Rita Preikšaitė
Singer Rita Preikšaitė (mezzo-soprano) was born in Kaunas. She studied in Kaunas High School No 26 and in the 1st Music School of Kaunas. She continued her studies and learned to play fortepiano in Juozas Gruodis Music School from 1976 to 1980. After graduation she entered the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and studied solo singing. After her studies she became a successful singer and works in Kaunas State Musical Theatre since 1987.
Rita participates in various performances such as musicals, operettas and operas; from baroque to contemporary music. Rita is very interested in Lithuanian authors and their music. In addition to this, she had performances with Lithuanian Chamber music Orchestra and National Orchestra, Kaunas State Musical Theatre Orchestra and Kaunas State Orchestra. Also, Rita had many tours with her colleagues in Poland, USA, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands and the Bahamas.
Rita Preikštaitė and Virginija Kochanskytė organize music and poetry events which took place not only in Lithuania, but also in the USA where Lithuanian emigrant communities had a possibility to participate. Rita also took part in many festivals including Pažaislis music festival, Čiurlionis music festival in Kaunas and Thomas Mann festival in Nida.
Rita received an award from Kaunas Art Creators Association in 2005 and a year later Fortūna award for her role as Carmen in the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet.
Rita received an award on the International Music Day on October 1st in 2009. The award was received for various organized programs during her career in both Lithuania and foreign countries.
Roles in performances (1988-2013 in the Kaunas State Musical Theatre):
Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni,
Suzuki in Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini,
Sona in The Pranks of Hanum by Giya Kancheli,
Valencienne in The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar,
Tangolita in Ball at the Savoy by Paul Abraham,
Maddalena in Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi,
Countess Stasi in The Riviera Girl by Emmerich Kálmán,
Prince Orlofsky in The Bat by Johann Strauss,
Siébel in Faust by Charles Gounod,
Anita in West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein,
Nancy in Martha by Friedrich von Flotow,
Riquette in Victoria and Her Hussar by Paul Abraham,
Maria in The Sound of Music by Richard Rogers,
La comtesse di Coigny and Bersi in Andrea Chénierby Umberto Giordano,
Flora Bervoix in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi,
Widow in Zorba by John Kander,
Barbora in Barbora Radvilaitė by Kuprevičius,
Gertrude in Romeo and Juliette by Charles Gounod,
Lady Renee in Kipras, Fioras and Others by Kuprevičius,
Lady of the house in The Bremen Town Musicians by Gennady Gladkov,
Mother in Nykštukas Nosis by Kutavičius and Palčinskaitė,
Carmen in Carmen by Georges Bizet,
Snail in Spider’s Wedding by Zita Bružaitė,
Berta in The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini,
Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti,
Czipra in The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss,
Pig in The Hat with Ears by Eduard Chagagortian,
La Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini,
Lyubasha in The Tsar’s Bride by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Roles in other stage performances of other theatres:
Olga in Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Klaipėda Musical Theatre
Mezzo – soprano performances in:
Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi,
Stabat Mater by Gioachino Rossini and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi,
Requiem by Mozart,
Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi,
F.Schubert Messa C-dur.