Darius Klisys

Darius Klišys is a pioneering Lithuanian birbynė artist, early music performer, composer and recording artist, with 30 albums to his name spanning early, Baroque and experimental music. The birbynė is a traditional Lithuanian woodwind instrument, sometimes described internationally as a type of hornpipe. Klišys is also a Voting Member of the Recording Academy / GRAMMY®. In 2004, Darius Klišys founded the ensemble Reversio. The ensemble’s distinctive idea — performing early European music on traditional Lithuanian instruments — became its artistic signature. The expressive and contrasting sound of the birbynė reveals surprising affinities with historical wind instruments such as the cornetto, recorder, Baroque oboe and chalumeau. In April 2009, Klišys won the YouTube Symphony Orchestra competition, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, and was invited to the YTSO Summit to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. This marked a historic moment for the birbynė, introducing the instrument to a global symphonic platform at Carnegie Hall.