Gitana Pečkytė (Vilkelienė)

Singer Gitana Pečkytė–Vilkelienė (soprano) was born in Marijampolė. She graduated from Putinas high school. In 1990 she became a laureate in the national young singers contest Dainų dainelė. In the same year she entered Juozas Gruodis Conservatory and studied solo singing in the class led by Sodaitytė. Eventually she graduated with honors. She continued her studies in the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre from 1994 to 1998 and graduated in 2000 receiving a Master’s degree. Gitana was a teacher of vocal studies in Marijampolė College of Education and Social Work Faculty from 1998 to 2008. She spent a several years working as a lecturer there. During her studies she actively participated in various competitions and improved her competence in singing courses which were organized by singer Scott (soprano). Gitana performed her first roles during her studies and she started her career as a singer in the Kaunas State Musical Theatre successfully in 2000.
Gitana received the Fortūna prize for her role as Ciboletta in A Night in Venice in 2002. In the same year she became a laureate in young singers’ contest Operetta is My Love. Later in 2008 she received Orpheus prize becoming the singer of the year at the Kaunas State Musical Theatre. Moreover, a year later she received Fortūna prize for Violetta Cavallini’s role in the operetta The Violet of Montmartre by Emmerich Kálmán and in 2012 Gitana was rewarded with a Golden Stage Cross for her performance as Lucia in the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti.
Gitana successfully participated in the show on the Lithuanian television Triumfo arka and won the third place in 2010.
Her career was influential and successful in the development of various performances in Kaunas State Musical Theatre. In addition to this, Gitana received a diploma from The Ministry of Culture of The Republic of Lithuania for her creativity and effort.