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The Slovakian pianist, Miki Skuta (full name: Mikuláš Škuta), was already in 1975 a member of the rock band Gymnasium Hungaricum at grammar school in Komárno. From 1976 to 1979 he studied piano with Alžbeta Elanová at the Conservatory in Bratislava. From 1979 to 1984 he studied piano with Eva Fischerová-Martvoňová at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava. In 1984-1985 he was Slovak Music Fund scholarship, and during 1984 spent 6-month scholarship with Claude Helffer in Paris.
He is a winner of numerous prizes (1980 International Music Competition Beethoven's Hradec, Hradec nad Moravicí (CZ); 1982 Interpretačná súťaž Slovenskej socialistickej republiky, Banská Bystrica; 1982 International Smetana Piano Competition, Hradec Králové (CZ); 1982 International Smetana Piano Competition, Hradec Králové (CZ); 1983 "Maria Callas" International Piano Competition, Athens (GR); 1987 Festival of Young Concert Artists in Trenčianske Teplice (SK); 1988 Festival of Young Concert Artists in Trenčianske Teplice (SK); 1988 "Prague Spring" International Music Competition).
Miki Skuta has played with the Slovak Chamber Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana (well known from their many Naxos recordings) and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductors have included - Ondrej Lenard, Robert Stankovsky, Heja Domonkos and Bohdan Warchal. In November 2005, he performed Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) at St. John's, Smith Square in London to great acclaim. He gave the first UK performances of Lubica Salamon-Cekovska's, Piano Concerto, with the Slovak Sinfonietta Zilina conducted by David McQueen at the Conway Hall in November 2006.
Miki Skuta also pursues a career in Jazz, playing piano and keyboards. In 1990 he founded Esh Band, with whom he performed at the Slovak Jazz Festival in Žilina (1990). In 1991 he co-founded the band The Quartet, composing own jazz pieces for them. In 1993 he was a guest member of Jiří Stivín’s band (performance in the Moyzes hall in Bratislava); co-operated with international musicians in the band Octet Ost (Christian Muthspiel, Tomasz Stanko, Arkady Shilkloper, Petras Vyshniauskas), and appeared at festivals in Saalfelden (AT), Raab (AT) etc. In 1993 he was a member of Austrian act Beni Schmid Group (Salzburger Festspiele - 1994; touring Germany; CD Beni Schmid Obsession; 1997 - joint concert with Didier Lockwood (violin) in Salzburg etc.)On Sextet, he joins Oscar Rozsa where he can be heard on piano, keyboards, bells and rainstick. In 1995-1996 he was improvisation lecturer at the Internationale Sommerkurse Klagenfurt-Viktring (AT). In 2002 he founded the Austrian-Slovak group Miki Skuta Club (Miki Škuta - piano, keyboards, lead.; Juraj Bartoš – trumpet; Gerald Preinfalk - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Radovan Tariška - alto saxophone; Edi Köhldorfer – guitar; Peter Herbert - double bass; Ingrid Oberkanins – percussion; Alex Deutsch - drum kit), performing with them at the Bratislava Jazz Days ‘02. As a Jazz musician, he has performed in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and at Bratislava's Jazz Days and in London at the 606 Club during the 2006 Pulse Festival. He returned to London in November 2006, with his Trio, for a concert in the Conway Hall during a three day festival of Slovak Music and Musicians. He has also played many times with Octet Ost, alongside trumpeter Tomasz Stanko.
When it comes to repertoire, Miki Skuta is at home with Miles Davis, Messiaen, Chic Corea, Ligeti, Steve Reich, Gershwin, Sergei Rachmaninov and Ravel. He has recently played the Piano Concerto by Christian Muthspiel, worked with his Jazz guitarist brother Wolfgang. and is writing a violin concerto for Austrian violinist Benjamin Schmid. |
