Associate Professor Dr Judita Žukienė has been re-elected Rector of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre for a second term. The decision was made today by the Council of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in accordance with the regulations governing the organisation of the public competition for the position of Rector and the Rector’s dismissal from office, and taking into account the results of a secret ballot.

Žukienė’s candidacy had previously been approved by the LMTA Senate. She will begin her new term on 1 October 2026. The Rector’s term of office is five years. Professor Rūta Rikterė, Vice-Rector for Studies, and Associate Professor Dr Ramunė Balevičiūtė, Vice-Rector for Art and Research, will also continue in their respective positions.

A musicologist, Doctor of Humanities and Associate Professor at LMTA, Judita Žukienė graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music in 1997 and completed her doctoral studies in 2001. She has taught at the Department of Music History since 2001 and has held the position of Associate Professor since 2006. From 2005 to 2011, she served as Head of the Department of Music History, and from 2011 to 2021 as LMTA Vice-Rector for Research. In 2021, she was elected Rector of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre for her first term. Her research interests include the history of twentieth-century Lithuanian music, music aesthetics, artistic research methodology and music education. Žukienė has published research articles, book chapters and popular science articles, conducted research projects, and served on various working groups and committees.

LMTA is Lithuania’s only university-level higher education institution—and the largest in the Baltic States—dedicated to training professionals in music, theatre, dance and film. LMTA currently offers 14 bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes and doctoral studies in four fields.

2026 08 27

From June 26 to July 9, the international film camp “Nord Creative Camp”, organized by the LMTA National Film School (KIMO), is taking place in Lithuania. During the camp, students from eight film schools within the “NordFilm” network are creating short fiction films in various locations across Kintai and the Curonian Lagoon region. A public screening of the films will take place on July 7 at 7 PM at the Kintai Basic School Multifunctional Centre.

According to Daiga Livčāne, lecturer at the National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture, producer, and one of the camp mentors, this year’s edition has become an intensive experience of international collaboration for young filmmakers: “The film industry runs on co-productions, so our students might as well get a taste of it early. At this year’s “Nord Creative Camp” we threw together strangers from eight film schools and gave them twelve days to turn an idea into a finished short film. What I loved is that quite early they put their egos aside, figured out how to work as real teams under every kind of pressure, and came out of it as a crew, not just international film students who happened to share a campus. I hope this was a test drive for many of them — the first of many international collaborations on their graduation films, course-works and creative projects far beyond film school.”

“This is already the fourth time the camp is taking place, and it is very rewarding to see how warmly the people of Kintai and Šilutė district welcome us and the international film school community. Over time, close collaboration has developed with ‘Kintai Arts’, the Kintai kitesurfing club, the municipality, and other regional organizations. Local residents also remember previous years, attend screenings, and contribute to the films themselves.” says Vytautas Dambrauskas, Head of the LMTA National Film School (KIMO).

The camp is organized as part of the “NordFilm” network initiative “Sustainable Stories”. During production, students actively optimize filmmaking processes by applying sustainability principles. “Nord Creative Camp” also functions as an international collaboration platform for young filmmakers, encouraging professional networking, knowledge exchange, and the development of future international film projects and co-productions.

Film programme:

Organizer: LMTA National Film School (KIMO)
Supported by: Nordplus
Partners: NordFilm network; Baltic Film, Media and Arts School (Tallinn University); National Film School of Denmark; Norwegian Film School; Dalarna University; Iceland University of the Arts; National Film School of the Latvian Academy of Culture; Metropolia University of Applied Sciences; Stockholm University of the Arts; Viljandi Culture Academy (University of Tartu); VIA University College; Kintai Arts; Kintai Kites Club; Kintai Vydūnas Cultural Centre; Šilutė District Municipality.

At the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), an intensive eight-day course in dance and movement took place at the beginning of June, led by internationally acclaimed choreographer, educator, and researcher Dr. Patrick Acogny (Senegal / France).

This marks the lecturer’s third visit to LMTA, carried out within the framework of the Erasmus+ 171 programme. It is encouraging that Patrick Acogny continues to return and share his experience with students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

During the course, students explored West African contemporary dance techniques, examined the dialogue between music and movement, principles of bodily listening, and stage “contact” work. Particular attention was given to somatic awareness, as well as the relationship between the individual and the collective body – the principle of “me, myself and us.”

Students of Lithuanian music and theatre academy emphasized that this experience was not only an intensive practical training but also a deep personal and artistic reflection. During lectures, the lecturer shared theoretical and practical insights into the connections between traditional African and contemporary dance, as well as the impact of colonialism on the identity of African contemporary dance. According to participants, the most important value of the course was the living learning relationship, where the teacher’s example becomes the primary form of education.

“What does it mean to be a good teacher? A good teacher is someone who, through their example rather than words alone, demonstrates what they teach,” students reflected after the course.

Over eight intensive days, the material gathered will serve as a basis for further creative and academic projects, while the experience, according to participating students, will remain an important source of both professional and personal inspiration.

International Relations Office info 

LMTA Professor of Musicology Dr Rima Povilionienė, having been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, spent this academic year in New York, USA, as a visiting scholar. From 1 October 2025, she undertook a six-month research fellowship at the City University of New York Graduate Center (CUNY).

Now in its 80th year, the Fulbright Program is one of the flagship initiatives of the United States government for international academic and cultural exchange. Its aim is not only to support American studies and research abroad, but also to bring international students, lecturers, and researchers to the United States. Admission to the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is highly competitive: applicants submit proposals that undergo expert evaluation and interviews. Each year, only around 800 scholars worldwide receive this award, while just 2–4 researchers from Lithuania are selected annually. Music researchers are particularly rare among Fulbright Visiting Scholars. It is worth noting that several LMTA artists have previously received Fulbright grants for artistic activities, including composer Antanas Kučinskas, violinist Martynas Švėgžda von Bekker, and pianist Eglė Perkumaitė-Vikšraitienė, while composer Vytautas Germanavičius received a Fulbright scholarship for studies.

During her fellowship, Professor Povilionienė explored the processes of modernisation in Lithuanian music during the second half of the twentieth century, focusing on experiments in microtonal and electronic music and their relationship to international avant-garde trends. A key aspect of her research was the historical perspective: how modern musical ideas emerged in late Soviet Lithuania and how they resonated within broader global developments. She was particularly interested in parallel artistic processes occurring in different countries, examining how similar ideas seemed to “be in the air” and emerged independently across diverse cultural contexts.

In New York, Professor Povilionienė had access to archival materials, visited the renowned electronic music studio at Columbia University, and studied unique documents, photographs, and audio recordings that are unavailable through remote access and can only be examined on site. Particularly valuable were the collections of music research centres and archives, including the Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation, which provided access to lesser-known aspects of music history. She also conducted research at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont, the Lithuanian Research and Studies Center, the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, the Lithuanian Archives Project in Chicago, the Carnegie Hall Archives, and libraries in New York and Washington, D.C.

Professor Povilionienė made full use of both the academic and cultural opportunities offered by New York. She attended performances in world-renowned concert halls, the Metropolitan Opera, museums, and contemporary music events, and engaged with Lithuanian communities in the United States. She participated in the historic raising of the Lithuanian flag in Manhattan on 7 March 2026, when Lithuania’s tricolour was ceremonially raised for the first time as part of the City of New York’s multicultural flag ceremony ahead of the celebration of Lithuania’s Restoration of Independence Day. She also gave piano recitals, both solo and in duet with Italian pianist Diego Tornelli, in Brooklyn/New York and Chicago, performed with the Philadelphia Lithuanian Choir “Laisvė”, participated in the annual Fulbright Visiting Scholar Seminar “America250: Tradition, Technology, and Innovation in the Mountain West” at Colorado State University, delivered a lecture on the digitisation of Čiurlionis’s piano works at Emory University in Atlanta, and presented a scholarly paper at a symposium dedicated to Čiurlionis at Yale University.

The Fulbright fellowship has provided essential material for Professor Povilionienė’s forthcoming monograph on experiments in electronic and microtonal music in Lithuania, which is expected to be completed soon and published in 2027–2028. The research findings are also being incorporated into her teaching, particularly in doctoral studies focusing on contemporary music theory and analysis, as well as lesser-known aspects of microtonal and spectral music.

The results of the fellowship are already leading to new international initiatives. In cooperation with the Barry S. Brook Center and its director, musicologist Tina Frühauf, who also supervised Professor Povilionienė’s fellowship, an international conference entitled Music, Migration, and the Exchange of Knowledge: The Baltics in Global Perspective is being planned. The conference will take place at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius on 22–23 November 2027 and at the Barry S. Brook Center in New York on 19–20 April 2028.

The community of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre mourns a profound loss. Composer, pedagogue, and laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts Feliksas Romualdas Bajoras has passed away – one of the most prominent figures of Lithuanian modern music.

The composer was born on 7 October 1934 in Alytus. He began his musical studies with Vincas Bacevičius in Kaunas. At the Lithuanian State Conservatoire he graduated from Aleksandras Livontas’ violin class (1957) and Julius Juzeliūnas’ composition class (1963).

From 1963 to 1965, he taught at the Šiauliai Music School, and from 1965 to 1989 he served as Head of the Music Department at the Youth Theatre. Between 1991 and 2000, he taught at the Lithuanian Academy of Music (now the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre), where he was awarded the title of Associate Professor in 1994. From 1991 to 1994, he also worked as Music Director at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre.

Feliksas Bajoras was a modern, consistent, and spontaneous representative of the so-called “new folklorism.” His music was distinguished by an authentic relationship with Lithuanian folk music and a unique combination of folk tradition with contemporary means of musical expression. Folklore was rarely quoted directly in his works – instead, his musical language emerged from the intonations of Lithuanian speech, folk performance practices, and a deep connection with ethnic tradition.

One of his most significant works is considered to be Suite of Legends (Sakmių siuita) for voice and piano (1968), which became a distinctive example of Lithuanian musical thinking. Other important compositions include the diptych Vilnius Quartets, the Sonata for Violin and Piano The Years Gone By (Prabėgę metai), the oratorio Raising of the Bell (Varpo kėlimas), the opera Lamb of God (Dievo avinėlis), Missa in musica, Exodus I and II for symphony orchestra, and many other works.

His music was performed at important international festivals in Lithuania and abroad, including Warsaw Autumn, the Berlin Music Biennale, Berliner Festwochen, Wratislavia Cantans, Gaida, Jauna muzika, Europa Musicale, and others.

F. R. Bajoras received numerous significant awards. In 1970, he won Second Prize at the Alfredo Casella International Composers’ Competition in Naples. He was awarded the Lithuanian State Prize in 1981, the Lithuanian Government Prize for Culture and Arts in 1998, the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts in 2001, and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Gediminas in 2007.

The Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts was awarded to the composer for his Concerto for Violin and Symphony Orchestra, the string quartet Suokos, the work for chamber orchestra Sun Path (Saulės takas), and the trio Momenti sacri.

We have lost an exceptional figure of Lithuanian musical culture, a pedagogue and creator whose works left a profound mark on Lithuanian contemporary music.

We extend our sincere condolences to the composer’s family, colleagues, students, and the entire musical community.

2026 05 19

On the night of June 12, 2026, Vilnius will stay awake — the city will pulse with music, art, and live encounters. One of the highlights of the “Culture Night” festival will take place in Lukiškės Square, where from 8:00 PM until 1:00 AM audiences will experience the piano music marathon Black and White. The event will feature performances by the most talented pianists of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), while at midnight one of Lithuania’s most renowned pianists, Petras Geniušas, will present a special recital.

For the third consecutive year, Black and White is expanding beyond the capital and inviting the whole of Lithuania to experience music together. Alongside Vilnius, seven Lithuanian cities and towns — Dusetos, Jurbarkas, Marijampolė, Babtai, Smalininkai, Šilalė, Šlienava, Varėna, and the Kaunas district — will stay awake on the evening of June 12. Residents will gather in town squares, cultural centres, public spaces, and community venues to watch a live broadcast of the piano marathon from Lukiškės Square.

This initiative has become not only a musical event, but also a symbolic cultural bridge between the capital and the regions, uniting different parts of Lithuania. For one summer night, the same music will resonate across the country, creating an atmosphere of togetherness and living culture.

“We are delighted that this year as many as seven Lithuanian cities and towns are opening their public spaces to Culture Night. The initiative, launched two years ago, attracted significant interest, so this year we will broadcast the piano music marathon from Lukiškės Square not to six, but to seven Lithuanian locations. We are eagerly awaiting this special night, preparing for it intensively, and are very happy that Culture Night together with the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre is becoming a beautiful tradition,” says Eglė Kasteckaitė, Head of the LMTA Arts Centre.

The piano music concert Black and White has existed since 2009, when LMTA professor Petras Geniušas gave a memorable recital dedicated to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven during the Culture Night festival in Lukiškės Square. Since 2011, young pianists — the most talented LMTA students and graduates — have joined the project, and their performances continue to form the core of the marathon programme.

Over more than fifteen years, Black and White has become one of the most anticipated events of Culture Night — an open stage for emerging talents and a unique experience for audiences. Every year, the project gathers crowds of music lovers in Lukiškės Square, while the sound of the piano on a summer night has become an inseparable part of Vilnius’ cultural landscape.

This year, the experience expands even further — Black and White invites not only Vilnius, but the whole of Lithuania to come together:

BABTAI / Town Square / Kauno St. 6
DUSETOS / Courtyard by the Kazimieras Būga Library / Vytauto St. 56
JURBARKAS / Cultural Centre / Dariaus ir Girėno St. 94
KAUNAS DISTRICT / Ilgakiemis Leisure Hall of Garliava Cultural Centre / Pajiesio St. 1, Ilgakiemis
MARIJAMPOLĖ / Square near “Spindulys” Cinema / Kauno St. 13
SMALININKAI / City Square / Nemuno St. 41
ŠILALĖ / Cultural Centre / J. Basanavičiaus St. 12
ŠLIENAVA / Samylai Cultural Centre / J. Biliūno St. 106
VARĖNA / Cinema and Exhibition Hall of the Cultural Centre / J. Basanavičiaus St. 17

PROGRAMME

20:00–23:30 – Piano Music Night Black and White
Performances by LMTA pianists
00:00–01:00 – Recital by pianist Petras Geniušas

Event hosts: students of the LMTA Department of Acting and Directing, actors Dita Klinkaitė and Gustas Vičkačka.

LMTA Art Centre info
2026 05 19

From April 29 to May 4, 2026, a delegation of lecturers and staff from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) visited Senegal as part of the Erasmus+ KA171 programme, which promotes academic exchange and cooperation with partner countries outside the European Union.

During the first days of the visit, meetings were held at École Nationale des Arts et Métiers de la Culture (ENAMC), the National School of Arts and Culture. LMTA and ENAMC have already established cooperation agreements and discussed further opportunities for collaboration. Plans are currently underway for lecturer and student exchange mobilities to Lithuania later this year.

At ENAMC, LMTA lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Simas Gabrielius Sapiega delivered a lecture on the development of listening skills within the context of the European music tradition, while also taking into account students’ strong sense of rhythm rooted in African musical practices. The lecture attracted considerable interest among students and faculty members.

The delegation also visited Université Gaston Berger in the city of Saint-Louis, where meetings were held with lecturers and administrators from the Civilisations, Religions, Arts et Communication (CRAC) department. Participants were introduced to local music and audiovisual study programmes and discussed possibilities for future academic cooperation.

A meeting was also held with Professor Mamadou Abdoul Diop, Vice-Rector responsible for Research, Student Integration, Community Services, and Partnerships. During the discussions, both institutions agreed to prepare and sign an interinstitutional bilateral agreement in the near future, with the first exchange visits expected to take place in Lithuania soon.

The programme additionally included visits to École des Sables, a renowned contemporary dance institution with which LMTA is considering future cooperation projects. These include the development of a joint master’s study programme and participation in African contemporary dance biennale initiatives organised by École des Sables.

The lecturers and representatives of the Lithuanian music and theatre community returned with valuable professional experience, inspiration, and new perspectives that will enrich future teaching practices and strengthen mutual understanding between lecturers and students from different continents and cultural backgrounds.

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre warmly congratulates Professor of the National Film School (KIMO), film director, recipient of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts, Audrius Stonys, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.

Audrius Stonys is a distinguished figure of Lithuanian cinema whose work has earned international recognition and holds an important place in contemporary documentary filmmaking. After graduating from the Lithuanian State Conservatoire (now LMTA) in 1989, he soon became known for his unique cinematic language, sensitive human insight, and ability to reveal poetic and universal meanings through everyday reality.

His films have been screened and awarded at prestigious international festivals worldwide. In 1992, his film Earth of the Blind received the European Film Award for Best Documentary of the Year. Later works such as Flying Over Blue Fields, Raminas, Woman and the Glacier, Bridges of Time, and others further confirmed his exceptional place in European documentary cinema.

For his bold artistic vision and original approach to reality, Audrius Stonys was awarded the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts in 2002. He is also a member of the European Film Academy and the European Documentary Network, actively contributing to the international film community.

Equally significant is his pedagogical work. At the National Film School of LMTA, Professor Stonys mentors young filmmakers, sharing his extensive creative experience, professional insight, and thoughtful artistic values.

We sincerely congratulate the esteemed Professor on this special anniversary and wish him continued creative energy, inspiring ideas, meaningful new works, and joy in guiding the next generation of filmmakers.

2026 04 28

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre has signed a cooperation agreement with the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore. This is a prestigious music conservatory belonging to the National University of Singapore, where world-class professionals teach, including Nobuko Imai, Paul Lewis, Shlomo Mintz, Jorma Panula, András Schiff, Masaaki Suzuki, and Gábor Takács-Nagy.

Next semester, two LMTA students will go to this higher music school for Erasmus studies: Vakarė Taločkaitė (clarinet) and Vasarė Vaičiulytė (piano).

In the future, it is also planned that music students from Singapore will come to study in Vilnius.

International Relations Office
2026 04 27

The film “Class Photo” by LMTA National Film School master’s student Arnas Balčiūnas has been selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival’s parallel program Critics’ Week competition. The Lithuanian director’s film will compete with nine short films from around the world; these works were selected from 2,400 submissions. Balčiūnas’s short film “Class Photo” is his final master’s project at the National Film School of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Vytautas Dambrauskas, head of the LMTA National Film School (KIMO), points out that although the Cannes Film Festival has a special program dedicated to student works, Balčiūnas’s film will not compete there—it will instead take part in a competition alongside other filmmakers who are already taking confident steps in the film industry.

“Until now, in Lithuania’s history, we have not had a student work competing in any Cannes program. Being selected for such a festival is a major achievement not only for Lithuania, but also for the LMTA National Film School.”

“Class Photo” is Arnas Balčiūnas’s sixth short film, and several of his earlier works have already gained recognition both internationally and in Lithuania. His debut film “Blausos” won the Best International Film award at the Friss Hús Short Film Festival in Hungary, his second work “Hablo dėsnis” traveled to 25 international festivals, and the film “After Passing Napoleon’s Hat” received a special mention at the Drama Festival in Greece. In Lithuania, Balčiūnas has won two Silver Crane Egg awards for Best Student Works and has been recognized at festivals such as Kino Pavasaris, Scanorama, and the Vilnius Short Film Festival.

Balčiūnas’s latest short film “Class Photo” takes viewers to an abandoned school—here, Ignas, who has returned, meets a former classmate. As they wander through corridors filled with conflicting memories, they try to capture what is about to disappear.

The film’s writer and director is Arnas Balčiūnas; cinematographer: Milda Juodvalkytė; editor: Antanas Skridaila; sound director: Fausta Pilkaitė; composer: Matas Beržinskas; production designer: Rūta Strazdaitė; producer: Morta Verbickaitė. The main roles are played by Džiugas Gvozdzinskas and Mantas Barvičius. International distribution: M-Films; production company: LMTA National Film School (KIMO).

Information provided by M-Films.
2026 04 16

The community of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre mourns a profound loss. At the age of 88, Osvaldas Balakauskas, long-time professor of the Composition Department at the LMTA Faculty of Music, former head of the department, prominent Lithuanian composer of modern music and pedagogue, and laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts, has passed away.

Composer and pedagogue. He studied at the Faculty of Music of the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute (1957–1961) and later pursued composition studies at the Kyiv Conservatory in the class of Professor Borys Lyatoshynsky (1964–1969).

Osvaldas Balakauskas was one of the few Lithuanian composers to consistently develop a distinctive musical language and an original compositional system. His artistic thinking was shaped by the avant-garde ideas of 20th-century music, including the works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Iannis Xenakis, Anton Webern, and Olivier Messiaen. His self-developed system of dodecatonics, based on multi-note diatonic structures, became a defining feature of his musical style.

Since 1985, he taught at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (formerly the Lithuanian Conservatoire). He served as Head of the Composition Department in 1988–1992 and 1994–2006, and was awarded the title of Professor in 1995. Over several decades, he educated generations of composers and made a significant contribution to the development of contemporary music studies and creative practice in Lithuania.

His works have been performed at major international festivals, including Warsaw Autumn, Prague Spring, the Berlin and Zagreb Biennales, ISCM World Music Days, MaerzMusik, Wratislavia Cantans, and others. His oeuvre includes symphonic, concert, chamber, vocal-instrumental works, as well as opera and ballet.

Osvaldas Balakauskas was also active in public life. He was a member of the Sąjūdis Council (1988–1992) and served as Ambassador of Lithuania to France, Spain, and Portugal (1992–1994).

He received numerous prestigious awards, including the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts (1996), the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1998), and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture Honor Award “Carry Your Light and Believe” (2012).

We have lost an outstanding personality whose creative and pedagogical legacy has left a profound mark on Lithuanian musical culture.

We express our sincere condolences to his family, colleagues, and students.

2026 04 15

Emilė Riškevičiūtė, a second-year bachelor’s student of Composition at the Music Faculty of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), has won first prize at the International Composition Competition & Symphonic Lab “Generace 2026.” Riškevičiūtė studies composition under Prof. Dr. Mārtiņš Viļums.

This year’s competition attracted 51 composers from 20 countries, including participants from the United States, Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Emilė Riškevičiūtė was awarded First Prize in the “Under 21” category, which focuses on chamber music compositions by young composers born after 24 January 2005. Her work was selected by the international jury as the best submission in the category, earning her a €1,000 prize.

Other laureates in the category include Dominik Klučka, who received the AHUV Award for the best composer from the Czech Republic, while Periklis Sdravopoulos and Sarina Hashemi were given honorable mentions.

The winning compositions will be performed in autumn 2026 at the contemporary music festival “Hudební současnost” in Ostrava (Czech Republic). The selected composers will have the opportunity to attend rehearsals, collaborate with performers, and participate in a composition seminar led by a member of the competition jury.

The International Composition Competition & Symphonic Lab “Generace 2026” is organized by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava in cooperation with the Creative Center Ostrava. This year marked the 51st edition of the competition.

The LMTA community congratulates Emilė Riškevičiūtė on this significant international achievement and wishes her continued success in her creative career.

2026 03 06