Marius Reklaitis is a conductor and music educator in Kent, England. He teaches children of various ages from 4 to 18, and is founder and director of the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra. The 32-year-old has organized the classical music festival, Culture Week, in his native Marijampolė with colleagues opera singer Laura Lavaityte-Zaman and pianist Kamile Zaveckaite. Among other performers were his Sūduva Youth Symphony Orchestra, to which he has invited promising young musicians from the entire Marijampolė region.
His family was not musical, but very supportive of him even as he became the “black sheep” among scientist relatives, choosing a career in the arts. He was inclined toward music very early, having won a singing contest by the age of five, and clearly remembers going onstage to sing, accompanied by the LRT symphony orchestra. He was encouraged to continue his music career by his teacher, and a visit to the music museum in Vienna sealed his fate when he experienced conducting a virtual orchestra.
He did not pursue his studies in Lithuania, but was accepted to Canterbury Christ Church University, where he completed a Master’s degree. Although his penchant for conducting was not fully satisfied there, he said his studies developed his personal strength and the understanding that nothing would be given to him on a silver platter.
His hard work has already earned great accomplishments – performing at Westminister Abbey, at Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic, working with the BBC Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of London and many others. In 2019 he established the Kent Philharmonic.
As an educator, Reklaitis has worked for nearly ten years with handicapped children and adults, using choral therapy. With them, he departs from “old-fashioned teaching”, by exploring, improvising, and experimenting with plants, unusual instruments, and physical exercises.
Although he is not inclined to compose music, he is not averse to arranging and improvising. Music is everything to him. Being a qualified physical fitness instructor and exercising regularly, he has even considered writing a dissertation about combining sports and music. Although the impetus for that project has passed, he still wonders why he hears Beethoven’s 5th while doing push-ups.
