Australian violinist Morgan: "Of all Slavic languages, Belarusian is my favorite"

A long road to Vilnius

I am Morgan Marutia, a violinist and teacher from Perth, Western Australia. I've been in Europe since 2022 — I flew to Madrid to teach English.

Nine months later, I headed towards Romania with my violin: Romanian folk music had fascinated me for a long time. I slowly moved between countries and cities — eventually ending up in northern Romania, in Maramureș. I walked through villages, met elderly people, learned traditions directly from them, and played with them. I found myself in a fascinating, rare place where traditional culture still lives in everyday life!

Shortly before Romania, I first came to Lithuania — just to see friends. And then I realized: I feel quite comfortable in this country. On January 5th of last year, I returned here to stay. Since then, I've been living in Vilnius and primarily involved in music with Kapela Kotra, which we present as a Belarusian-Australian folk band. People often smile at this.

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Photo from Morgan Marutia's archive

Imagining Belarus

In Australia, very little is known about Belarus. For some time, I only knew the word "Minsk." Minsk is a well-known city. The first time, I probably heard about Belarus in school history classes. I was always interested in history, and it was my specialization at university. There, I learned more about the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and began to imagine Belarus a bit more.

I still haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I imagine a flat landscape with rare hills, castles awaiting restoration, and Minsk, which looks modern compared to regional cities. I came across a video about the National Library — it looks like a set from a fantasy film.

As for the people, I usually try not to make unnecessary generalizations.

But so far, almost all Belarusians I have met — both men and women — are extremely pleasant, respectful, good listeners who have interesting personal stories.

In my opinion, Belarusians are similar to Lithuanians socially: they like silence and often feel uncomfortable when strangers address them. These are, of course, my subjective observations.

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Photo from Morgan Marutia's archive

"People dance until they find out it's Belarusian music"

As for Lithuanian and Belarusian folk music, on a superficial level, they are extremely similar. This part of the world has been heavily divided by the idea of national identity, but folk music existed long before these definitions. And no matter how uncomfortable it is for some to hear — it's true.

Our band even received some hate because of this. We play a melody — people like it, they dance.

And then we say: by the way, this was a Belarusian piece. And suddenly, someone no longer wants us to play it.

And I think: but you were dancing to it five minutes ago! Yes, it happens that people dance until they find out it's Belarusian music.

Album with "Padushachka"

I got much closer acquainted with Belarus when I met Aliona [Aliona Kandyba — Belarusian bass player, Morgan's partner]. Here, in Vilnius, a mutual friend who plays Klezmer music introduced us. I came with a Romanian Klezmer violin style, Aliona — with Belarusian folk. We combined this, and that's how the band appeared.

I can't keep silent about a recent achievement: we recorded our first album! It's called Zialony Haj ("Green Grove"), and one of the melodies in it — an old Belarusian dance "Padushachka" (Little Pillow) — I like immensely! From March 1, 2026, the album is available on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.

Thus, it can be said that music led me to Belarus, and through music, I became interested in the culture and language.

"Of all Slavic languages, Belarusian is my favorite"

Today, English is the primary language I speak both at work and at home, but I try to regularly practice Belarusian. For example, Aliona and I agreed to speak Belarusian every day during breakfast, at least. Therefore, the topic of food in my Belarusian vocabulary has probably progressed more than others [laughs].

I only know a few dozen Belarusian words so far, but I like each of them. Even the common "Pryvitannie" (hello) — such a beautiful, elegant way to greet, uncharacteristic of most other Slavic languages.

Perhaps most often I say the word "dobra" (good), conveying different meanings through different intonations.

Overall, the Belarusian language is incredibly aesthetic! I believe, of all Slavic languages, Belarusian is my favorite. It resembles Ukrainian but seems more ornamental — and this "patterned," flowing, rhythmic quality is distinctly felt in the music.

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Photo from Morgan Marutia's archive

About the teaching methodology

Both language and music, I try to learn primarily by ear and from a living context, not from paper. And I teach by ear too — singing, listening, reacting.

When they say: "Music is a language," — why do we immediately pull out sheet music? What is language? Language is us, in certain circumstances, talking to each other, gesturing, reacting to stimuli. All of this is language, communication. In my opinion, music should be just as alive, not just written on paper. Therefore, my lessons involve a lot of listening, singing, and joint improvisation.

"Not just to learn, but to enjoy"

My understanding of teaching was strongly influenced by the Suzuki method, developed by the Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki after the war. He believed that through music, one could raise good people and citizens.

When I reread the philosophy of this method as an adult, I was even moved. Everything was about developing a love for the instrument and music. Not about perceiving music as a subject to be learned — but about satisfaction and enjoyment.

First — fascination, then — technique

When a student comes to a lesson and hasn't practiced all week, I don't immediately create an intensive practice session for them. Instead, we play something fun — to remember why we like the instrument.

Learning is a two-way process: it's important that both the educator and the student find it interesting and enjoyable.

The teacher also gains a lot from teaching. For example, when I see the eyes light up of a person who plays a melody they've dreamed of for the first time — that feeling is hard to put into words!

I also teach English — primarily in a conversational format. Over time, I've become less formal: fewer textbooks, more live conversation. When you start to learn a language, you shouldn't be afraid to speak from scratch. It's enough to know a few basic words — and you can already build sentences.

"Just go"

Fear or uncertainty in new endeavors are often present but should not stop you.

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Photo from Morgan Marutia's archive

My mother recounted a story to me about how, as a child, I loved running around the room, bumping into a table, hitting my head, but I would get up and keep running because there was so much interesting ahead. I think I live similarly to this day: sometimes I seem to hit walls and feel "oh, that wasn't very good," but I get up and keep going because there's still so much to see.

There are many people who have long wanted to start learning something new but are afraid of failures. In my opinion, it's better to try, even if you later want to give up what you started, than to live your whole life with the thought "what if?"

My life rule: "just go."

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If you were inspired by Morgan's story and wish to book an individual consultation with him on music or English, visit Botik — he helps with homework and offers wonderful male and female teachers with whom you can learn new things with pleasure.

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