Aistė Bružaitė
Head and Associate Professor of the LMTA Department of Folk Instruments, Doctor of Arts. Subjects: Kanklės. Languages: English (C1), Russian (C1).
A professional kanklės music performer, Aistė Bružaitė is a laureate of national and international competitions, performing both as a soloist and with ensembles. She has participated in numerous international festivals and has given concerts in Lithuania and abroad, in Latvia, Estonia, Russia, India, the USA, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, Turkey, Poland, and Austria, among others.
To unlock the potential of the kanklės, Aistė Bružaitė eagerly participates in numerous projects that bring together both classical and national musical instruments and orchestras of various countries. Besides, she plays with several ensembles and is willing to face challenges and innovations.
Aistė Bružaitė has played a lot of works by Lithuanian composers and it is thanks to her own initiative that these works have seen the world. She is the first performer of Aistmarės, concerto for kanklės and chamber orchestra by Algirdas Martinaitis. The musician has also prepared several programmes and recorded compositions together with the Jauna Muzika Choir of the Vilnius City Municipality (artistic director and conductor Vaclovas Augustinas). Aistė Bružaitė has performed solo with the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Orchestra, the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella (Russia), and Pskov Symphony Orchestra (Russia).
In addition to this, the musician has prepared and published a collection of the newest compositions for kanklės The 21st Century Music for Kanklės and Kanklės Duo. Together with Jolita Matkiene, Aistė Bružaitė performs in a kanklės duo; she also gives concerts together with Dovile Kazonaitė (soprano), Milda Baronaitė (soprano), Egidijus Ališauskas (birbynė), and Loreta Sungailienė (vocal), among other acclaimed performers.
Aistė Bružaitė’s active engagement with different ensembles has yielded in as many as four CDs. Her first solo double CD Inspired by Kanklės featuring major works by Lithuanian composers performed by various orchestras and created exclusively for Aistė Bružaitė appeared in 2021.
Aistė Bružaitė has been an active organiser of national and international events, concerts, and workshops all over Lithuania. You can also see her as a frequent participant of national and international conferences and seminars. In 2016, together with the Art Vio String Quartet and the Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Aistė Bružaitė organised and recorded a recital of at the radio concert studio of the Lithuanian National Radio and Television. The performance featured works by Lithuanian composers performed for the first time.
A year later, in 2017, Aistė Bružaitė organised another recital named Playing the Kanklės at Concert Performances. Music Today. At the event, the audience could enjoy the newest compositions or those played for the first time by kanklės solo as well as pieces of chamber music played together with various classical music performers.
Aistė Bružaitė also works as an expert teacher at Vilnius Balys Dvarionas Music School and chairs a methodological group of folk instruments.
Updated 2021 10 11