Regina Maciūtė (Soprano)

Born: June 18, 1946 - Šašaičiuose, Kretingos (Kretinga) vls., Kretingos apskr (Kretinga County), Lithuania

The Lithuanian soprano and music pedagogue, Regina Maciūtė, graduated from the Lithuanian Conservatoire in 1971 where she studied solo singing with V. Fakejevaitė. Since 1971 she has been a soloist at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic. She attended career development classes in Bulgaria (1972), J.S. Bach Summer Academy (Stuttgart, Germany, 1990) and Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria, 1993). Maciūtė was a laureate of the 6^th M. Glinka International Competition of Vocalists (1973).

Regina Maciūtė performs music of various styles: from Baroque to contemporary music. She has been actively participating in programmes of many Lithuanian music ensembles, giving recitals with Lithuanian and foreign orchestras and performing large-scale music opuses: Requiem by W.A. Mozart, The Creation by J. Haydn, Messiah by George Frideric Handel, Carmina Burana by C. Orff and Stabat Mater by G. Rossini. The soloist has been regularly giving concerts together with various musical ensembles: Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Lithuania Minor Symphony Orchestra, Vilnius String Quartet, St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, The Kaunas State Choir, Choir of the Klaipėda Music Theatre, Aidija choir, boys choir Ąžuoliukas, ensemble Musica Humana, and pianist Gražina Ručytė-Landsbergienė. She has been participating in music festivals in Lithuania and abroad (Schleswig-Holstein); the singer has toured USA, Japan, Canada, France, Belgium, Russia, Austria, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Island and Germany.

Regina Maciūtė has added many records to the sound archive of Lithuanian Radio: the cycle of O. Messiaen Harawi together with Gražina Ručytė-Lansbergienė, opuses by many Lithuanian composers (E. Balsys, J. Gruodis, K. V. Banaitis, B. Dvarionas, S. Vainiūnas, J. Juzeliūnas, J. Juozapaitis, B. Kutavičius, A. Martinaitis, O. Narbutaitė, M. Urbaitis, V. Barkauskas, A. Šenderovas, F. Bajoras, etc.); under the baton of Saulius Sondeckis she has recorded Requiem by W. A. Mozart, Stabat Mater by G. Rossini, Mass G-Major by F. Schubert and Messiah by G.F. Handel; under the baton of Juozas Domarkas, the oratory by G.F. Handel Alexander’s Feast or The Power of Music; together with pianist Sergej Okruško, opuses of K.V. Banaitis, V. Barkauskas and R. Žigaitis; Maciūtė has recorded many opuses with the folk instrumental ensemble Sutartinė (long-term leader Pranas Tamošaitis). She has published nine CDs.

Since 1988, Regina Maciūtė has been working at the Singing Department, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in 1996, she became associated professor (now professor). She has trained many talented performers such as K. Zmailaitė, J. Berba, R. Vaicekauskaitė, D. Žibkutė, J. Adamonytė, V. Mončytė and V. Raginskytė; some of them appear successfully at national and international competitions (Natalija Katilienė, Liora Grodnikaitė, Dalia Kužmarskytė and Raminta Vaicekauskaitė).

J. Petronio Publishers published a romance by S. Vainiūnas, Lakštingala (Nightingale), in 2007; R. Maciūtė edited the vocal part and B. Vainiūnaitė, the piano part. Regina Maciūtė has prepared methodical textbook Mūsų balsas – mūsų kūno veiksmas. Artikuliacinio aparato darbas dainuojant (Our Voice Is the Action of Our Body: The Work of Articulation Apparatus in Singing) which refers to 15 years of her pedagogical experience as well as works of N. Malisheva and R. Miller, remarks of Betty Jeanne Chipman and practical advice on voice training by Louis-Jacques Rondeleux.

Regina Maciūtė has been participating in juries of various competitions: the chairwoman of the 2^nd V. Jonuškaitė-Zaunienė competition, member of juries of the 4^th and 5^th International Competitions for Chamber Music Singers Yantarny Solovei in Kaliningrad. Since 1995 she has been a member of the National Art and Culture Award Committee. It has been five years since she was elected the chairwoman of the public organisation Šatrijos Ragana Society, which aims to preserve the writer’s memory.

Awarded the Fourth Class Order of Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1997). November 13, 1997: Government of the Republic of Lithuania Art Award; 2002: the Gold Disk Award by the Lithuanian Musicians Union. Following the June 26, 2003 bill of Kretinga District Municipality Council Regina Maciūtė has become a honorary citizen of Kretinga district.

Source: Lithuanian Music Performers' Information Centre (2011)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (April 2011)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Saulius Sondeckis

Soprano

Arias from BWV 232, BWV 244

Links to other Sites

Regina Maciūtė - soprano (Lithuanian Music Performers Information Center)

Regina Maciūtė (Wikipedija) [Lithuanian]