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Monday September 16th, 2024

New opportunities at LMTA – the Department of Film and TV became the National Film School (KIMO)

This September, after more than three decades of existence, the Department of Film and Television at the Faculty of Theatre and Cinema of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) officially became the LMTA National Film School (KIMO). This important change marks a new stage in film education in Lithuania and reflects the growth and achievements of the Academy. 

LMTA is the only higher education institution in Lithuania that offers film studies programmes. Founded in 1993 by the legendary director Henrikas Šablevičius, the Department of Film and Television has produced more than 1000 graduates who are today active in the Lithuanian film industry. Among them are international award-winning filmmakers such as Laurynas Bareiša, whose film “Pilgrims” was named the best film in the Orizzonti programme of the Venice Film Festival, Marija Kavtaradze, who won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, Saulė Bliuvaitė, who was awarded at the Locarno Film Festival, Vytautas Katkus, who was selected for the competition programme of the Cannes Film Festival, Audrius Stonys, who received the award from the European Academy of Cinema, and others.

The success of LMTA graduates, the high quality of their studies and united community have led to the popularity of film studies. In recent years, the number of specialisations in film studies at the LMTA has grown from four to seven, and the number of students has increased by around 40%. The development of film studies has been reinforced by the LMTA’s membership of the international alliance FilmEU and a new, modern infrastructure – this year marked the start of work by lecturers and students on the new LMTA Study Campus.

The National Film School will continue to train film directors, cinematographers, sound designers, editors, playwrights, producers and researchers in film culture. It will also host a wide range of national and international research on film and media, and initiate projects to promote intercultural dialogue and innovation.

“The creation of the National Film School will help to ensure continuity between different generations of filmmakers, facilitate the transfer of knowledge and ensure the accumulation of filmmaking experience. I also believe that it will become a unifying space for the entire film field and a potential forum for discussions on the further development of Lithuanian cinema,” emphasises Associate Professor Laurynas Bareiša, film director.

The mission of the National Film School is to provide a comprehensive education in film and media, combining theory, practice and innovation. “We strive to foster creativity, experimentation and an individual approach, ensuring that our students are able to create compelling and meaningful stories,” says the head of KIMO, Assoc. Prof. Vytautas Dambrauskas.

According to the Rector of the LMTA, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Judita Žukienė, “The film studies and the film artists who teach there have recently been a source of joy at the Academy in terms of their relevance, creativity and openness to innovation. I have no doubt that the transformation of the Department into the National Film School and the opening of new spaces for filmmaking will stimulate a breakthrough in the studios and will strengthen their competitiveness in the international field of studies”.

KIMO is taught by renowned filmmakers and researchers of different generations, including National Prize laureates and internationally acclaimed artists such as Laurynas Bareiša, Audrius Stonys, Marija Kavtaradze, Giedrė Beinoriūtė, Ramūnas Greičius, Vytis Puronas, Birutė Kapustinskaitė, Titas Laucius and others. “The Department, which has become the National Film School, has acquired its own face and a clear vision, which will help to maintain the link between the filmmakers of the past and the filmmakers of the future,” said Audrius Stonys, a filmmaker, professor, doctor of art.

 

2024 09 16

Tuesday August 27th, 2024

Opening of the LMTA Study Campus

After more than twelve years of negotiations, preparations and successful construction, the students and lecturers of theatre, film and dance specialisations of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) are starting the new academic year in the new buildings of the study campus at Olandų str. 21A, Vilnius. The Faculty of Theatre and Film and the Small Halls Block will concentrate and make effective use of the synergies between the arts and the opportunities for interdisciplinary art. It is a unique space for study, creation and research, allowing the most up-to-date artistic and scientific innovations to be put into practice.

The theatre studios have a modern Black Theatre Hall with a capacity of over 170 people, 9 spacious classrooms for acting and directing classes and 6 smaller classrooms for individual work and self-study. With specialised flooring, the 4 dance classrooms are fully equipped for contemporary and classical dance studies. The White Ballroom, a very spacious, almost 9 m high room, is open for dance performances.

The new infrastructure for cinema is designed for all stages of creation, production and dissemination: from filming and editing to screening. This includes large and small film studios, a make-up room, a sound studio, video and sound editing rooms, a light-testing auditorium, screening rooms, a cinema laboratory (Dolby Atmos sound system) and a 99-seat cinema hall (Dolby surround sound system).

In order to provide the best possible conditions for lecturers and students, the new Academy building includes 3 modern lounges, which will become a place for discussion, collaboration and generation of new ideas. A new professorium is available for meetings, discussions and lecture preparation for the faculty.

The value of the project for the construction of the first two buildings of the LMTA Study Campus is over 29 million Euros, of which 19 million Euros were financed by the EU Regional Development Fund and the state budget, and 10.2 million Euros were covered by the LMTA’s own and borrowed funds. The investment was used for the contract works for the first phase of the construction of the buildings of the Study Campus, for the purchase of specialised equipment for art studios and for creative and research innovations. The design work for the Campus was carried out by UAB “Paleko archstudija” and UAB “Projektų rengimo centras”. The contract works were carried out by UAB “Infes”.

The completion of the first stage of the construction of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s study campus and the opening of new modern spaces dedicated specifically for theatre, cinema and dance are already influencing the Faculty’s development, ensuring the competitiveness of studies and creating conditions for the development of relations and joint projects with international partners. The successful implementation of the project is an exceptional event in Lithuanian culture. The new complex of innovations in art creation, research and studies will be opened to the general public: The LMTA will invite its students and teachers to performances, dance events, film screenings, project presentations, discussions and meetings with the creators of today and tomorrow.

The opening of the first buildings of the LMTA Study Campus will take place on 30 August.

 

2024 08 27

Tuesday August 20th, 2024

New Wave of Lithuanian Cinema Dominates Locarno film festival: Six Awards for Emerging Talents

On August 17, 2024, the awards ceremony of the 77th Locarno International Film Festival took place in Switzerland. Lithuanian filmmakers proudly brought home six awards!

The festival’s main prize, the Golden Leopard, was won by director Saulė Bliuvaitė, an alumna of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), for her debut feature film “Toxic” (“Akiplėša”). This film also won the Best Debut award and received two monetary prizes from the Ecumenical and Youth Juries.

“Toxic” tells the story of teenage life in a bleak industrial district. Dreaming of escaping their town with no prospects, thirteen-year-olds Marija and Kristina prepare to participate in the country’s biggest modeling competition. In their pursuit to meet beauty standards, the girls resort to drastic measures. “This story is based on real events, and the characters are real people. When I started making this film, I thought I was telling a story about the past, about the face of my generation, about something that no longer exists. But during the creative process, interacting with many teenagers of different ages, I realized that the film’s theme is very relevant to them as well. I allowed myself not to be tied to a specific time period, merging my experiences with those of contemporary teenagers. This shaped the world of the film, which has no time definition,” explains the film’s director, Saulė Bliuvaitė. The film’s cinematographer is Vytautas Katkus, producer Giedrė Burokaitė, and executive producer Justė Michailinaitė.

Another film bringing home two awards for Lithuania is “Drowning Dry” (“Sesės”), directed by Laurynas Bareiša (produced by Klementina Remeikaitė and Matiss Kaža). This film won the Best Director award, and the cast—Gelminė Glemžaitė, Agnė Kaktaitė, Giedrius Kiela, and Paulius Markevičius—was recognized for Best Acting.

The film takes place on a hot summer day. Two couples—Justė with her family and Ernesta with her son and husband, who has just celebrated a victory in the martial arts ring—arrive at a countryside house for a peaceful weekend. A lake, an outdoor terrace with a grill, conversations about life and future plans—everything seems normal. But soon, it becomes clear that beneath the idyllic surface of their relationships lie unspoken feelings, jealousy, and competition. It’s only a matter of time before everything comes to the surface.

 

 

Director Laurynas Bareiša, an associate professor at the LMTA National Film School and one of the heads of the Film Master’s program, won the Venice Film Festival’s “Horizons” award two years ago with his debut film “Pilgrims” (produced by Klementina Remeikaitė).

Sources: kinopavasaris.lt; lkc.lt; lmta.lt

Tuesday July 9th, 2024

The 100th Anniversary of the Lithuanian Song Celebration

In July 2024, Lithuania started the month of July with the 100th anniversary Song Festival. This unique tradition, recognised by UNESCO, brought together thousands of participants from Lithuania and abroad to celebrate the vitality of the nation’s culture, history and traditions. The theme of the celebration, “May the Green Forest Grow”, symbolised the synthesis of nature and culture, encouraging the preservation of both nature and culture for future generations.

A large number of students, alumni and lecturers of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre helped to create a spectacular and inspiring atmosphere of the festival with their songs, dances, conductor’s gestures, and sounds of instruments. We are very grateful to them!

The main highlights of the celebration were Anniversary Song Day “Hills Green with Forests” in Kaunas, Kanklės Concert “Let the Kanklės Play”, Ensembles Evening “The Tree of Life”, Vocal Ensembles Concert “Who are You, Earth?”, Brass Band Concert “Brass Storm” and Dance Day “Through the Bridges of the Ages”. The finale of the celebration was the Song Day participant procession and concert in Vingis Park, which was attended by almost 400 choirs and around 12 000 singers.

2024 07 09

Monday July 1st, 2024

New faces: the 26th Summer Media Studio 2024 brings together creators from Lithuania and around the world

Facing the shortest night of the year, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LAMT) together with the Audiovisual Arts Industry Incubator (AMII) gathered young filmmakers from all over the world to the 26th edition of the International Film Workshop “Summer Media Studio 2024” in Pervalka!

This year, participants from 11 countries. The organisers are very happy to see a real Neringian, cameraman Adomas Barkauskas, among this year’s motley group of participants. The selected filmmakers will participate in the project for two weeks, from 23 June to 6 July. Throughout the project, the participants will deepen their theoretical and practical knowledge, and will work closely with each other and with experienced teachers, who are always ready to share the subtleties of the art of filmmaking and are ready to help. In order to cover each area of film production more and more, each year the Summer Media Studio delves deeper into a different area of the industry, and this year’s theme, “Script Mastery”, gives participants the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the cinematic story and its fulfilment by turning the urban and natural areas of Neringa into film sets.

The participants have already received lectures and shared their knowledge and experience from unique filmmakers, who have also come from all over the world: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jonathan Tammuz (Canada/UK), screenwriter and director Damià Serra Cauchetiez (Spain, Catalonia), Indiana University screenwriting professor Susan Kelly (USA), producer and professor Anna Huth (Poland), producer Paul Nethercott (USA).

This year the participants have been divided into 8 film production teams and are already in the process of filming for the shooting days. The participants are making great use of the existing opportunities in the area, interacting and collaborating with local residents, entrepreneurs and cultural representatives, as well as diving in the places that have become symbols of Neringa. So if you see groups making films on the island of Neringa with laughter and great ideas, don’t be scared, they are the Summer Media Studio participants. And already on 5 July at 6 pm. On 5 and 5 pm, at the Liudvikas Reza Cultural Centre in Juokrante, you will have the opportunity to see films made by young artists. More information: www.summermediastudio.lt.

The organisers of the project are the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Audiovisual Arts Industry Incubator.

Project sponsors and partners: Neringa City Municipality, Creative Europe MEDIA Bureau, Erasmus+, Klaipėda City Municipality, State Fund for Studies, Lithuanian Film Centre, AVAKA, LAMT Student Representation, VilniusTECH, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Student Representation, Latvian Academy of Culture, Tallinn University, Beira Interior University, Neringa – Culture Island, Karaliaus Mindaugas Vocational Training Centre, Studio Nethercott, Cine Wave, Klaipėda Film Office, Liudvikas Reza Culture Centre, Klaipėda Youth Theatre, Taško Theatre.

Thursday June 20th, 2024

Europe’s most talented young chamber music ensembles to hone their skills and perform in Vilnius

Europe’s most talented young chamber ensembles will be in Vilnius for the whole week of St John’s Day to hone their performance skills. The European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) session will conclude with the launch of the digital platform for performers’ career skills and two chamber ensemble concerts at the Museum of Energy and Technology and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

“This is the eighth edition of the European Chamber Music Academy masterclasses, lectures, workshops and concerts organised by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. We feel honoured to be members of this prestigious organisation for more than 10 years. Lithuania is the only Baltic country that belongs to this organisation. Our sessions always attract a lot of attention from foreign professors and ensembles and are highly appreciated”, says Prof. Dr. Indrė Baikštytė. 

This ECMA session will focus on career planning for chamber music ensemble performers and on developing skills in new performance forms. The practical lectures will be given by chamber music luminaries: the ECMA’s Artistic Director, violinist Prof. Johannes Meissl, Vice-Rector of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, pianist Prof. Avedis Kouyoumdjian, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and violist Prof. Patrick Jüdt, University of the Arts Berne. Curator and consultant Andreas Vierziger, who has worked with brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Netflix and Sony Pictures, and Inga Uus, a coach, start-up mentor, strategic management and marketing consultant, will also share their experience.

The eighth ECMA Session is special because it will launch the ECMA Digital Knowledge Platform, a new digital tool to help young chamber music ensembles develop. On this platform, chamber music ensemble performers will find a wealth of useful information, lessons, lectures and presentations on chamber music performance, teaching and career opportunities. The new digital tool will be launched at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, from where it will be broadcast to many European music schools. Two piano trios participating in the ECMA session, Ensemble Ramé and Trio Susato, will play during the event.

The ECMA session brings together 6 ensembles from 5 European music schools: the Susato Trio, the Trio Sheliak, Ensemble Ramé, the Cuore Piano Trio, the Coda Quartet and the Helio String Quartet. It is truly impressive that these ensembles include musicians from as many

as 10 different countries – Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, USA, Philippines, Ukraine, Norway, China and Lithuania. Our country is represented this year by the young and promising Helio String Quartet. All these chamber ensembles participating in the ECMA Session will be heard in two concerts open to the public on 27 June at 7 pm. 27 June at the Museum of Energy and Technology and 29 June at 7 pm. The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Great Hall.

“In these concerts, which will take place in a special setting, we will hear refined interpretations of piano trios and string quartets. The programme includes time-honoured masterpieces of chamber music, as well as new works from the second half of the 20th century. This only confirms the great power of chamber music to bring the world and its people closer together,” says I. Baikštytė. 

ECMA, or the European Chamber Music Academy, is an international network of European music academies whose mission is to nurture young talent by focusing on established chamber music ensembles such as string quartets, piano trios and others. In order to promote the chamber music tradition and the best young and driven ensembles, the ECMA organises training for top-class performers and provides opportunities for them to present themselves to the general public through concerts.
ECMA graduates and world-renowned ensembles such as the Boulanger Trio, Quartetto di Cremona, Minetti Quartet, Quatuor Zaïde, Trio Gaspard, Trio Bohémo, and many others have gone on to successful careers. Two Lithuanian ensembles – the FortVio Piano Trio (2012-2014) and the Mettis String Quartet (2014-2016) – have become laureates of renowned international competitions thanks to ECMA training, and have given numerous concerts abroad, featuring not only world classical and contemporary music, but also Lithuanian chamber music repertoire.

Friday June 14th, 2024

The first FILMEU Forum: what has been decided

The first annual FilmEU Summit 2024, the forum of the FilmEU Alliance of European Universities. Navigating the future” took place last week, bringing together more than 150 participants: teachers, administrators and students from eight countries. The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre team shares their impressions and news.

The Forum’s agenda was packed with a wide range of events: a symposium of Alliance leaders, thematic working group meetings, inspiring presentations by experts, interesting presentations of artistic research projects, a screening of student films and informal networking with colleagues from all Alliance partner HEIs. 

The event featured a variety of closed and open sessions – working group meetings, activity presentations, guest speakers, a leadership symposium, meetings of the Academic Council and the Alliance Steering Committee – to discuss important issues related to the future of the film and media industry, scientific and artistic research and innovation, and higher education integration.
The meetings discussed one of the important objectives of the FilmEU Alliance, which is to contribute to the integration and standardisation of higher education in Europe, not only facilitating the movement of students between different countries and universities, but also increasing the recognition of their qualifications across Europe.

“Even before the official launch of the programme, representatives of LMTA and other higher education institutions from other countries have been working intensively on the development of a joint bachelor’s degree programme. The content of the studies, the expected programme outcomes, the movement of students between institutions, quality assurance and other important elements were discussed and approved. This joint degree programme is expected to start in 2025. As an associate member of this joint study programme, LMTA will contribute by organising a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) for all students of the intended joint study programme. It is expected that this programme will open even wider international opportunities for both LMTA and foreign students”, – shares Natalija Verbickienė, Head of Quality and Strategic Planning Department. 

Importantly, the Academic Council of the European University of Cinema and Media Arts, consisting of rectors, presidents, deans, steering committee, student and staff representatives, gathered in Bratislava during the Forum, issued a joint statement in support of the idea and implementation of a common European degree.

Ingrida Jasonienė, Project Manager, says that the WIRE meeting at the Forum has planned training sessions for PhD students until the end of 2028, a MOOC and a Fall Seminar for researchers, including third-country researchers from Ukraine and the Balkans, as well as training for researchers in the laboratories of the FilmEU Alliance schools.

Vitalij Zenčenko, FilmEU project coordinator, stresses that the work of the international audiovisual team of students who took part in the Forum deserves special mention: “The students from different disciplines – photographers, cameramen, editors – did an excellent job in creating video reviews of the event, social media posts, and recording interviews with the guests and organisers. We are glad that even four students from the Film and Television Department of the LMTA – National Film School – were among them!”

Wednesday June 5th, 2024

Unconscious Bias Training for the Creative and Cultural Industries

FilmEU, an alliance of European Creative Industries Schools, of which the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre is a member, invites the academy’s lecturers and students to a seminar on unconscionable bias.

Have you heard of unconscious bias, but are unsure what it really means? Would you like to examine the impact unconscious bias has within the creative and cultural industries? Join us for this session to help you develop an understanding and awareness of how unconscious bias works, and learn strategies to help reduce its negative impact.

In the creative and cultural industries, we often work in roles where we create media, or support the creation of media, that is consumed by the masses. With this role comes the responsibility of telling stories that fairly and accurately reflect the diversity of our world. If we do not understand the concept of unconscious bias, then we cannot ensure that the media that we create does not endorse negative stereotypes. These stereotypes and unconscious biases can also affect the way we work in diverse, multi-national teams.

In this online workshop, IADT’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team will explore what unconscious bias is and how it can manifest in our creative and professional work. We will provide strategies for helping to check our biases, and steps to introduce into your work to ensure we are staying alert to these biases.

 

Session outline:

•             Statistics from creative and cultural industries across Europe

•             What unconscious bias is and how it impacts our judgement

•             Different types of bias

·       How unconscious bias can play out in the creative and cultural industries and the negative impact it can have

•             How unconscious bias can play out within work relationships within diverse, multi-national teams

•             Practical tools and techniques to help address and mitigate unconscious bias in your working lives

 

Date: 2024 m. June 11th

TIme: 1300 (EEST)

Registration: https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsce2vqzIqH9MH3F_ijVzSyj6T0eUSM-zt#/registration

More info:  https://www.filmeu.eu/news/filmeu-unconscious-bias-training-for-the-creative-and-cultural-industries

Friday May 24th, 2024

Forum of Lithuanian and Sakartvelo cultures in Tbilisi

This week the Vice-Rector of Arts and Science Ramunė Balevičiūtė visited Sakartvelis, where she took part in the first Lithuanian-Sakartvelis Cultural Forum. She gave a presentation on the history and present of Lithuanian theatre at the Lithuanian Language and Culture Centre of Prof. Vidas Kavaliauskas of the Technical University of Sakartvelo, under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Sakartvelo.
She also visited the Shota Rostaveli Theatre and Film University and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation with the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
“Lithuania and Sakartvel have close cultural ties. It is great to feel the admiration of the people of Kartveli for our culture and art – cinema, theatre, photography. However, our artists have also been and continue to be influenced by the artists of Sakartveland. Equally important is some deep emotional or spiritual connection between us and the artists and cultural people of Kartveli. Of course, the fact that a number of Lithuanian artists were educated in Tbilisi and spent their formative years here is also important. Today, the trajectories of higher education in Lithuania and Sakartveli are somewhat diverging, but we certainly have something to offer each other and to learn from each other,” the Vice-Rector shares her impressions.

 

Friday May 17th, 2024

Tips to help you get through the exam session

For almost every student, the exam session is the most difficult period of their studies. After all, you have to demonstrate your knowledge in many different areas over a few weeks. Gabija Sruogiūtė-Stašienė, a psychologist at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, has given some tips on how to get through the exam session with less stress.

VIDEO ARTICLE (in Lithuanian)

Gabija Sruogiūtė-Stašienė, psychologist at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre:

“I will share a few tips on how to reduce the tension during the exam.

First of all, it is perfectly normal to worry. All people experience anxiety and worry before important life events, especially exams. A little excitement is, in fact, even good for us, because it releases adrenaline, which mobilises and activates our body and then sharpens our senses, our memory, our concentration, and we are better able to make use of the resources we have. However, sometimes anxiety is so great that, instead of mobilising us, it stiffens and paralyses us. We certainly do not want to experience such anxiety before exams. Therefore, what should we do to prevent this from happening? Very often anxiety comes from a place of uncertainty, so the more clarity we give ourselves in this situation, the calmer we will feel. What I mean is that it is very important to have a learning plan. When we have to prepare for an exam, this is usually a huge amount of information (material) that we have to process. Breaking that material down into smaller chunks will make it much easier for us to absorb and prepare for it than trying to learn everything at once. When we try to learn everything at once, we automatically worry that it will be too much and we won’t be able to keep up. However, when we have a learning plan, when we know that a certain topic is scheduled for a certain day, we feel much more at ease in completing the tasks scheduled for that day.

Another important thing is to have a routine, i.e. go to bed at a certain time, get up at a certain time, eat a healthy diet, drink plenty of water, and do physical activity. Very often it seems that during a session you should cut down on social contacts and not meet anyone, shut yourself in and study. However, researchers say that being around people and having social contacts helps reduce anxiety and tension. In a study on chimpanzees, they found that when a chimpanzee is alone, her levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, are much higher than when she is around other chimpanzees. So having a person or several people with whom you can sit, relax or talk about your feelings is very healthy. It is also very important to remember to take breaks during learning. Normally, you should take breaks every hour, every hour and a half for 15-20 minutes. Also, studies have shown that people who take a 15-minute break every hour and a half are 20% more productive than those who do not.

Another thing that can help us to concentrate when studying and also help us to relax and reduce anxiety is physical activity. Physical activity helps us feel invigorated.Physical activity releases adrenaline, which gives us strength and energy. Physical activity also releases endorphins, which are the pleasure and happiness hormones that help us feel confident and calm. Regular sport is a great way to maintain productivity. Another thing that can help relieve tension is breathing. Breathing exercises are very important to practice so that when a stressful situation comes up, you already have the skill and can calm down. Many breathing exercises can be found on the internet, but one of the simplest and easiest breathing exercises is the 3-3-3 principle. This means that on the count of three we breathe in, then on the count of three we hold our breath and on the remaining three we breathe out. You should repeat this breathing pattern for 3-5 minutes. Breathing slows down our heart rate and this sends signals to our brain that we are calm and relaxed. You can also take advantage of apps that you can download on your phone. One of these apps is called “Ramu”. There you can choose which breathing technique you want to do and how much time you want to spend on it, then find a safe, quiet place where you can sit or lie down and listen to the instructions and follow them.

It’s important to note that most stress is in our heads. After all, we are not normally in any danger here and now. However, when we start thinking, our brain sends signals to our body and our body starts to react as if there really is some kind of danger here and now.Therefore, it is very important to learn to recognise our irrational thoughts, which do not help us to study, to prepare for an examination, or to be at our best during an examination.Irrational thoughts can be such as “I can’t do anything”, “I will fail”, “I am a loser”, “I will fail”, “I didn’t have enough time to prepare”, “I will fail”, etc.The key is to recognise these thoughts and then to stop them by changing them into more positive, supportive thoughts, such as “I will breathe easy and calm down now”, “it is just excitement and it can’t spoil anything for me”, “I have been preparing and I will pay”, “I will succeed”, and so on, in order to come back to reality and accept that “I have been trying, I have been working, and I will be fine”. Scientists studying body language have discovered that our body position can not only indicate how we feel, but it can also influence how we feel. If you wake up on the morning of an exam in the fetal position, which is associated with insecurity and lack of confidence, researchers suggest lying in bed for at least a few more minutes, snoozing, lying down in the starfish pose and staying in that position for 2-3 minutes. Starfish pose is associated with self-confidence. Scientists have discovered that a certain posture changes the balance of hormones in our body, i.e. it decreases cortisol (the stress hormone) and increases testosterone (the self-confidence hormone) when we are in a certain posture. Also, before an exam, researchers recommend sitting with your arms raised in the winner’s pose or burying your hands in a wall as if you were trying to push it. This also mobilises the body and helps you feel more confident.

Finally, remember that there is always a solution to any situation and ask yourself, what is the worst that could happen?Very often we create bad scenarios but forget to find a counterbalance or, in other words, the answers to what I would do if it really happened.
When we focus not on thinking about what will go wrong, but on how we would deal with such situations, the level of anxiety and stress also decreases.

I wish everyone the best of luck. Be active, breathe, think positive and you will pass all your exams!”

2024 05 17

Friday May 17th, 2024

Call for proposals for the conference “Principles of Music Composition”

24th International conference of music theory “Principles of Music Composing: Ethno- in Contempo” will take place in November 13–15, 2024, Vilnius, Lithuania.

24th International Conference Principles of Music Composing invites scholars to explore the role of ethnicity in the modern world. The aim of the conference is to reassess the significance of ethnicity in the music of the 20th and the 21st century with a focus on highlighting the aesthetic and technical possibilities of its expression. It is easy to observe, that throughout the history of Western professional music, the function of ethnic aspects has often been reduced to mere recognition, while their development mostly relies on co-cultural structural principles. However, contemporary philosophic paradigms encourage us to reevaluate the relationship between the ethnos and a modern creative individual, which leads us into the search for more appropriate functional and structural approaches. In contemporary contexts, ethnicity can spread in the most unexpected assemblages: from a unifying or segregating factor of identity to commercial appropriations aimed at mass consumption.

The conference is woven into a triptych of events dedicated to the issue of interaction between globality and locality (nationality, nationality, ethnicity, minority, cultural boundaries). This year’s event seems to build a bridge between the interaction of globality and nationality, which was examined last year, and next year’s 150th anniversary of the Lithuanian creative genius M.K. Čiurlionis.

Topicalities of the conference are reflected in the suggested sub-topics:

  1. Interactions and intersections between ethno- and contempo: theoretical, historical, philosophical discourses regarding the expression of ethnicity in contemporary contexts.
  2. Ethno- in sociopolitical and sociocultural contexts: discourses concerning cultural politics, identity, protest, minorities;
  3. Functions of ethno- in contemporary practice of music composition: recognizability, exoticism, conformism, protest, etc.;
  4. Technical solutions for the expression of ethno- in modern practice of music composition (aspects of timbre, rhythm, melody, modes, formal structures, aesthetics, communication, etc.);
  5. Traditional means of ethnical expression (heterophony, monody, etc.) in modern practice of music composition;
  6. Multidimensionality of ethno- in contemporary practice of music composition (aspects of audiation, notation, performance, communication);
  7. Interdisciplinary nature of Ethno- in Contempo (syncretism, synthesis, multimedia, etc.)

Paper proposals (abstract of the presentation and a short biography) must be sent to the email: pmc.lmta@gmail.com. Annotation must not exceed 500 words. The approximate duration of the presentation is 20–25 min.

The deadline for submitting the proposal is September 8, 2024. All proposals will be evaluated by the scientific committee. All applicants will be informed about the committee’s decision by September 20.

The conference will be in English. The participants will be given an option to present online.

Participation fee* (only once selected by the scholarly committee):
in person – 30 €;
online – 50 €.

  • If you are not able to pay the participation fee, please contact us for the waiver.

Selected papers of the conference will be published in the annual peer journal ‘Principles of Music Composing.’

Organizers: Lithuanian Composers’ Union / Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

Scholarly committee of the conference:
Prof. Dr. Rimantas Janeliauskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Prof. Dr. Antanas Kučinskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Prof. Dr. Mārtiņš Viļums (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Assoc. prof. Dr. Marius Baranauskas (Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre)
Prof. Dr. Pavel Puşcaş (Music Academy Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
Prof. Miloš Zatkalik (University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia)
Prof. Roger Redgate (Goldsmiths, University of London, England)
Dr. Bert Van Herck (New England Conservatory of Music, USA)
Dr. Jānis Petraškevičs (Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Latvia)
Dr. Martin Vishnick (United Kingdom)

Coordinators of the conference:
Assoc. prof. Dr. Marius Baranauskas,
Dr. Andrius Maslekovas.

Thursday May 16th, 2024

New Lithuanian actors’ final works on the theatre stages

New theatre actors will perform on Lithuanian theatre stages: the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre invites you to visit the Theatre Art Acting Final Works until the end of May. Theatre Works will be presented at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Vilnius Theatre “Lėlė” and the Oskaras Koršunovas Theatre.

“Graduation performances always arouse curiosity in the theatre audience, because you can see what new actors are coming to the stage,” says Gintaras Varnas, a professor at the LMTA and a theatre director.

This year, a small course of 9 students will graduate from the G. Varnas course, whose actors will play roles in 8 final performances. Interestingly, most of this year’s Acting graduation works are directed by last year’s graduates – Justinas Vinciūnas, Karolis Zajauskas, Jonas Kuprevičius, Povilas Barzdžius.

“It will be interesting to see plays that have already been staged, but in a different time period, such as “Shopping and f*cking”, based on a play by Mark Ravenhill, or Psychosis, based on Sarah Kane,” says G. Varnas. Professor Varnas adds that the final repertoire will also include the previously popular and now reinterpreted by young people performance of Roland Schimmelpfnnig’s play “Arabian Night”. The audience can also look forward to an interesting work about girls’ personality searches and the theme of love, “Close”, based on the works of two authors – Falk Richter and William Shakespeare.

You can find more final works here.

Most of the events are free of charge, the rest are ticketed by www.bilietai.lt.

Tuesday May 14th, 2024

Filmmakers on Entering Cannes Festival Official Selection: “This feeling is incredible and exceptional”

For us, the famous Cannes Film Festival raising the curtain on 14 May, is of particular interest: the official competition programme includes the work “Ootid” (Lith. Ootidė) by director Eglė Razumaitė and producer Lineta Lasiauskaitė, who are both studying at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

This is the second time in the history of the Lithuanian cinema that a short film will compete for the Grand Prix in the

short film competition programme of the Cannes Film Festival.

The film “Ootid”(Litht. Ootidė) was created by director Eglė Razumaitė (2nd-year Master student in Film Directing), assisted by producer Lineta Lasiauskaitė (4th-year Bachelor student), as well as sound designer Auksė Jurevičiūtė (2nd-year Master student in Film Directing), and cinematographer Nojus Drąsutis, who recentIy earned his bachelor’s degree at the LMTA. It’s worth noticing that the creative team was working on the film independently during the summer holidays.

While the film is not yet open to the Lithuanian audience, we know that the story takes the viewer to a summer camp where a girl named Viltė leaves the camp for mysterious reasons. The other girls in the camp speculate about what might have happened to their friend. The film touches on the topics of femininity, transformation, and alienation.

We spoke to Egle Razumaitė, the director of “Ootidė”, and producer Lineta Lasiauskaitė, just before their departure to Cannes. We are excited to share the filmmakers’ thoughts, aspirations, and advice they have for other students in the art of cinema. 

Invaluable experience

“I have very mixed feelings: there is the joy of having been shortlisted at the Court Métrage Competition (short film) programme, and there’s also the anxiety of the upcoming premiere. From the moment we received the email informing that “Ootide” will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, our usual day-night routine has changed, because participating at such a high-level festival goes far beyond just the screening,” shares Lineta.

The producer reveals they had to deal with certain challenges: “Within a very short time, we had to develop a copy of the film that meets the festival’s requirements for sound design, subtitling, translation, technical parameters, and so on. We also had to provide various materials and information requested by the festival organisers.  Together with Eglė, we had to participate in the online Focus COPRO’ training, which in itself is a considerable achievement. On top of that, I had to arrange travel and accommodation, as well as the representation of the film,” continues Lineta, “but I can probably state that the feeling is incredible and exceptional. From participating in the festival, I expect to gain invaluable experience in the professional field and everyday life, make new interesting connections, and, of course, a warm welcome

to the international market.”

 “Now, as I’m leaving, I finally feel calm as we’ve managed to arrange everything. It’s not only this significant premiere that is about to happen; there is also the screening of the final master’s project, and my thesis defence. So, it seems that within a very short time, I received an enormous dose of stress and I felt as if I was falling apart while trying to manage everything going on in my life,” Eglė reveals about her first impressions and reactions.

“Now, however, I am thrilled to realise that our creative team has received such a significant assessment, which opens doors for everyone. I am also happy about my master’s final project recently filmed in Berlin, and excited about an opportunity to present not only our short film at Cannes, but also the vision for our feature film – this vision has been selected for the series of Focus COPRO’ workshops organised under the Cannes Film Festival.  These workshops are teaching us to work following the co-production model, present the idea of a feature film, search for the partners required for making a film. I look forward to the festival because I know that it will bring invaluable connections, inspiring conversations and, I hope, partners for the project of our feature film,” says the director.

Advice to students: be brave and work, work, work

We asked Eglė and Lineta, who are about to graduate from the Academy, to share some advice with the students.

I would like to wish our students the strongest possible motivation and perseverance in their professional fields, endless dedication to their work, and respect for their team. Yet, the main thing is to have a goal and strive for it consistently and carefully. I would also like to advise them to take into account the experience of their senior colleagues, yet without attaching too much significance to them, especially when people say that only filmmakers who have been in the film industry for a long time and won several awards can get into the competition programme of the Cannes Film Festival. Our team has broken these stereotypes and proved that a young, driven, confident team, who are passionate about their profession, can be selected from among 4.5 thousand contestants,” says Lineta.

“I absolutely agree with Lineta’s idea. Also, my advice is to be brave and in your creative work, speak up about things that seem important to you. Avoid compromises when choosing topics. And work, work, work. I think cinematography is exclusively an area of “doing”: the film “Ootidė“ perfectly illustrates how it was born out of a great desire to make a film even when there were no conditions for it at all,” continues Eglė.  

The Future Plans are Challenging

Naturally, after such a success when the film “Ootide” will from now on be associated with the names of the filmmakers, we asked Lineta and Eglė how they evaluate it and what they plan for the future.

“In my head, I do have plans for our more distant future, and together with Eglė, we have already started making small steps towards them. As for our short-term plans, in the coming year, we’re planning to apply to participate in A-list festivals with another short film that we’ve been working on with the same team,” explains Lineta, adding that she hopes the premiere of this film will be just as impressive.

Lineta also mentions that she and Eglė are graduating from the Academy in June: Eglė is about to earn a master’s degree in Film Directing, while Lineta is going to receive her Bachelor’s in Film Production, so one of their short-term plans is to pass the final exams successfully.

“Regarding our names being associated with the film “Ootidė”, we do understand that this is not only a short-lived honour. It’s a long-term commitment to not lower the creative bar but only to raise it. These new challenges are our joy and motivation,” Lineta adds.

Eglė shares her plans too: “At this point, I would like to be well-prepared for writing the script for a feature film and in the coming year after graduation, just to immerse myself in this work. I think “Ootidė” and “Signal Path” (Lith. “Signalo kelias”), the film that will be presented in the final exam, perfectly summarise and feature both my signature as filmmaker and the direction in which I would like to develop. And, for me, to adapt it to a feature film is an exciting challenge.” 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and we wish you the best of luck!

Wednesday May 8th, 2024

Erasmus+ Intensive Course on Intercultural Exchange and Creative Communication

The Erasmus+ week “Intercultural relations and creative communication” took place at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre from 8-12 April.

The CIP course started on 6 March with distance lectures and ended on 24 April. In total, 19 students from Aveiro University in Portugal, Liepaja University in Latvia, Tampere University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Cracow Academy of Music in Poland, and Estonia participated, as well as 6 lecturers from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Lect. Viltė Gridasova-Rusevičienė, doc. Vytis Puronas, lect. Audrius Dabrovolskas), cinematographer Herman Hoffman (Toby) Birney and lect. Yohanna Sirkesalo from Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Finland.

During the intensive programme, music, design, communication and new media arts students worked on a wide range of creative ideas – from the city of Vilnius as a space for young people to find inspiration to create; an exhibition to be presented in one of Tampere’s city galleries; digital posters of the city of Vilnius depicting a different artist’s day in the city; to musical compositions inspired by different visual arts.

It is planned that this Erasmus+ intensive week course will be extended in one of the partner institutions of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2025.

Friday May 3rd, 2024

“Brass LT” of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre will compete at the European Brass Band Championship in Palanga

Saturday (4 May) could be a fateful day for the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre’s Brass LT at the 45th European Brass Band Championships in Palanga. It is on this day that the brass band representing Lithuania will compete in the challenge group of the championship.
Over the 45-year history of the European Brass Band Championship, this competition has become a prestigious event held in the most beautiful cities of Europe, attracting Europe’s best brass bands and their fans every year.

“We are creating a new page in the history of Lithuanian music. So it is understandable that we are making every effort to perform as successfully as possible: we have found a conductor for the orchestra who has a lot of experience in this genre, the whole Academy is involved and supports us in the championship, all 35 members of the orchestra have invested their time and energy to prepare as well as possible. That is why we set ourselves the highest goal and we think that our expectations are justified – gold”, – says Prof. Dr. Robertas Beinaris, Head of the Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

By winning gold in the challenge group, Brass LT would be placed in the championship group, where they will compete next year.
According to Prof. R. Beinaris, the founder of the LMTA brass band, such competitions for brass bands are popular in Western and Northern Europe, and Lithuania, although a relatively newcomer, is already seen as a serious player: five years ago Brass LT won silver at the European Championship in Switzerland, and the right to organize the championship in Lithuania, in Palanga, was also granted for a reason.
The LMTA Brass Band will be conducted by the Academy’s lecturer Russel Gray (United Kingdom). Brass LT is directed by Prof. R. Beinaris, lecturer Remigijus Vilys, Prof. Kazys Daugėla.
Brass LT won the right to represent Lithuania at the European Championship at the XXIV Lithuanian Brass Band Championship, which took place at the beginning of March, where 27 brass bands competed.

Monday April 22nd, 2024

Elzė Gudavičiūtė, Head of the Department of Acting and Directing, is elected to the Board of the École des Écoles

Last week, the heads of the European Higher Schools of Theatre gathered at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Not only was there a workshop for the teachers of the École des Écoles network, but also an extraordinary congress of the members of this association. During this congress, the Head of the Department of Acting and Directing, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elzė Gudavičiūtė, was elected to the Board of this international network of Higher Schools of the Arts for a three-year term of office. 

“I am sincerely glad that the events of the École des Écoles Network, which took place at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre throughout the week, went smoothly, that the Department of Acting and Directing was able to ensure the quality of the workshop content and, together with other departments of the Academy, smoothly prepared and organised both the workshop and the extraordinary meeting of the members of the Association. The reflections and comments of the foreign lecturers who took part in the workshop on the closing evening were gratifying in their positivity and in their observation of the uniqueness and distinctiveness of our Theatre School. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the practitioners of the performing arts who conducted the workshop,” said Elzė Gudavičiūtė, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Acting and Directing at the Academy of Performing Arts of Latvia, after the workshop dedicated to the members of the École des écoles .

“The two-day extraordinary meeting of the heads of the Association’s higher education art schools, which followed the workshop, was devoted to the preparation of a new strategic partnership project. During this meeting, the new board of the École des Écoles network was also elected. It will be made up of school leaders and performing arts professionals from Hamburg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lithuania and Romania for the next three years,” – added E. Gudavičiūtė, who was also elected to the association’s Board.

The École des Écoles network brings together 16 European Higher Education Schools of the Arts, promotes the exchange of performing arts teachers, organises workshops to improve teachers’ competences and runs international projects involving teachers and students.

 

Friday April 12th, 2024

ÉCOLE DES ÉCOLES EVENTS AT THE ACADEMY

Next week, the international organisation “École des Écoles” (EdE) is organising a series of two events in Vilnius. The first event will take place on 15-17 April at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and will be a session of seminars, discussions and workshops on the peculiarities of authorship in the field of theatre, hosted by LMTA lecturers, renowned Lithuanian theatre and dance representatives, creators and critics. The second part of the series will include an extraordinary meeting of EdE members on 17-19 April.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS (EN)

“École des Écoles” (EdE) is a European network focusing on teachers and students in performing arts. The network was established in 2006 based on the network “Primo del Teatro” in Italy, which is partly a Summer school for acting and directing students across Europe located in the small village of San Miniato, partly a network of European teachers, who are associated with the Summer school.

EdE consists of partner schools from Spain, Catalonia, Germany, Denmark, UK, France, Italy, Portugal, Lithuania, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Norway. 

In recent years, the network has sought to strengthen the possibilities of exchange between teachers at European theatre schools. EdE works on developing cooperation between the partner schools through seminars, workshops and meetings.

Read more about École des Écoles (EdE)

European theatre is changing: themes, production processes, the understanding of authorship, collective creativity and emotional well-being are of great interest.  The questioning of vertical hierarchies leads to fundamental changes in creative processes and directing.

How to ensure democratic creation and co-authorship in traditional theatre environments? How to adapt to new pedagogical requirements and train theatre makers? These are just some of the key questions that will be discussed in the seminar-discussion “Authorship in Theatre: from the Director and the Text to the Diversity of Voices”, which will take place at the Central Palace of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (42 Gedimino Ave., Vilnius) on 15-17 April.

This seminar invites theatre and performing arts educators and practitioners, as well as representatives of other disciplines, to explore different approaches to the question of authorship in theatre production. The aim of the workshop is to exchange different approaches, practices and experiences on different ways of collaboration.

The seminar will consist of three different workshops:

  1. “Reimagining directing”.
  2. “Stories told by bodies. The stories bodies tell. Exploring Dance Dramaturgy
  3. “Clowning and playfulness: in search of a different approach to theatre authorship”

The workshop will be led by LAMT lecturers, renowned Lithuanian theatre and dance representatives, creators and critics – Yana Ross, Augustas Gornatkevičius, Naubertas Jasinskas, Agnija Šeiko, Goda Dapšytė, Žilvinas Beniušis.

On 17-19 April, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre will host an extraordinary meeting of the members of the École des Écoles network. The meeting will discuss the organisation’s past and future activities, and elect new members to the institution’s board.

Representatives of the performing arts from Lithuania, Ukraine, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Romania, Portugal, France, Norway, the United Kingdom and Belgium will participate in École des Écoles events in Vilnius.

2024 04 12

Friday March 29th, 2024

A Few Glimpses of Early Music Week, LMTA Erasmus+ BIP course, 19-23 March 2024

On 19-23 March 2024, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) together with partner institutions – The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria), the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (Poland), the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (Latvia), and the National Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania – ran Early Music Week, Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) courses.

During the courses, LMTA students and their peers from abroad, all specialising in the Baroque vocal performance and Early Music instruments (the Baroque flute (the flute traversière), plucked string instruments), gathered in the masterclasses by acclaimed Early Music performers and teachers Dr. Flavio Ferri-Benedetti (Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland), Lea Sobbe (Kunstuniversität Graz, Austria), and Ieva Baltmiškyte (Muziekacademie Schaarbeek J. H. Fiocco, Belgium) to advanced their knowledge of the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, and Early Music performance and technique.

Early Music Week also hosted lectures by musicologist Dr. Aleksandra Pister and musician Ieva Baltmiškytė, as well as a series of concerts and educational events. On 23 March 2024, the project culminated in the final concert on the stage of the National Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania featuring the participants of the Erasmus+ BIP master classes.

The Early Music Week under Erasmus+ BIP saw cooperation of 12 students and 5 teachers from foreign music universities with their peers from the LMTA.

The project was organised by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Project partners: The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria), the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (Poland), the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (Latvia), and the National Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.

Partner of the concert “Music in the Underground Gallery” – Vilnius TV Tower.

The final concert of the Early Music Week Erasmus+ BIP and the “Music in the Underground Gallery” concert are part of the 10th International Marco Scacchi Early Music Festival.

LMTA Students’ Union, LMTA Art Centre, LMTA Music Innovation Studies Centre have helped us to implement the project.

Photos by Marija Frolova.

Photos of the final concert of the Early Music Week Erasmus+ BIP at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and the concert “Music in the Underground Gallery” at the Vilnius TV Tower by Vytautas Abramauskas.

More photos: https://lmta.lt/lt/fotografiju-galerija/

Friday March 22nd, 2024

Baltic Musicological Conference: CALL FOR PAPERS

We are delighted to announce the Call for Papers for the international Baltic Musicological Conference “Music History Beyond State Borders: Micro-, Meso-, and Macro-Regionality of Musical Culture”, to be held at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Vilnius, Lithuania).

Conference is organised by
Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
IMS Study Group Music and Cultural Studies

Vilnius, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
October 29–31, 2024

Keynote speakers:
Prof. Jörg Hackmann
Professor of History
International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Kulice, University of Szczecin (http://www.joerghackmann.eu/Joerg_Hackmann/about_me.html)

Dr. Rasika Ajotikar
Junior Professor of Ethnomusicology
Institute for Music and Musicology|Center for World Music 
University of Hildesheim

(https://www.uni-hildesheim.de/musik/team/professoren/prof-dr-rasika-ajotikar/)

Dr. Tatjana Marković
Associate Professor of Musicology
Austrian Academy of Sciences|IMS Study Group “Music and Cultural Studies”
(https://www.oeaw.ac.at/acdh/team/current-team/tatjana-markovic)

Area studies are focused on specific geographic territories or specific cultures. This interdisciplinary research includes geography, history, sociology, political science, literature, linguistics, and gradually entering musicology. The still dominant concept of music history is based on nationalism, that is, today’s state borders and moreover, the ethnic majority. The aim of this conference is to broaden the mentioned concept by stepping beyond the state borders, focusing on geographically and culturally determined micro-, meso-, and macroregions through history. Furthermore, the inclusion of different kinds of minorities, as well as imperial (Byzantine, Ottoman, Russian, British, French and others) and political legacies (communist, socialist) would be of significance. In order to overcome the traditional (Western) centre versus periphery division, and the strictly determined historical regions, the temporarily centres would be placed anywhere where the area studies are focused.

A mesoregion is defined as ‘connected by time that crosses the boundaries of a state, society, nation, and civilization’ (Troebst). The term ‘mesoregion’ designates a group of several states forming a region – for instance, the Baltic region, the Balkans, or the Middle East – in historical terms and in political terminology. A mesoregion is different from a microregion (a subnational unit), and also from a macroregion (a continent: Africa, Asia, Latin America). Mesoregion as a relative category in the framework of conceptual history and ‘as the premises of its social production, its ideological underpinnings, as well as the various forms of interpretation and representation that it embodies’ (Mishkova and Trencsényi). Additionally, the micro- and mesoregional perspective can be different from outside and within the areas through the reception of a given musical culture and its self-representation. This approach would provide a profound insight into sub- and supraregional facets of cultural and musical life and the network of overlapping regional cultural and musical traditions.

The conference is therefore not limited to specific regions and cultures, but encourages the perspectives and exchange across the boundaries of cultures, regions and disciplines. The programme committee encourages submissions within the following areas, although other topics are welcome:
– micro regional musical culture as an identity signifier;
– mesoregional music history or opera beyond the state border;
– network of music institutions within a meso- and macro region;
– supranational macro- or mesoregional history of music;
– cross-cultural transfer within a mesoregion or among different mesoregions.

Conference convenors: Rūta Stanevičiūtė, Tatjana Marković
Programme committee: Antonio Baldassarre, Zdravko Blažeković, Tatjana Marković, Lina Navickaitė-Martinelli, Rima Povilionienė, Rūta Stanevičiūtė (Chair)
Conference coordinator: Zita Abramavičiūtė-Mučinienė

Submission
The conference language is English. There will be two options: individual papers and panels (of 3 or 4 presenters).

Papers
We invite abstracts of no longer than 300 words, including five keywords and an optional list of references (max 10). Individual paper presentations are 20 minutes long to be followed by 10 minutes of discussion.

Panels
The panel organizer should submit the panel abstract and all individual abstracts (200 words each) in one document, with a full list of participant names and email addresses.

Please submit proposals as a doc/odt/rtf attachment to mokslas@lmta.lt by 15 May 2024. The following format should be used:

  • Name, affiliation and contact email address
  • Type of presentation (select one from: panel, individual paper)
  • Title of presentation
  • Abstract (300 words maximum; in the case of panels, include a general abstract followed by individual abstracts, in total 1200 words maximum)
  • Keywords
  • CV (100 words maximum; in case of panels, CVs of all participants)

Accepted speakers will be informed by 15 June 2024. The conference registration fee – 30 EUR (student registration fee – 15 EUR). It includes conference material, coffee breaks and conference reception. Information about registration and accommodation will be sent after acceptance of proposals. The organisers will invite the students and early career scholars accepted to present at the Baltic Musicological Conference to apply for travel grants to support their travel to the conference, incl. airfare and lodging. Award amounts will depend on the number of applications received and travel distance awardees. 

The selected papers will be invited for publication in the international peer-reviewed scientific journal “Lithuanian Musicology” (indexed in SCOPUS, EBSCO, RILM, ERIH PLUS). The conference organisers look forward to receiving your submissions!

Contact e-mail:

Zita Abramavičiūtė-Mučinienė, mokslas@lmta.lt

 

Wednesday March 20th, 2024

A book featuring sutartinės (Lithuanian multipart songs) penned by a professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre enters the prestigious Cambridge Scholars Publishing

The Lithuanian polyphonic songs sutartinės–– included in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Lithuania–– are enjoying a renaissance and receiving increasing attention from researchers not only in Lithuania, but around the world. The prestigious academic publishing house Cambridge Scholars Publishing has printed a book titled “Past and Present Lithuanian Polyphonic Sutartinės Songs” by Daiva Vyčinienė, ethnomusicologist and professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Published at the end of February, the book delves into polyphonic sutartinės songs not as a merely Lithuanian phenomenon – their analogies are sought both in neighbouring countries and distant exotic cultures such as the Japanese subculture of the Ainu people. The book shares the findings of long-term research as well as the latest insights into the place the sutartinės songs occupy in today’s culture. This book is an ethnomusicological study significantly supported by the findings of research into ethnology, archaeology, and linguistics.

“I think, primarily, the very fact that the tradition of the Lithuanian sutartinės songs has been promoted in the cultural space worldwide is of the utmost importance. Yet, what is as important is that the book acknowledges the sutartinės songs not being merely a historical phenomenon that has left a lasting mark on culture: it sees sutartinės as today’s vigorous tradition with a myriad of different forms of expression. Sutartinės are revealed as a phenomenon combining the music of the Lithuanian agricultural culture of the past with today’s variety of artistic expressions. The sutartinės songs, which today have become one of the most prominent features of the Lithuanian identity, are evolving into somewhat of a “key” opening the door to the perception of the Lithuanian mentality,” unfolds the author.

Professor Daiva Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė heads the Department of Ethnomusicology at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Dr. Daiva Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė has a PhD in Humanities, is Chief Researcher at the Archive of Musical Folklore, and has received two major awards:  the Lithuanian State Jonas Basanavičius Award for research and social activities in the field of ethnic culture (2002) and the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts for promoting folkloristics (2021).

Professor Daiva Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė’s research dedicated to the sutartinės songs (more than 100 conference presentations, 150 academic papers, and 4 monographs) contributed to the fact that UNESCO included the sutartinės song into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

We hope that the book “Past and Present Lithuanian Polyphonic Sutartinės Songs” will not only help to gain a better understanding of the sutartinės songs but also inspire new research into the phenomenon.

Tuesday March 19th, 2024

The Early Music Week: Women in Early Music, Baroque and Renaissance Dance, and Bach in the Underground Gallery

Today, the Early Music Week has started, a project that has transformed into a festival to commemorate the birthday of the Baroque music genius Johann Sebastian Bach.

“By the events of Early Music Week, we are trying to unveil a vast treasure of Early Music to the listener. We have invited LMTA students and teachers as well as 12 students and 5 teachers from foreign music schools to participate in Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) courses and deepen their knowledge of the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, historical performance, and also uncover the beauty of old music performed at concerts open for the public,” says Beatričė Baltrušaitytė, one of the initiators of the Early Music Week, project coordinator and specialist of the LMTA Quality and Strategic Planning Department.

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre is joining an international initiative – The Day of Early Music – commemorated annually on 21 March by the European old music network REMA, and invites to celebrate the birthday of the Baroque music genius Johann Sebastian Bach.

The scheduled events include a lecture by musicologist Dr. Aleksandra Pister who speaks about the women and the music of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (20 March); an evening of the Renaissance dance where the Early Dance professional Edmundas Žička introduces the most prominent European court dances of the Renaissance period – the pavane and the branle. The dance night will be continued by Mantautas Krukauskas and Ignas Juzokas (22 March): these composers will perform live electronic music variations on the Baroque music themes.

On 21 March, an Early Music concert organised together with the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the Early Music Week project partner, invites to listen to music in an area uncommon for concerts – the basement gallery and the ground-floor lobby of the Vilnius TV Tower.

“By joining the global initiative “Bach in the Subways”, we invite you to an Early Music concert organised in an unusual area – the Vilnius TV Tower, its underground gallery and the first-floor lobby where the works of J. S. Bach and his contemporaries will be performed by the

participants and teachers of the Erasmus+ BIP courses taking place at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre,” says project coordinator Beatričė Baltrušaitytė.

During the Early Music Week, LMTA students together with their peers from foreign higher music schools will take part in the Erasmus+ BIP courses cooperating with acclaimed Early Music performers and teachers Dr. Flavio Ferri-Benedetti (Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Switzerland), Lea Sobbe (Kunstuniversität Graz, Austria), Ieva Baltmiškytė (Muziekacademie Schaarbeek, J. Fiocco, Belgium).

The events of the Early Music Week culminate in the final concert hosted by the Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. Here, the participants and teachers of the Erasmus+ BIP courses will perform the music by the Renaissance and Baroque composers, while Eglė Rudokaitė will play the harpsichord to demonstrate basso continuo, a technique typical of the Baroque period.

The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre organises the Early Music Week together with partners: The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria), the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (Poland), the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (Latvia), and the National Museum of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. 

 

The partner of the concert “Music in the Underground Gallery” is the Vilnius TV Tower. The Early Music Week events are free of charge. 

Friday March 1st, 2024

GREETINGS TO THE LMTA INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT ON ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY!

For 35 years, Department of International Relations has been our beacon for cooperation and the bridging of cultures. Your dedication to building meaningful partnerships and fostering cross-cultural exchanges has enriched our community and expanded our reach around the world!

Thanks to the work of the Division, we are delighted that:
– We collaborate with more than 200 art schools in 43 countries around the world;
– We are members of 10 international networks and participate in 8 international associations.

Congratulations to the International Relations Department of the LMTA on its 35th anniversary! May the coming year be even more successful, meaningful and full of historical moments!

 

In the LMTA archive photo, there is a visit by the current King Charles III of the United Kingdom in 2001. Next to him is the then rector, Juozas Antanavičius.

Thursday January 25th, 2024

LMTA RESEARCH RECOGNISED AS OF MOST ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

The research conducted by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre has been recognised by foreign experts as meeting the highest international quality standards. During the comparative expert evaluation of the research activities (R&D) carried out at the Lithuanian universities and research institutes, the LMTA research in the field of art studies has been awarded 4.5 points out of 5.

Having completed R&D evaluation last year, the Research Council of Lithuania ran a conference on January 16 to overview the insights by foreign experts on the outcomes of the evaluation and hold discussions with the academic community.

At the conference, head of the expert group of human sciences Dr. Ivana Díaz Fernández stated that during the evaluation, certain research fields had notably impressed by their high standards and emphasised art studies, in particular.

“The figures speak for themselves, <… > we’ve been impressed by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre – it is such a small institution, yet their performance is excellent, <… > let’s just look to the future and the ways we can improve,” the expert said.

The level of R&D activity was evaluated according to three criteria: the quality of research activity, the economic and social impact of research, and the research viability. In all the three areas, the LMTA research into the field of art studies was awarded 4.5 points. The research into the field of education was also highly evaluated, receiving 4 points.

In 2023, the experts evaluated 22 state and 6 non-state universities and research institutes. The report by the Research Council of Lithuania mentions the LMTA among the five top state universities with the highest scores in the field of research (or in a group of the fields of research).

“Such evaluation came as a result of the committed work of the LMTA team. This success is not instant, the evaluation covered the period of 2018-2022, various aspects of research activity, and a lot of data.

This evaluation is especially satisfying because in addition to the high ratings awarded to the Academy in the 2022 QS World University Ranking in Performing Arts, this officially means our research is at the most advanced international level,” concludes LMTA Rector, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Judita Žukienė.

The expert evaluation report defines the quality of LMTA research as impressive, innovative and inventive. The report also emphasises that despite the focus of the research placed on music, the interdisciplinarity of the LMTA research strengthens other areas like theatre, dance, and cinematography. Another strength highlighted in the report is the internationality of the research – scientific papers and conferences in the English language, participation in international projects, etc. According to the report, such examples of internationality prove that the Academy is a genuinely strong player at the worldwide level.

The discussion held at the conference highlighted that for the field of humanities, such evaluation is crucial and extremely valuable – after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, this field of studies was recreated, and its development was exceptionally rapid. The evaluation of the field of humanities in Lithuania was conducted by 12 experts from nine European countries.

According to the findings of the evaluation, 70% of the state base budget for the development of R&D activities in all fields of studies will be allocated to the Lithuanian universities and research institutes over the next five years. We are delighted and proud of the LMTA researchers whose competencies and long-term work have led to such a high evaluation of the Academy.

LMTA information
2024 01 25

Thursday October 26th, 2023

FilmSkills conference crafts the next scene in Baltic filmmaking & education

FilmSkills Conference “Projecting Forward: Crafting the Next Scene in Baltic Filmmaking & Education” takes place on November 15th at Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event and ONLINE. 

The event, focusing on teaching film skills, happens in collaboration with Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event. The conference celebrates the outcome of a 2-year collaboration between Tallinn University’s Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Latvian Academy of Culture, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonian Filmmakers Association and Lithuanian Shorts to study skill requirements for variety of film occupations, update curriculums and find innovative solutions to teach film. 

More information and conference registration: https://balticfilmskills.com/conference-industrytallinn-baltic-event/

Baltic film industries and schools find themselves at a crossroads, presenting new challenges not only on how we make films but also on how we teach and include new talents.

“The film industry is an ever-evolving, dynamic field, and our goal with Baltic FilmSkills is to provide individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in it.” – said Vytautas Dambrauskas, the Head of Department of Film and Television at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater when asked about the project’s vision. “As the film industry is simultaneously growing and changing, it is important that we find new ways to welcome and educate new talents and professionals.” 

“Historically, much of the Baltic film recruitment and training has happened via personal connections but rapid growth sets new rules and possibilities. The schools must provide new educational pathways that lead to a successful career in the changing film industry. The keyword is the constant collaboration with the industry but also re-training and micro-credentials for further education and specialisation”, said Veiko Vaatmann, Head of the Film Arts programme in Baltic Film, Media and Arts School of Tallinn University. This means not only recognizing and rising awareness of the film industry as a whole but also each profession and skills it  requires.

 FilmSkills organisations agreed that in addition to upgrading higher education, we should also focus on collaborations with vocational education institutions. “We analysed an overlap of various assisting film professions and vocations taught at our vocations schools. For example, work in the costume department aligns with skills obtained in the clothing industry or studying  tailoring and these are much in demand on set.” said Birgit Rosenberg, researcher for the FilmSkills project.  As a result, Baltic Film, Media and Arts School developed micro-credentials for people who already have certain prerequisite skills, experience, or qualification. FilmSkills created 18 new course programmes for specific occupations on various levels, so that people who are already working in film can acquire and diversify skill sets. 

If you are planning a career on set, you are a film professional, educator or decision maker, we invite you to discuss the future of Baltic film productions, occupations and education.  Join us to script the future for Baltic film industry and education at Black Nights Film Festival or online.  

FilmSkills Conference “Projecting Forward: Crafting the Next Scene in Baltic Filmmaking & Education” takes place on Wednesday, November 15th 14:00-17:30 at Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallinn. 

The conference will be broadcasted online. Please register your attendance or subscribe to an online participation link: https://forms.gle/w5k6iFTy5ZWCxzCG6 

The project and conference is co-funded by the European Union.

Contact: info@balticfilmskills.com

2023 10 26

Events

2024/10/07 - 2024/10/11

GUEST FROM POLAND: PROF. HABIL DR WOJCIECH WIDŁAK

2024 October 7–11 
LMTA Music Innovation Studies Centre and Central Building Room 201 (Gedimino Ave. 42, Vilnius)

GUEST FROM POLAND: PROF. HABIL. DR. WOJCIECH WIDŁAK

LECTURES AND CREATIVE INDIVIDUAL LECTURES
For students of composition, music theory and performing arts
 
The guest of the LMTA is one of the most prominent Polish composers, Professor Wojciech Widłak, habilitated doctor, who has trained an impressive group of students, many of whom (including a few Lithuanians) have already become renowned composers. Widłak’s work follows in the tradition of legendary Polish composers Krzysztof Penderecki, Marek Stachowski and Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar. His works representing the famous Cracow school of composition have been performed at new music festivals in Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Germany, the UK, France, Russia, the Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Macedonia, Belarus, the USA, Japan and other countries. The premiere of W. Widłak’s newest work, Concerto for Cello and Symphony Orchestra, will take place on 25 October. The concert will take place on the 25th of October at the Philharmonic Hall in Częstochowa, Poland. The composer’s field of artistic ideas, revealing his individual approach to contemporary music and compositional strategies, is summarised in his distinctive system of “swivel harmony”.
 
The events are curated by Rytis Mažulis, professor at the Department of Composition of the LMTA.
2024/10/09 - 2024/10/11

Series of lectures and seminars by Prof. Dr. Paulo de Assis of the Orpheus Institute (Belgium)

9-11 October 2024
LECTURE AND SEMINAR SERIES BY ORPHEUS INSTITUTE PROFESSOR DR PAUL DE ASSIS (BELGIUM)


Wednesday, 9 October 2024, 3 pm
LMTA Balcony Theatre (Gedimino Ave. 42, Vilnius)
LECTURE ON ARTISTIC RESEARCH: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AESTHETIC-EPISTEMIC RELATIONAL ART PRACTICES

Abstract:

Art and society are undergoing an epochal transformation. Digital tools, information-driven systems, and new technologies are inducing a major epistemic revolution, radically altering our conception of who we are, how we relate to each other, what we do, how we conceive of reality, and how we interact with the world. Primarily associated with processes of digitisation, much attention has been given to the technical and technological apparatuses that directly impacted and changed our lives in the last decades: innumerable microelectronic devices, countless software tools, growing network-systems, widely available big data, instant informational flow and widely accessible artificial intelligence. This transformation profoundly challenges institutions and discourses, leading to an unavoidable rearrangement of human practices and to a redefinition of major societal constructs. It also leads to new modes of knowledge production, forms of human interaction, perspectives on the natural world, and artistic expressions.

Western art music is also undergoing a significant historical shift. From the invention of notation by Guido of Arezzo around the year 1000 to the late twentieth-century avant-gardes that explored the limits of action- and hyper-notation, this tradition now appears increasingly historical and disconnected from contemporary challenges. Having moved beyond its initial oral phase and a subsequent epoch dominated by written/symbolic artifacts (scores), music culture now thrives in the digital realm, where ‘sound’—whether recorded or digitally produced—is central. Additionally, the integration of sound with visuals, scenic contexts, and semantic associations shifts the focus from the autonomy of the artwork to a relational (post-) aesthetics that fosters new modes of sensorial and epistemic engagement.

In this context, artistic research emerges as a highly promising vehicle for innovation in the arts and music worlds. By merging artistic practice with epistemic inquiry, artistic research creates new networks that encompass both tangible and intangible elements, material particles, and abstract diagrams. This approach engages both practitioners and audiences in the creation and reception of diverse and diffractive outputs that intertwine thought, sense, and sensation in complex ways.

In this two-day lecture and seminar, musician and artist-researcher Paulo de Assis will explore these topics from a practitioner’s perspective. The lecture and seminar will include theoretical discussions and feature concrete examples through case studies for participant discussion and interaction. Furthermore, individual coaching sessions will be an integral part of actively engaging participants.


Thursday 10th of October 2024, 10 am
LMTA Balcony Theatre (Gedimino Ave. 42, Vilnius)
SEMINAR AND PRESENTATIONS OF PHD STUDENTS’ ART PROJECTS (PUBLIC DISCUSSION)


10 October 2024, 3 pm and 11 October 2024, 9:45 am
PROF. DR. PAULO DE ASSIS INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS


The lecture and seminar will be held in English.


Professor Dr. Paulo de Assis (Orpheus Institute, Ghent, Belgium) is a leading researcher combining musical practice (as a pianist in the classical repertoire, as an experimental performer and as a director), musicological expertise in 20th-century Western art music, publishing experience (as an author and an editor), and broad interdisciplinary interests in contemporary philosophy and epistemology. He has been working in the field of artistic research for the last twelve years: he was Principal Investigator on an ERC grant (2013-2018), is founder and chair of the international conference series Deleuze and Artistic Research, and is editor of the book series Artistic Research at Rowman & Littlefield International (London/New York). The author of three monographs and 14 volumes, his works and series of events develop innovative concepts and approaches that have a huge impact on the international development and prestige of artistic research. Prof. Dr. Paulo de Assis teaches and advises young researchers in many European countries and in the USA, and is an expert on research policy and support institutions such as the European Science Foundation, the Swiss National Science Council, the Flemish Science Foundation and others.

Free admission, welcome!

2024/10/09 - 2024/10/11

GUEST FROM ITALY: PAOLO BALLARDINI GUITAR MASTERCLASSES

2024 October 9–11 , 16:00-19:00
LMTA Balcony Theatre
(Gedimino Ave. 42, Vilnius, IInd floor)
 
GUEST FROM ITALY: PAOLO BALLARDINI GUITAR MASTERCLASSES
 
With two decades of experience as a versatile guitarist and session musician, Paolo Ballardini has built a career that includes solo gigs, orchestras, television ensembles, tours, recording sessions, composition, television scoring, and guitar teaching. He has shared the stage with renowned Italian and international artists such as Renato Zero, Fabio Concato, Fiorella Mannoia, Gianna Nannini, Ron, Francesco Gabbani, Nile Rodgers, Christopher Cross, Midge Ure, Gloria Gaynor, Eric Burdon, The Trammps, KC & the Sunshine Band, Mark King, Leo Sayer, and Tony Hadley, while also participating in RAI television productions.
As the lead guitarist in acclaimed musicals like “Mamma Mia!,” “Jersey Boys,” “Saturday Night Fever,” “Pretty Woman,” and “Chicago,” he has performed on international stages. He toured as the guitarist for Fausto Leali and Marcella Bella in Canada and participated in the European tour of the rock opera “Excalibur,” alongside musicians such as Martin Barre, John Helliwell, Michael Sadler, John Kelly, Maggie Reilly, and Moya Brennan.
Beyond live performances, Paolo is a prolific composer and leads the BALLARD project, collaborating with international artists like Derek Sherinian, Brett Garsed, Colin Edwin, and Adàm Marko. His studio work spans diverse genres, enhancing recordings such as Alan Simon’s “Big Bang” in collaboration with NASA.
“Ballardini’s style evokes the greats of the guitar world, such as Andy Timmons, Eric Johnson, and Michael Lee Firkins. He masterfully blends funky/blues tones with fusion-style shredding.
His approach combines technical skill with a soulful touch, creating a perfect balance that keeps the listener engaged.” (Metallized)
 
2024/11/21

GRETA RATOVIČ SOLO JAZZ CONCERT

Thursday 21 November 2024, 7pm
LMTA Balcony Theatre (Gedimino ave. 42, Vilnius)
GRETA RATOVIČ SOLO JAZZ CONCERT

Greta Ratovič is a long-standing member of the vocal ensemble Jazz Island, currently studying in the fourth year of jazz singing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The concert will feature jazz standards and pieces arranged by the artists themselves, which Greta will perform with her unique vocal sound.

Performers:
Greta Ratovič (vocals)
Domas Valiauga (bass guitar)
Mihail Novikov (drums)
Edgar Sabilo (keyboards)

Programme:
Miles Davis – So What
Gretchen Parlato – Butterfly
John Coltrane, vocals by Greta Ratovic – Cousin Mary
Ray Noble – Cherokee
Dee Dee Bridgewater – The Island
Taylor Eigsti, Becca Stevens – Magnolia
Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin – Windows
Richard Rodgers – Surrey with the fringe on top
The Real Group – Spring is Coming
Sarah Elizabeth Charles – Nardis

Entrance is free, welcome!