Antanas Dvarionas (1899–1950), a member of the renowned family of Lithuanian musicians, the eldest brother of composer Balys Dvarionas, was ardent promoter of at the time very few works for the little stage by interwar Lithuanian composers. Before the WWI he graduated from the Commerce School in St. Petersburg, also studied at the Mountain Engineering Institute. He studied singing at the St. Petersburg and Leipzig conservatoires. For two years he sang at the Liepaja Opera Theatre. In 1920, he came to Kaunas and started working at the State Theatre opera orchestra, also singing in the choir and appearing in small roles. He got fascinated with the little stage, left theatre and not before long became one of the most sought after exponents of the genre. In the mid-30s, he formed a jazz orchestra where he himself played; sang in Metropolis and Versalis restaurants. For some time he led Kaunas Varieté Theatre, appeared in various programmes there.
Rūta Skudienė
