Justin Prončketis

Biography

Justin Prončketis (Юстин Пронцкетис) was born in Pittsburgh, USA, in 1927, to an organ master and a singer. It just so happened that Justinas got his profession before he was even born, as his mother went into labour right inside the instrument. At the age of seven, he began helping his father in his job. After him and his family went to Lithuania to see relatives, Prončketis decided to remain in the Soviet Baltic states, surviving the German occupation. In 1953, he got a job as a mechanic at a factory in Leningrad. Some chance acquaintances helped him return to his calling and the instrument became his lifelong love; other sources cite him as coming to Leningrad in 1959, to join his wife, whom he had met in the Baltic States; he immediately took charge of all three of the city's organs: from the Philharmonia, the Conservatory, and the State Capella. The instruments were in such poor condition that the master craftsman almost wept. In 2011, he was awarded the title of Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation. "When you pet a cat, it likes it. That's how I feel," said the master craftsman. "At the award ceremony, they talked about how unique I am and that there are even fewer of us [organ masters] than cosmonauts." Though, he does not understand the media hype surrounding him. He is much more proud of his aspic, which he makes according to a special recipe.