Since 1992 he has been chief conductor and artistic director of the Vilnius Municipal Choir Jauna Muzika. For four decades, Maestro and the choir have been Lithuanian choral culture’s main flag-bearers, revived the stagnant choral music school, expanded choral repertoire, and inspired young generation of composers to contribute to the canon of Lithuanian choral music.
Vaclovas Augustinas (b. 1959) is a versatile personality, successfully working in various musical fields and continuously fostering the progressiveness of Lithuanian choral culture. He graduated twice from the Lithuanian Academy of Music in choir conducting in 1981 (under Prof. Hermanas Perelšteinas) and composition in 1992 (under Prof. Julius Juzeliūnas). From 1980 to 1992 Augustinas taught at the Ąžuoliukas music school. V. Augustinas is a member of Lithuanian Composers’ Union, Lithuanian Choral Union, and American Choral Directors Association.
Photo by Paulius Žižliauskas
In 1993 he participated in the Swedish National Convention of Choral Conductors in Växjö as a guest conductor. In 1996 he led a choral conducting workshop at the 16th Jordanas Coralistas Aragonesas festival in Spain. He was Chief Conductor at the world Lithuanian Song Festival in 1998. In 1999 V. Augustinas lectured and gave seminars at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Rotterdam, Holland. In 2000 he conducted the joint choir of the Nordic-Baltic Choir Festival. He was guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Choir (2002) and “Markelovy Golosa”, Novosibirsk (2003, 2005). From 2006 to 2008 he was guest conductor of Šiauliai Chamber Choir Polifonija, and from 2005 to 2008 he was a jury member of different international choir competitions.
Since 1995 V. Augustinas has been collaborating with well-known European choral conducting specialists. To develop country’s choral repertoire and involve young composers in the vibrant culture of choral music, together with the choir V. Augustinas organises yearly competition Vox Juventutis, and conducting masterclasses, led by influential conductors such as Frieder Bernius, Werner Pfaff, Anders Eby, Simon Halsey, Hermann Max, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Johannes Prinz, Bo Holten, Thomas Caplin.
V. Augustinas is a choral music composer and arranger; various choirs and music publishers eagerly include his modal, repetitive, contemplative, or ecstatic compositions in their repertoire, which won awards at various international competitions. His compositions are published by Alliance Music Publication and Laurendale Associates (USA). Vaclovas Augustinas’ choral works Tau bet kokios sutemos šviesios (EN: Darkness is as Light to you) are released in a CD album and live concert formats.
Photo by Edgaras Tučinskis
Since 1996, V. Augustinas has been a professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius Pedagogical University. He is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts of Klaipėda University and at the Vilnius Centre of Musical Education. He was also a member of rock bands Saulės laikrodis and Antis (keyboards, vocal) which were historically important to Lithuanian independence movement.
In 2010 V. Augustinas was awarded the Lithuanian National Culture and Art Prize for the development of choral art and the modernity of liturgical music.
Photo by DMITRIJ MATVEJEV