Judita Leitaitė

Associate Professor at the LMTA Department of Vocal Performance. Subjects: Vocal Performance. Languages: English (C1), Russian (C2). 

Judita Leitaitė says: “I’ve had excellent opportunity to study with the most distinguished professionals of vocal performance such as Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (Austria, 1990), Carlo Bergonzi (Italy, 1996), Tom Krause (Germany, 2000), Josh Goldberg (USA, 2003), Prof. Sergei Malcev (Russia, 2007-2015). 

In 1987, I became a laureate of The all-Union Glinka Competition of Vocalists. It was Prof. Giedrė Kaukaitė who had prepared me for this competition.  

I’ve taken part in numerous international music festivals such as Palaces of St. Petersburg (Russia), the Larisa Gergieva and Guests International Festival (Russia), Water Music Festival (Stockholm, Sweden), and many other events in Poland, Denmark, the UK (London), and of course Lithuania. My performance in Sweden at the Baltic Music Festival received the highest evaluation from the professionals: “It was not just the amazing voice of singer Judita Leitaitė that is captivating; it is also her ability to influentially convey the musical message”.

“At the Newport Music Festival (USA), I was nominated in the category of Summer Star Awards”, continues Judita Leitaitė. “The USA, Israel, Finland, Denmark, Sweden Norway, the Republic of South Africa, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Latvia and Estonia are all among the most impressive destinations in my performance career.”

“I have experienced sheer happiness to have performed songs by celebrated composers Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss, Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, Isaak Dunayevsky as well as romances by Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninov. It was with this particular programme that we opened the vocal performance season at the Small Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia.”

“Working as a teacher at the LMTA, I’m fortunate to be sharing my knowledge and experience with aspiring singers. I’ve been teaching for 20 years and my students are now recognised singers such as, among others, Asmik Grigorian, Kostas Smoriginas, Katerina Tretyakova, Viktorija Miškūnaitė, Simona Liamo, Eugenijus Chrebtovas who are famous both in Lithuania and abroad.

I’ve enjoyed an opportunity to welcome Aviva Piniani (Izrael), Nila Jordanova (Bulgaria), and Kristine Freimann (Latvia) as participants of my chamber singing classes within Erasmus exchange programme. 

I continuously give my professional advice to young Lithuanian and foreign singers, and also run master classes abroad, for instance, in Culture Institute of Vaasa (Finland) and the Krasnoyarsk State Academy of Music and Theatre (Russia). 

I try to devote most careful attention to the interpretation of the musical peace, conveying of its message, and the body posture. I’m sure that every work is a miniature performance bound to capture the audience’s attention.

I’ve been awarded with the Cross of the Knight of the Order of Vytautas the Great. In 2005, I received the Government Culture and Art Prize for the contribution into culture and art of Lithuania and was also awarded with the Medal of Honour Carry Your Light and Believe as well as Medal for Merits to Vilnius and the Nation.”

In closing, Judita Leitaitė says: “I’d like to finish with my favourite words by brilliant dancer Maya Plisetskaya: “In art, what is not relevant. In the process of creating art, it is how that is much more relevant. Art has to touch the soul, thrill it like a string – only then art is genuine. And it cannot be otherwise.”