– How did you get the chance to join the Klaipėda State Musical Theater troupe? What attracted you?
– I have been following the website of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater on the Internet and messages on social networks for several years after I accidentally came across some charming photos of the premiere of Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera “Pulko duktė”. I was impressed and wanted to know more about this theater and its performances. I really liked what I saw!
Then, two years ago, an advertisement appeared on the Internet for the selection of soloists. I immediately applied, participated and received very good feedback.
I was one of the few foreigners who participated in the selection. Although I left a very good impression, the selection committee regretted that most of the performances are performed in Lithuanian… I have to admit that the fact that so many operas are staged in Lithuania really impressed me! I had no previous contact with the Lithuanian language, although I really liked it – it sounds so beautiful when sung…
Recently, I again submitted an application to participate in the selection and after a very pleasant conversation I heard the question again: would I be able to sing in Lithuanian? This time I answered: yes, of course! For me, a foreigner, such trust of the theater is a great opportunity and honor. I know that I will do my best to prepare as well as possible for the roles.
– What is your previous stage experience?
– My stage experience is quite considerable. I started ballet at the age of three and continued on this journey until I was 13, when my teacher, who was originally from Odessa and had danced the main parts in many famous theaters (among them the Maria Theater in St. Petersburg and the Kyiv Opera), very bluntly warned me that because of my height I would never become a ballet dancer. professional ballerina.
I really liked acting and singing, so I started preparing for exams in the musical theater department. Until then I knew nothing about opera. But when people heard me sing, they often asked if I had operatic training, because they thought my voice sounded like I had sung in operas. I have to admit, it really pissed me off because I was trying to master the musical theater repertoire. It sounded almost like an insult to me!
However, my family forced me to enroll in the faculty of opera singing at the Felix Nowowejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz. I was among the six lucky ones who were admitted to the opera vocal studies, although the commission stated that I was still very “green”, but they were happy to teach me. I decided to stay and give opera a chance. And now I am very happy about it. My stage debut took place in 2015 on the small stage of Bydgoszcz Theater “Opera Nova”, where I played the nanny Filipyevna in Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”. As a student, I sang in five more academy productions, and during the final performance I performed the role of Silva Varescu in Johann Strauss’s operetta The Queen of Čardash and the role of Berta in Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In the last year of my studies, I became the winner of a vocal competition. One of the jury members was the current director of the Baltic State Opera in Gdańsk. Although I didn’t win the competition, he offered me the role of Minerva in Jacques Offenbach’s operetta Orpheus in Hell.
Teodoros Biliūnas/BNS photo/Klaipėda State Musical Theatre
in 2019 I went to the United Kingdom to continue my studies at the Royal Conservatory of Scotland. I was in some amazing productions there, including Jonathan Dove’s Flight, Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera and GF Handel’s Julius Caesar.
After graduating I was lucky enough to get some amazing roles in several independent British opera companies. This summer I created the role of Carmen in Arcadian Opera’s production of Georges Bizet’s opera of the same name, the lead role of Angelina in Jules Massenet’s Cinderella at Aylesbury Opera, and roles in two productions of the independent Opera Kipling troupe – I sang John in Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera ” Jonukas and Grytutė” and Alidor’s part (usually sung by a bass-baritone) in G. Rossini’s “Cinderella”.
in 2019 I was invited to play the lead role in the world premiere of Krzysztof Dobosiewicz’s opera “Salija” at the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice. Every opportunity is a great joy for me. After becoming an opera soloist, I feel grateful every day that I can live the way I always wanted!
– In what upcoming performances will you appear? Which ones are you most looking forward to?
– I will start the season with the role of the Witch in Antonín Dvořák’s opera “Mermaid” on October 17. I am really looking forward to this performance, because it is the most creative and impressive production of “Mermaid” that I have seen so far. In addition, I am happy to be able to sing with a wonderful team.
Another upcoming debut is Bušė in Eduard Balsis’s opera “Journey to Tilžė” (November 8). It will be a wonderful opportunity for me to sing in an opera created by a Lithuanian composer! This performance is very moving, fascinating and the involvement of the dancers in the telling of the story. The contrast between the villain Bušė, who I embody, and the pure soul of Indrė is particularly moving – it sends a clear message to the listeners, even those who do not know the Lithuanian language at all (laughs).
Personal album photo/Wiktoria Gertruda Wizner.
I will end 2024 on stage on December 7. singing Frum Sore in Jerry Bock’s musical Fiddler on the Roof. It’s another villainous role! They say it’s the part of mezzo-sopranos, but I really like playing “baddies” on stage – it gives me a lot of creative freedom. I have known the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” since childhood, and the offer to play Frum Sore was a pleasant surprise for me. I think everyone remembers her ghostly performance on stage – a great opportunity to scare poor Tevye and Goldie!
– Lithuania and Poland: do you notice any cultural and musical differences?
– I have lived in the United Kingdom for the past six years. My childhood and youth were spent between Poland and Germany (I am half German and my great-grandparents are French and Austrian). Perhaps because of my mixed ethnic background, I easily adapt to new places and countries. In fact, I feel very good in Lithuania – it is a wonderful country with many historical places to visit. In addition, Klaipėda is a city by the Baltic Sea, which is another advantage. I come from Koszalin – a Polish city on the Baltic. So I feel at home in Klaipėda. I really like the beach, the forest, the old town, the museums and the architecture of the city! I also enjoy local food, Lithuanian music and works of art – I have already met several young, promising Lithuanian painters. People here are very friendly and helpful! The best example is Martyna Rudelytė-Lisovoj, the wonderful, very supportive and always helpful former head of the Soloists and Planning Department of KVMT, who has been like a guardian angel watching over me since my arrival in Klaipėda.
– How do you see your growth as an artist while being a part of this theater?
– I am sure that by having the opportunity to work with such creative stage partners and by singing in performances that require various preparations, I will improve significantly in many areas: starting with new music (for example, the extremely difficult part of Bušės), the Lithuanian language, which is completely new to me when singing, and ending with work with a team I’ve never worked with before. A whole series of adventures and challenges await me in Klaipėda, for which I want to prepare and perform as well as possible.
Personal album photo/Wiktoria Gertruda Wizner
– What do you hope to bring to the stage of the Klaipėda State Musical Theater and what kind of mark do you hope to leave here?
I hope that the interpretations of my roles will add new colors to the performances and will please the audience! My biggest passion is being on stage, singing and acting. I try to put my heart and soul into every role I create. And if it touches even one person’s feelings, I will consider it a great success.
I hope that the audience will be able to be convinced by what is happening on stage. I want them to feel fear and trembling when the Witch from “The Little Mermaid” conjures on stage, I want them to see the complex family relationships and tragedy in the opera “Journey to Tilje”, and I also hope that people will laugh and shudder a lot when Fruma Sore rises from the kapo (laughs).
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