Vladimiras Konstantinovas
Conductor, choirmaster, composer and arranger Vladimiras Konstantinovas (b. 1958) studied choral conducting with Professor Kazys Kšanas at the Klaipėda Faculty of the Lithuanian State Conservatory (present Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, 1975–9) and later polished his skills with conductor Jonas Aleksa, practicing as a trainee with the Kaunas State Choir and the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre Symphony Orchestra (1980–1). In 1992, he spent an internship at the International Bach Academy Stuttgart (Germany).
From 1976 he served as a concertmaster (later choirmaster) at Klaipėda People’s Opera. In 1987, he was appointed Choirmaster at the newly established Klaipėda State Musical Theatre where he was subsequently promoted to Chief Choirmaster in 1992. In this capacity he has prepared numerous choral scenes in operas, operettas and musicals produced at this theatre. He also prepared and conducted many concert programmes, featuring, among other works, the world premieres of his own compositions: an overture-cantata Klaipėda Fireworks dedicated to the 750th anniversary of Klaipėda (2002), oratorio Requiem Reborn (2005), cantata Songs of the Bridge (2007) and multimedia project CzechoBalt (2009), a joint project between the KSMT orchestra and Czech ensemble Clarinet Factory, featuring DJ Genys and VJ Eglė Eigirdaitė.
In 1993, together with Alfonsas Vildžiūnas, he co-founded the Aukuras Mixed Choir, which he led until 1997, winning several international competitions in Italy, Switzerland, France, Austria and Lithuania and touring Germany, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Italy. As the leader of this choir, in 1995, Konstantinovas received the Stasys Šimkus Award of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture for the promotion of Lithuanian choral music. In 1997, he founded a new vocal ensemble of 16 singers, which presented Lithuanian premieres of the choral pieces by Buxtehude, Stölzel and Caldara. Together with this ensemble, he won the Best Conductor diploma at the 38th International Choral Singing Competition “C. A. Seghizzi” in Gorizia, Italy (1999).
Konstantinovas’ oeuvre also includes works for choir, religious hymns, music for Michael Lane’s short film Hands (awarded for Best Music at Los Angeles Feedback Film Festival in 2018), opera for children Whatever Grandpa Does Will Turn Out Fine (1981, orchestrated in 1993), musical Thumbelina (2002), music for plays A Little Tale of Glass (2001), Hundred Kisses from the Princess (2002), The Non-Prince of the Not Sad Frog (2013). As an arranger, Konstantinovas has a history of lasting collaboration with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and has orchestrated classical rock hits for the orchestra’s project The Metamorphoses of Classic Rock (2000–2009). He also orchestrated Jonas Jurkūnas’ collage opera Mažvydas (2020) and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (2021) for the Song and Dance Ensemble Lietuva.
