Gitana Pečkytė (Vilkelienė)

Singer Gitana Pečkytė–Vilkelienė (soprano) was born in Marijampolė. She graduated from Putinas high school. In 1990 she became a laureate in the national young singers contest Dainų dainelė. In the same year she entered Juozas Gruodis Conservatory and studied solo singing in the class led by Sodaitytė. Eventually she graduated with honors. She continued her studies in the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre from 1994 to 1998 and graduated in 2000 receiving a Master’s degree.

Gitana was a teacher of vocal studies in Marijampolė College of Education and Social Work Faculty from 1998 to 2008. She spent a several years working as a lecturer there.

During her studies she actively participated in various competitions and improved her competence in singing courses which were organized by singer Scott (soprano). Gitana performed her first roles during her studies and she started her career as a singer in the Kaunas State Musical Theatre successfully in 2000.

Gitana received the Fortūna prize for her role as Ciboletta in A Night in Venice in 2002. In the same year she became a laureate in young singers’ contest Operetta is My Love. Later in 2008 she received Orpheus prize becoming the singer of the year at the Kaunas State Musical Theatre. Moreover, a year later she received Fortūna prize for Violetta Cavallini’s role in the operetta The Violet of Montmartre by Emmerich Kálmán and in 2012 Gitana was rewarded with a Golden Stage Cross for her performance as Lucia in the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti.

Gitana successfully participated in the show on the Lithuanian television Triumfo arka and won the third place in 2010.

Her career was influential and successful in the development of various performances in Kaunas State Musical Theatre. In addition to this, Gitana received a diploma from The Ministry of Culture of The Republic of Lithuania for her creativity and effort.

Roles in various performances (1998 – 2012):

Pamina in the music tale for children based on the motifs from The Magic Flute by Mozart,

Margaretta in the musical The Sound of Music by Richard Rogers,

Annina in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi,

Princess Mi in The Land of Smiles by Franz Lehar,

Sora in Gasparone by Carl Millöcker,

Kelmutienė in War and Peace of Mushrooms by Bružaitė,

Franziska Cagliari in Viennese Blood by Johann Strauss,

Ciboletta in A Night in Venice by Johann Strauss,

Adele in The Bat by Johann Strauss,

Juliette in The Count of Luxembourg by Johann Strauss,

Investigator in Kipras, Fiodoras and Others by Kuprevičius,

Diane in Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach,

Micaëla in Carmen by Georges Bizet,

Laura Nowalska in The Beggar Student by Carl Millöcker,

Violetta in La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi,

Rosina in The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini,

Violetta Cavallini in The Violet of Montmartre byEmmerich Kálmán

Juliette in Romeo and Juliet by Ghounod

Belotte in Madame Pompadour by Leo Fall,

Martha in Martha by Flotow,

Lucia in Liucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti,

Saffi in The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss,

Beatričė in The King’s Impersonator by Tadeusz Dobrzański (in the festival Operetta at Kaunas Castle).