MILDA DAUNORAITE | The Forerunners, composers who leapt into the new

Young Lituanian pianist Milda Daunoraite performs a varied and engaging piano recital at the St Mary's Church Twickenham

Milda Daunoraite performed for Kettner Concerts at the National Liberal Club in 2021 when she was praised for her scintillating recital and the sheer enjoyment and exhilaration of her 'joie de vivre'. The young Lithuanian pianist is continuing her studies with Professor Tessa Nicholson at the Royal Academy of Music on a full-tuition scholarship.

PROGRAMME

1802
BEETHOVEN Bagatelles op. 33

By 1802 Beethoven had established a reputation as Vienna's greatest piano virtuoso. He was pushing boundaries, restless, intense and unconventional, a bold new voice who used the piano to express his most profound musical thoughts.

1822
SCHUBERT The Wanderer Fantasy in C major op. 15

Schubert, famed for his poetic melodies and full of surprises, was attached to the Wanderer theme and based this work on his own Der Wanderer lied that he had composed in 1816.

1911
RAVEL Valses nobles et sentimentales

Ravel chose to follow an independent path rather than submit to the strict musical conservatism of the Paris Conservatoire and embraced elements from early, classical and modernist music.

1932–34
POULENC Improvisations

Poulenc was a virtuoso pianist and songwriter who enjoyed incorporating vibrant elements from popular music, jazz and cabaret culture in his compositions.

1944
MESSIAEN Le Baiser de L'Enfant-Jésus from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus

This long meditation on the childhood of Christ is the best known of all Messiaen's works. We hear just one movement.


Milda Daunoraite's musical journey has been generously supported by The Munster Trust, Keyboard Charitable Trust, Hattori Foundation, SOS Talents Foundation – MS, and the M. Rostropovich Foundation. Milda has perfor med extensively across Europe, including at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the UN Headquarters in Geneva, and is a winner of numerous competitions, s uch as the V. Krainev Piano Competition and the Royal Academy of Music’s 2023 Sterndale Bennett Piano Prize. She was also awarded the RAM’s prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship.

Recently, she has appeared at Laeiszhalle, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Palermo Classica Festival in Italy, Biarritz Piano Festival, Deal Music & Arts Festival, and Petworth Festival. As winner of The Purcell School Concerto Competition, she performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Following a profile feature by EMCY, she performed V. Bacevičius’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with the LNSO at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic that was broadcast across Europe by Euroradio. In October 2025 Milda had her Wigmore Hall debut celebrating three French composers: Ravel, Boulez and Messiaen. Experienced in a wide range of ensemble settings, Milda has worked closely with distinguished artists such as Barbara Hannigan and Levon Chilingirian, enriching her interpretative depth and collaborative skills.