I have always been surrounded by classical music, as my parents are professional musicians themselves with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT) and Lithuanian Symphony Orchestra. From a very young age I was used to hearing Rachmaninov’s Symphony No.2 as a lullaby, famous operas and ballets as something to dance to with my friends, and hiding at the back of the orchestra stalls of the LNOBT.
As my parents saw how much I loved performing, they encouraged me to enter the National M.K.Čiurlionis School of Music, Ballet and Arts in Vilnius at the age of six. This is where my musical journey began and I loved every single minute of it. I performed in Lithuania and other European countries, but as time went on, I felt I needed to spread my wings and explore the bigger, wider world.
A friend studying at the Royal Academy of Music with William Bennett recommended attending his flute summer school in London, where I was so inspired by his teaching, other flautists and London itself. William and his wife Michie encouraged me to apply for Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, where I started in 2011. This marked the beginning of a new stage in my life, and over my two years there, I grew so much as a musician, artist and human being.
I then successfully auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music: my life-long dream of studying there had come true! I studied with Michael Cox, Principal Flautist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and it is here that I developed the most, with incredible support and teaching. I was given opportunities to perform with world-renowned conductors, learn the standard orchestral repertoire, play in masterclasses, discover an endless amount of wonderful chamber music and be continually inspired by other passionate students.
Being in London has given me hundreds of opportunities to perform as a freelancer, and I have participated in orchestra festivals and training programmes, including London Sinfonietta and Philharmonia side-by-side schemes, K.Penderecki Summer Orchestra Academy in Poland and Germany, Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, USA, and London Sinfonietta Academy. I have also received job trials from professional orchestras: Royal Northern Sinfonia, Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra and English National Opera. I recently won the Patrons Award of the Royal Academy of Music 2017, which gave me the amazing opportunity to perform a recital at the Wigmore Hall in May 2017.
As an artist, I feel like it is always very important to keep your mind fresh and open to all of the inspirations that come from life around us. I therefore really enjoy going to art and photography exhibitions in my spare time. My favourite place is probably Tate Modern and the whole of the Southbank area. I also love travelling, meeting locals and friends in new countries, trying authentic food, learning photography and new languages. Finally, my other life passion (after music) is dance! Therefore you will most likely find me taking dance classes in my spare time.
Royal Academy of Music
London, UK
What do you do with your time when you’re not playing music?
I love meeting with friends and exploring parts of London that I still haven’t visited (including many interesting cafes and restaurants). And of course I go dancing regularly!
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us
I absolutely love neo-RnB music and I’m in love with dancing hip hop/jazz funk.