Evenings with Lithuanian Composers: Loreta Narvilaitė

In this first evening dedicated to prominent Lithuanian composers, we invite you to meet Loreta Narvilaitė, a contemporary academic music composer living in Klaipėda. An active composer for more than thirty years, this musician, who has achieved a great deal in the fields of music management and education, seems to have never suffered from creative stagnation or doubts about the meaning of her work. Both her personality and her work exude genuine positivity, and her sparkling energy constantly encourages her to race against time. "In my work, I want to be myself, to speak with my own voice," says the composer, whose musical expressions have won the sympathy of performers and audiences not only in Lithuania, but also far beyond its borders.

The year 2025 was particularly generous in opportunities for celebration. At the beginning of the year, her contributions to Lithuanian culture were recognized with the Lithuanian Government's Culture and Arts Award, and at the beginning of October, we congratulated the composer on a wonderful personal anniversary. A new, particularly intense and productive stage in her creative life, which began a few years ago, has yielded a whole host of new works and new versions of previously written pieces. These were compiled into L. Narvilaitė's authorial CD Artimos tolumos (Close Distances), released in December, which was partially funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and released by the recording studio MAMA Studios.

The composer herself will talk about what goes into her work, what sources feed her imagination today, and how her musical style and creative intentions have changed over the years during an evening dedicated to her, in conversation with musicologist Veronika Janatjeva. The conversation will be interspersed with lyrical interludes featuring live performances of L. Narvilaitė's works by young, exceptionally talented musicians: violinist Dalia Dėdinskaitė, cellist Gleb Pyšniak, and flutist Augustė Ivanauskienė. At the end of the evening, you will be able to purchase a CD, get the composer's autograph, and continue your acquaintance with L. Narvilaitė's music on your own.

While nature is still preparing to emerge from its winter slumber, we invite you to enjoy L. Narvilaitė's musical landscapes inspired by the seaside and songs – to feel the sunny warmth or gentle melancholy they radiate, the waves crashing and the sand dunes rustling, the Baltic wind awakening your vital energy!

Photo credits: Ernestas Šimkūnas