Mindaugas Urbaitis

Born 1952 in Kaunas, Lithuania, graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music (1975) and finished a postgraduate course there (1977). In 1991-1996 Chairman of the Lithuanian Composers' Union, in 1991-1995 Artistic Director of the International Baltic Music Festival "Gaida", Vilnius, Lithuania. He is currently Professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and Vilnius Academy of Arts. Featured composer at the Music Harvest '92 Festival in Odense, Denmark, Bornholm Music Festival, Denmark, the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, Wales, United Kingdom, Vilnius Festival, Lithuania. Commissions to write new works from different countries, Expo 2000 (German Pavilion) and Vilnius Festival among others. Works by Mindaugas Urbaitis were performed in many countries and at different international festivals: Gaida (Vilnius), Arsenals (Riga, Latvia), Music Harvest (Odense, Denmark), Baltic Festival (Stockholm), Baltikum (Stuttgart), Bornholm Music Festival (Denmark), Schreyahner Herbst (Germany), Haydn-Schubert Festival (Vilnius), Jauna muzika (Vilnius), Music of Changes, Kopa (Klaipeda, Lithuania), Vale of Glamorgan Festival (Wales, United Kingdom), Mariu klavyrai (Claviers of Water - Klaipeda, Lithuania), Vilnius Festival, Wien Modern, Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus, Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Croatia), Thomas Mann Festival (Nida, Lithuania), Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival (Germany), Expo 2000 (Hanover), Internationaler Musiksommer Osnabrück and others. Urbaitis' music has been performed by prominent orchestras and ensembles, the Arditti String Quartet, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra and Kremerata Baltica among others, and in the Lithuania such as the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, choir Jauna Muzika, ensemble Musica Humana and the Vilnius State Quartet. In November 2005 his piano miniature "Longing for Time's Faraway, Vanishing Things", commissioned by The Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (publishing) Ltd. (U.K.), was published in a new Spectrum 4 collection. Mindaugas Urbaitis has received several musical awards in Lithuania, among them 1989 Year Best Work Award of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture and Lithuanian Composers' Union for "Bachvariationen I", 1991 Year Award of monthly journal of culture and art "Kulturos barai" ("Domains of Culture") for "Lithuanian Folk Music", 2nd Prize at the Lithuanian Composers Competition devoted to the 125th anniversary of M.K.Ciurlionis for "Stillness" in 2000, Lithuanian Composers' Union 2002 Year Best Work Award in the category of scenic works for the ballet "Acid City", 2002 Year Best Music for the Theatre Award of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture for the ballet "Acid City" and music for drama theatre "The Beginnings. K.Donelaitis. The Seasons", 3rd Prize at the Lithuanian Composers Choir Music Competition for "Three Liturgical Choirs" in 2010, and several awards of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture. Mindaugas Urbaitis' works are recorded in Lithuania, Germany (Dreyer-Gaido), Switzerland (Guild), UK (Delphian Records, Usk Recordings), and on Finlandia Records (Warner Music International).