Rita Preikšaitė

Singer Rita Preikšaitė (mezzo-soprano) was born in Kaunas. She studied in Kaunas High School No 26 and in the 1^st Music School of Kaunas. She continued her studies and learned to play fortepiano in Juozas Gruodis Music School from 1976 to 1980. After graduation she entered the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and studied solo singing. After her studies she became a successful singer and works in Kaunas State Musical Theatre since 1987.

Rita participates in various performances such as musicals, operettas and operas; from baroque to contemporary music. Rita is very interested in Lithuanian authors and their music. In addition to this, she had performances with Lithuanian Chamber music Orchestra and National Orchestra, Kaunas State Musical Theatre Orchestra and Kaunas State Orchestra. Also, Rita had many tours with her colleagues in Poland, USA, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands and the Bahamas.

Rita Preikštaitė and Virginija Kochanskytė organize music and poetry events which took place not only in Lithuania, but also in the USA where Lithuanian emigrant communities had a possibility to participate. Rita also took part in many festivals including Pažaislis music festival, Čiurlionis music festival in Kaunas and Thomas Mann festival in Nida.

Rita received an award from Kaunas Art Creators Association in 2005 and a year later Fortūna award for her role as Carmen in the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. Rita received an award on the International Music Day on October 1^st in 2009. The award was received for various organized programs during her career in both Lithuania and foreign countries.

Roles in other stage performances of other theatres:
Olga in Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Klaipėda Musical Theatre
Mezzo – soprano performances in:
Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi,
Stabat Mater by Gioachino Rossini and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi,
Requiem by Mozart,
Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi,
F.Schubert Messa C-dur
and many others.