Lithuanian Composers' Union

The Lithuanian Composers’ Union (LCU) implements its mission with the assistance of the following branches:

The Kaunas Department The Musicologists’ Section The Lithuanian section of the ISCM The Music Information Centre Lithuania VšĮ „Mano nata“

 

The Kaunas Department of the Lithuanian Composers’ Union was established on 9 July 1971. In the beginning, it consisted of five members – composers Jonas Dambrauskas, Viktoras Kuprevičius, Vladas Švedas, Algimantas Kubiliūnas and Giedrius Kuprevičius. Later, musicologist Eugenija Ragulskienė joined them. The department’s first head was Giedrius Kuprevičius. On his initiative, the Kauno tiesa daily (currently published as Kauno diena) introduced a Saturday column “The Music Scene”; a traditional annual event “Music Week” presenting new works by Lithuanian composers was launched and ran for about a decade. Every spring, concerts of compositions by Kaunas composers of the given period took place. From 1982, the new head of the department Algimantas Kubiliūnas continued the activity started by Kuprevičius. In 1994, composer Dalia Kairaitytė became the head of the department. By her efforts, the first contemporary music festival Iš arti was held in 1997, which still remains the major international event of the Kaunas Department of the LCU. From 2001 to 2007, the composer Vidmantas Bartulis headed the department and organized the festival, and from 2007, this position was taken over by composer Zita Bružaitė. From 2013, musicologist Kristina Mikuličiūtė-Vaitkūnienė is the head of the Kaunas Department of the LCU.


The Musicologists’ Section initiates and coordinates national and international projects of the research, dissemination and promotion of Lithuanian musical culture. The traditional forms of the section’s activity is organising conferences and seminars, publishing and education. The section encourages the professional activity of its members and holds competitions of the best musicological works.
As a branch of the LCU, the Musicologists’ Section represents the musicologists’ community in Lithuania and abroad, and develops international relations with peer communities and organisations. The Musicologists’ Section of the LCU takes part in the activity of the IMS (International Musicological Society).

 

The activity of the Musicologists’ Section is coordinated by the chair (and deputy chair) and a seven-member bureau:

  • Eglė Bertašienė (deputy chair)
  • Eglė Gudžinskaitė
  • Jūratė Katinaitė
  • Lina Navickaitė-Martinelli (chair)
  • Rima Povilionienė
  • Rūta Stanevičiūtė-Kelmickienė
  • Živilė Tamaševičienė

The Lithuanian section of the ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) is a branch of the International Society for Contemporary Music within the LCU without a juridical status, uniting composers, musicologists and performers. The Lithuanian section is an independent branch whose activity is based on the vision, mission and values of the ISCM organisation set out in its Statute.

ISCM Lithuanian Section was founded in 1936 and renewed its membership in the International Society for Contemporary Music in 1989. Its goal is implementing the mission of acting as a catalyst for international cooperation. ISCM’s global profile offers opportunities for the ISCM Lithuanian Section to introduce contemporary world music to the Lithuanian audience. In coordinating international programmes, the section collaborates with the contemporary music festivals Iš arti, Muzikos ruduo and Gaida. The ISCM Lithuanian Section assisted the Lithuanian Composers’ Union and Gaida festival in organizing the ISCM festival World Music Days / Gaida 2008 in Vilnius.

The ISCM Lithuanian Section represents Lithuania in the ISCM international organisation, develops international relations with other national sections of the ISCM and initiates continued projects of promoting contemporary music. Each year the national section selects works to be presented at the ISCM festival World New Music Days. The selected works are further submitted for international selection.

The activity of the ISCM Lithuanian Section is coordinated by the chair (and deputy chair) and a seven-member council:

  • Rūta Gaidamavičiūtė
  • Vytautas Germanavičius (deputy chair)
  • Jonas Jurkūnas (chair)
  • Ričardas Kabelis 
  • Rytis Mažulis
  • Rasa Murauskaitė
  • Mykolas Natalevičius
  • Linas Paulauskis
  • Rūta Stanevičiūtė

The Music Information Centre Lithuania (MICL, http://www.mic.lt/) was established in 1995 on the initiative of the LCU. From 2001, the centre has the legal status of a public body (with the LCU as its founder). Its main function is the promotion of Lithuanian music both at home and abroad. Working with a clear focus to implement this goal, MICL constantly collects, systemises, provides access to and disseminates comprehensive information on the musical culture of Lithuania, and puts out relevant material. In carrying out its activities, MICL covers the whole range of musical genres: jazz, experimental electronic music, (post) modern forms of ethnic music and older popular music from the interwar and Soviet periods, placing its main focus on Lithuanian contemporary art music and 20th century classical music.