Karolis Šarkus

Karolis Šarkus (b. 1998) is one of the most prolific and versatile musicians in Lithuanian jazz. He started out as a classical saxophonist but draws no line between classical music and jazz: in his playing, they are one language. In it, a cultivated sound and a technique that knows few limits fuse with freedom and a deep feel for the tradition. Technique, for him, is a tool for saying anything, and what he has to say always begins with melody: his music has room for lyricism and groove, quiet contemplation and cinematic breadth.

Henri SELMER Paris, one of the world’s leading saxophone makers, chose him for its international Young Talents programme. He is a laureate of Italy’s Premio Internazionale Massimo Urbani and has represented Lithuania in the Euroradio Jazz Orchestra. On stage, Šarkus has appeared at festivals including Umbria Jazz, Aarhus Jazz Festival, Jazz’n’Chisinau, Berlin’s My Unique Jazz Festival and Kaunas Jazz, and has worked with artists such as Stefano Bollani, Stefano Di Battista and David Linx. He is a regular member of the Vilnius JJAZZ Ensemble, winner of Lithuania’s M.A.M.A. award for Jazz Artist of the Year, co-leads Collaborative Jazz Septet and appears on 17 albums. His saxophone has also reached audiences worldwide: at the invitation of British composer Tom Evans, he recorded a part for the trailer of the Amazon Prime Video series Expats.

For Šarkus, playing and writing are two sides of one voice. His debut as a leader, Palette of Feelings (2021), was followed in 2026 by XIDEA, an ambitious album conceived as one continuous narrative: every piece is a chapter of a larger whole, and the band’s voices, colours and improvisation are woven into the composition itself.

He is just as prolific as a composer and arranger, writing around a hundred scores a year for ensembles from small jazz groups and big bands to wind and symphony orchestras. His commissions include orchestrations for Lithuania’s UNESCO-recognised Song Celebration and works for the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra, the national broadcaster LRT and Lithuanian pop artists. ‘Two Falcons’, written for his septet, was chosen for two compilations presenting contemporary Lithuanian jazz: Jazz from Lithuania (Lithuanian Jazz Union) and Note Lithuania: Jazz (Music Information Centre Lithuania). His other honours include the Grand Prix of the Baltic Young Composers’ Big Band Competition and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture’s Young Music Performer Award.

Šarkus is also a driving force in Lithuania’s jazz community. A board member of the Lithuanian Jazz Union, he runs a regular jam session series in Vilnius. He teaches at Vilnius University of Applied Sciences and Vilnius Balys Dvarionas Music School, gives masterclasses and is involved in international educational programmes such as Trakai Fanfare Week.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and studied in the United States with Dick Oatts, the revered longtime lead alto saxophonist of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.