Dr. Daniel Kaplunas
Dr. Daniel Kaplunas is a native of Vilnius, Lithuania. He started playing the violin at the age of six under the tutelage of his mother, who is also a violinist. By the time he graduated from Vilnius Ciurlionis School for the Arts, Dr. Kaplunas had won two Young Lithuanian Musicians' competitions, as well as concertized in Denmark, Holland, and Germany, where he was a soloist with the International Chamber Orchestra of Buckow. After coming to the United States, Dr. Kaplunas continued his violin studies with Julia Bushkova at Interlochen Arts Academy (Michigan) and with Philip Lewis at the University of North Texas, where he received his Bachelor's and Master's in violin performance. Dr. Kaplunas has been the concertmaster of the UNT Symphony and Chamber Orchestras from 1999 until 2002, a violinist with the UNT Graduate String Quartet from 2002 until 2003, and the UNT Concerto Competition winner in the spring of 1999.During his doctoral studies at UGA, Dr. Kaplunas has appeared as a soloist with the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, also recording a compact disc of Vivaldi Concertos on the Art Classics label. He has been an assistant conductor of the University Philharmonia Orchestra, and also conducted several performances of the UGA Symphony Orchestra and ARCO Chamber Orchestra.
