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Vilnius Music School Lyra
Department of Solo and Choral Singing
The Department of Solo and Choral Singing was founded in 1996 reorganising the previously established Department of Choral Singing. The very first students of choral singing started their studies in 1991 and solo singing was presented as a discipline in 1996. Up to now 4 students of solo singing and 26 students of choral singing have graduated from this department. The head of the department, a teacher-expert Rolandas Aidukas has drawn together a friendly and creative staff including a teacher-expert Irena Argustiene, senior teachers Zita Grigiene, Saule Atminiene and Evaldas Steponavicius, a teacher Dalia Puisiene and a concertmaster Ausra Varneliene.
Every year the department arranges numerous concerts in our country and abroad. The teachers tirelessly strive to promote training by organizing conferences, festivals, competitions and other events. The department successfully associates with educational institutions in Riga, Wroclaw, and enjoys fruitful co-operation with the Riga Music School No1. Soloists and choirs of the department performed and went over big in Italy (1998), Poland (2000), and Latvia (2001).
During 2-6 April 1997 the department arranged the Elena Ciudakova Competition of Young Soloists in Vilnius, and the 1st International Scholarly-Practical Conference: Topicality and Outlook Teaching Children to Sing. This tradition of arranging competitions, festivals and conferences has been continued ever since. April 16-18 1998 in Vilnius, the Department of Solo and Choral singing arranged the 2nd International Scholarly-Practical Conference: Problems and Outlook of Singing in the Music School at the Turn of the Century. The content of the conference was published shortly after the event.
With increasing interest in the academic singing education of the children and students in the country, it was of great importance to continue arranging competitions. Thus, on 5 March 2001, the department and other institutions arranged the 1st International Antanas Kucingis Competition of Young Soloists.
The Music School Lyra also made a great effort to arrange a concert of the works of popular music by the composer Mikas Vaitkevicius. With the choirs, soloists and an orchestra of teachers, the performance earned a very good response not only from audience, but also from state institutions. Amongst songs of the composer, a performance of great success was a première of an opera Pupa ir seneliai (The Bean and Grandparents). The soloists in the opera were the most proficient students from the department. This event was very positively reflected by the press. The soloists and choir also performed fragments of Dido and Aeneas (the opera by Henry Purcel) in the 2nd International Festival of Choral Music Classics for Children in Vilnius in 2000.
