Paulius Juodišius (1932-01-01 Kaunas – 1993-12-11 Vilnius) – a Lithuanian violinist, pedagogue, one of the founders and members of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, music critic and publicist, lector-educator.

He was born on January 1, 1932 in Kaunas. His father, Jonas Juodišius, was an inspector of the Lithuanian Armed Forces School in Kaunas, later – a General; his mother Leokadija Januševičiūtė-Juodišienė – a descendant of the Lithuanian nobility. P. Juodišius started with private violin lessons under Elena Strazdaitė-Bekerienė, one of the leading Lithuanian violinists of interwar Kaunas. In 1940, the family moved to Vilnius where he entered the Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium (later the First Secondary School of Vilnius) and a music school where he studied under the tutelage of Vincas Žilionis and Samuel Bernstein.
With the outbreak of the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1941, his father, a General Jonas Juodišius, was deported to Norilsk camp at the “Lama Lake” to never return back.
Living without the father during the WWII the family faced hardship, thus together with her friends the mother opened a restaurant in Vilnius. The restaurant would host the performances of orchestra, which also involved the little violinist Paulius.
After graduating from school in 1950, he entered the then LSSR State Conservatoire (presently the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre), where he studied violin with Aleksandas Livontas. In 1953, he left for Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow where he was accepted to the second year of study and continue his education under the tutelage of prof. Yakov Rabinovich.
While at the Moscow Conservatory, he collaborated with other Lithuanian schoolmates, formed as a trio with pianist and organist Leopoldas Digrys and cellist Romualdas Kulikauskas. The Trio appeared not only at the hall of the Conservatory but also other concert venues in Moscow, represented Lithuania in the World Youth Festival. Prof. Alexander Gedike wrote about the Trio’s concert in the hall of the Conservatory: ”Pianist L. Digrys, violinist P. Juodišius and cellist R. Kulikauskas, the students of the Moscow Conservatory, formed a Trio and for three years have been honing their chamber music making skills and professional mastery.”
In 1958–1962, he furthered his education under prof. Galina Barinova as a post-graduate student at the Moscow Conservatory. According to prof. P. Radzevičius, in 1960 P. Juodišius together with S. Sondeckis formed the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. It performed throughout the SSSR, later appeared in Germany, Canada, Great Britain, Finland, Cuba, etc. P. Juodišius was the member of the Orchestra for 13 years: not only he was a violinist but also the principal violin, as well as the generator of the ideas, educator.
He performed as a soloist and a member of various chamber ensembles. Although his repertoire was quite diverse stylistically, he favoured small-scale solo works, trios and duos with pianists and organists. He was an ardent promoter of Lithuanian music. While still in Soviet times he performed and recorded a number of works by Lithuanian composers including the diaspora composers, edited new works. He enjoyed communication with the audience, authored many a critical review in the press, was part of the concerts organised by the “Žinijos” Society around Lithuania. He paid great attention to the role of a musician as an architect of the society. In 1969, P. Juodišius joined the section of the critics within the Composers’ Union. In 1972, he formed a piano trio with cellist Arūnas Palšauskas and pianist Virginija Dapkutė. The Trio was active for three decades with the core of its repertoire consisting of the Lithuanian music. In 1988–89, he played in the folk music ensemble Laduto.

Throughout his career, P. Juodišius was also involved in pedagogical work. Having started as a teacher at the J. Tallat-Kelpša Professional Music School in 1952, he became the head of the Orchestral Department six years later. Since 1960, he was a lecturer at the String Instrument Department of the Lithuanian State Conservatoire (presently the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre), in 1974 – an associate professor. In 1991, he received the professorship and became the Dean of the Faculty of Instrumental and Vocal Music. As the violin professor he educated 52 violinists. During the Lithuania Awakening years he joined the “Sąjūdis” (the reform movement).
P. Juodišius died after a long illness on December 11, 1993 in Vilnius.
He is buried in Rokantiškės Cemetery.   

P. Juodišius was a figure of wide erudition, talented violinist with inborn flair for communication with audience. His colleagues, brothers in arms and disciples remember him as an individual of high values, performer-enthusiast of inexhaustible energy, Lithuanian patriot, colourful and manifold personality endowed with subtle humour which helped to cope with the difficult reality. According to musicologist Jūratė Gustaitė, P. Juodišius remains “the Magistra Vitae…”

Written by Aldona Juodelienė

“This concert showcased not only a meticulous technical preparation of the young performers, but also their excellent sense of ensemble playing and plausible projection of the idea of the works performed. The listeners also enjoyed the high creative moments, which was the sign of the unanimous artistic breath of the three performers.”

(J. Karnavičius’ impressions after the concert of the Trio of the students of Moscow Conservatory at the Concert Hall of the Conservatory; taken from the LAMT archive)