"Gediminas Gelgotas and his Nico Ensemble - the five musicians played without notes, but with plenty of expression and energy - provided a special highlight of the evening in front of a packed house at Zurich's Tonhalle. It's no wonder that these musicians have been inspiring young audiences for classical music since they were founded in 2006"
- Manuela Moser, "Der Kuesnachter", 2024
"The genius, energy and talent of this collective and its leader are not only conquering the world's concert halls, but also giving hope that our culture will always be one of the most important components of the world's culture in the future"
- Music critic, philosopher Daiva Tamošaitytė, 2022
"A glance into the future of performing"
- Ekkehard Ochs, Ostsee-Zeitung, 2021
"You are very original, what a wonderful performance!"
- composer and artist Laurie Anderson, 2020
"Truly worth attention"
- BBC World Service, 2017
"The music is hard to describe, but gives with its drive a hypnotizing effect. It is constantly played with empathy and intensity. The conductor Gediminas Gelgotas is an aspiring composer that is creating a close contact with his ensemble: five fantastic young string players. He himself played also piano and his conducting was close to dancing. From "his hand" came many of his own works and They created a stage show without comparisment, with a strict choreography together with words and singing that gave a complete experience that the audience late will forget. And it was obvious how the music through the whole evening was characterized by rhythms and dissonances, but despite that left a feeling of harmony and peace. A nice experience!"
- Paula Bjertnes, "HamarArbeiderblad", 2017
"When I first heard NICO last year, I was completely blown away! Their music is fantastic and the whole concept of performing it is incredibly original"
- Conductor Kristjan Järvi, 2012
"It's amazing how NICO makes their music so accessible and entertaining, turning themselves into the modern classical music equivalent of rock stars"
- concert Curator Jud Newborn, 2012
"Musically, NICO follows a concept similar to that of Apple in the computer world: The design, here the styling of the musicians, is super cool, the programs appeal to the emotions, and user guidance, that is, the approach with the audience, is intuitive and suggestive at the same time"
- Hessische Nachtichten, Kassel, 2011
"I like that beauty seems to be their guiding principle. It is what people are hungry for - music that has an element of peace. Gediminas Gelgotas has a very unique and compelling compositional voice"
- Composer Terry Riley, 2009