Jurgita Mieželytė (b. 1980) studied music theory at the Kaunas Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium, composition at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre with Prof. Julius Juzeliūnas, later with Vaclovas Augustinas. In 2008 she finished her post-graduate studies at the same Academy. For several years Mieželytė also studied at the Norwegian Academy of Music (Norges musikkhøgskole), attended composition master classes in Visby (Sweden), Tampere (Finland), Villecroze (France).
In 2007 Jurgita Mieželytė has won as many as three prizes for O ignis spiritus Paracliti at the Vox Juventutis competition of choral composition – the prize for best sacral work and the special prizes of performers and the audience. In 2010 her Stanzas of The Soul was awarded 3rd prize at the competition of choral composition, organized by the Lithuanian Folk Culture Centre and the Lithuanian Composers’ Union.
Mieželytė’s works vary in instrumentation and composing techniques – from symphonic scores (Lethesomnus) to intimate chamber pieces (Shadows, The Bridge). “I enjoy creation most when it is a live process, allowing to experiment, and experiments are most productive under cooperation and communication with performers,” the composer says. An important part of her work is related to text – Mieželytė has created many pieces for choirs and for voice with accompaniment. Lately the composer has been in close collaboration with Lithuanian and Norwegian theatres as a composer for their stage productions.
