and First Prize – Cavatina Chamber Music Competition (2009). He is a member of the String Committee of the Blackheath Music Festival. Yohei plays a Hungarian viola by Otto Erdesz.

Rimantas Vingras was born in Siauliai, Lithuania and studied piano at the Ciurlionis School of Arts in Vilnius. In 1996 he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with his first degree in piano performance. His education continued at the College-Conservatory of Music at University of Cincinnati, USA, to Master’s and Doctorate level.
Rimantas has given solo performances in Russia, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Germany, Switzerland, China, Japan and USA. As a soloist he performed with the London Mozart players and the Chamber Orchestra of the Lithuanian Academy of Music. He has also been active as an accompanist and has given numerous chamber music recitals. He has been teaching at Siauliai University, Lithuania and the Preparatory Department at the College – Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Since 2005 he has lived in London, where he is active as a soloist, accompanist and chamber music player.
Rimantas Vingras is an Artistic Director of the Baltic Music Festival in London and the International Piano Duo Festival in Šiauliai, Lithuania.