Liudas Jakavicius-Grimalauskas was a famous Lithuanian pianist, composer and theatre director
Background
He was son of the writer and banker and Liudvikas Jakavičius and of Honorata Grimalauskaitė-Jakavičienė, daughter of a Polish-Lithuanian Duke. Liudas Jakavičius-Grimalauskas was the son of Lithuanians, but he was born in Riga, Latvia where his father had all his business.
Education
Liudas Jakavičius-Grimalauskas began studying drama and music with private tutors at the age four and graduated as pianist from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Kaunas Conservatoire).
Career
The Jakavičius-Grimalauskas family was one of the most prominent families in Latvia. He was a disciple of the noted composer, pianist and educator Dmitry Kabalevsky. From 1926 to 1940 he worked as theatre director in the Šiauliai Drama Theatre and as a pianist in radio (Kaunas Radio and Šiauliai Radio) and with different orchestras and bands, giving concerts throughout Northern Europe (Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Norway), earning recognition as a musician in his home country and abroad.
During this period (1926–1940) he was pianist of the Kaunas Laisvės Philharmonic, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Hofmekleris Orchestra, Concert Capella (band), and Pomerancas Orchestra (band).
In 1933 he composed the first Lithuanian tango, called "Sutemos tango". With the invasion of Lithuania by Nazi Germany in 1941, he was designated president of the Šiauliai Drama Theatre until the government sent a new permanent president
After his presidency of the Šiauliai Drama Theatre, he worked for the German Army as translator because of his fluency in eight languages (Lithuanian, Latvian, German, Polish, Czechoslovakian, Italian, Spanish and Russian). Also he worked as a pianist in the famous Alvear Palace Hotel.
Due to poor health, he formally retired from music in 1967.
He died on 3 July 1998 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.