Šimkus started his piano studies at the age of five at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School in Riga with Ruta Švinka, Ligita Muižarāja, Teofils Biķis and Sergei Osokin. Later he studied with Daniel Pollack at the University of Southern California and Professor Dmitri Bashkirov at Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid (2002–2006), going on to perfect his skills at the master classes held by Lazar Berman, Alexander Satz, Igor Zhukov and Joan Havil. In summer 2003 on invitation by Dmitri Bashkirov, Šimkus attended his master class in Savonlinna, Finland. He also studied composition with Pēteris Vasks and studied with Vadim Sukhanov at the Richard Strauss Konservatorium (Munich). A stipendiary of the New Names of the Planet Foundation and laureate of numerous international contests, Šimkus lists victory at the Balys Dvarionas International Competition for Young Pianists in Vilnius (1994), the Latvian Young Composers’ Contest in Riga (1995) and the Jūrmala International Young Pianist Competition (1995) among his first successes. Šimkus went on to win the 1st Prize and Grand Prix at the Frederic Chopin International Piano Contest in Poland (1996), the 1st Prize at the W.A. Mozart International Young Pianist Contest in Riga (1997) and the NOVA NOMINA Latvian Contest of Young Performers in Riga (1998), the 1st Prize and Grand Prix at the International Performers’ Contest in Stockholm (2001), the 1st Prize at the Franz Liszt International Piano Contest in Los Angeles (2002) and the 5th World Piano Olympics (KlavierOlympiade) in Bad Kissingen, Germany (2007). March 2009 saw Šimkus win the 1st Prize and the Audience Award at the 55th Maria Canals Piano Competition in Barcelona, Spain – one of the world’s oldest piano contests. Winner of the 2002 Latvian Great Music Award,

Vestards Šimkus has appeared at a number of international music festivals, including the Gina Bachauer International Piano Festival in Salt Lake City, U.S. (1999), the Stavanger International Chamber Music Festival, Norway (2004), the Kremerata Baltica Festival in Sigulda, Latvia (2004), the Vienna International Music Seminar, Austria (2004), and the Al Bustan Festival in Beirut, Lebanon (2005). The pianist has performed in Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Ireland, U.S.A., Lebanon and, of course, in Latvia. Concert-goers at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Vienna Konzerthaus, Stockholm Bervaldhallen, Milan Sala Puccini and other world-famous concert halls have listened to Vestards Šimkus play. He has performed with Kremerata Baltica, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra and others under the baton of conductors like Terje Mikkelsen, Andris Nelsons, Normunds Šnē, et al. In 2003 Vestards Šimkus’ Fantasies solo album was released.