History
Former Choir Directors
We invite you to get acquainted with them!
The “Gabija” Choir continually remembers and honors its former choir directors who have made significant contributions to the choir’s development and success.
The life and work history of the first choir director, Klemensas Griauzdė
Klemensas Griauzdė was born in Riga, Latvia.
He settled in Linkuva, where he began studying music with K. Jovaiša; in Šiauliai, he completed primary school teacher training courses.
He worked as a teacher and organist in Lauksodis (Pakruojis District).
He improved his skills at organists’ courses in Kaunas.
At the Kaunas School of Music, he studied organ with Prof. J. Naujalis, choral conducting with N. Martinonis, and kapellmeister training with E. Gailevičius; at the conservatoire, he studied composition with Prof. J. Gruodis.
He led the choir of the Šančiai branch of the “Daina” Society.
He led the central mixed choir of “Jaunoji Lietuva” in Kaunas, with which he performed major works by Lithuanian and foreign classical composers and gave concerts in Lithuania and abroad.
He was the first secretary of the Lithuanian Musicians’ Society, responsible for choral activities, and a member of the editorial board of the journal “Muzikos barai”.
He worked as head of the library and as a lecturer at the Kaunas Conservatoire.
He led the mixed choir of Kaunas University students.
With this choir, he won first place in the choir competition at the Vilnius City Song Festival.
He was head of the music department and conductor at the Kaunas Youth Theatre.
He was artistic director and conductor of the Klaipėda Musical Comedy Theatre; he staged musical productions and operettas.
He worked at the Klaipėda School of Music: he was deputy director, director, taught choral conducting and theoretical disciplines, and led the choir.
He organised the Klaipėda Symphony Orchestra and became its conductor.
He led the mixed choir of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute.
He taught music theory and choral conducting at the Lithuanian State Conservatoire.
At the Vilnius State Pedagogical Institute, he founded and headed the Department of Music.
He was the chief conductor of the Republican Song Festivals.
He led the academic choir “Gabija” of the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute.
K. Griauzdė was awarded the honorary title of Merited Artist.
Under the leadership of K. Griauzdė, the choir “Gabija” performed in Lithuania and abroad, participated in the “Gaudeamus” festivals and republican competitions, organised more than 100 concerts.
He became an associate professor of the Department of Choral Conducting and the chief conductor of the Republican Song Festivals.
He held the position of professor. During this period, he trained more than 50 choral conductors and 5 musicologists.
K. Griauzdė died in Vilnius; he was buried in Kaunas.
The Life and Work of the Second Choir Director Feliksas Viskantas
Feliksas Viskantas was born in Palanga.
After graduating from Palanga Secondary School, he studied Lithuanian language and literature at the Klaipėda Teachers’ Institute; at the same time, he studied double bass at the music school with S. Girčius.
While serving in the Soviet Army, he led a soldiers’ choir.
At the Klaipėda School of Music, he obtained a qualification as a choir director (lecturer A. Buzys).
He studied choral conducting at the Lithuanian State Conservatoire in Vilnius (lecturer A. Lopas).
During his studies, he taught music and singing at an eight-year school in the capital and led the Forestry Technical School choir.
He was head of the music department at the Lithuanian State Academic Drama Theatre.
He led a girls’ vocal ensemble formed from senior pupils of Vilnius secondary schools; the ensemble often appeared on television, and a film “Skraidantis namelis” was made about it.
He began working at the Department of Aesthetics of the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute, later became a senior lecturer and associate professor, and also worked as choir director of the academic mixed choir “Gabija”.
He was artistic director and choir director of the choir “Gabija”.
Under the leadership of Feliksas Viskantas, the choir “Gabija” became a laureate of many national Song Festival competitions and successfully participated in the international student choir competition “Juventus” and the Baltic student Song Festivals “Gaudeamus”.
The choir “Gabija” became a laureate of the 6th S. Šimkus Competition in Klaipėda.
The choir actively performed in Lithuania and abroad – in Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Denmark, made recordings for Lithuanian radio and television, and built a valuable repertoire of classical and Lithuanian composers’ music.
Feliksas Viskantas was awarded the honorary title of Merited Artist.
At the National Philharmonic Hall, the choir “Gabija” held a ceremonial two-part concert to mark its 30th anniversary.
Feliksas Viskantas conducted the choir “Gabija” for the last time at the concert marking the 5th anniversary of Vilnius Technical University.
In addition to his pedagogical and creative work, F. Viskantas was actively involved in public activities: he was a member of choral councils, competition and Song Festival committees, and worked as a choir director in Lithuania and the Baltic States.
He composed songs for choirs and vocal ensembles; his works “Traukinių dainelė” and “Ežerėliai” became well known.
Feliksas Viskantas died in Vilnius.
He raised three daughters, two of whom, Rasa and Daina, became professional choir directors.
The Life and Work of the Third Choir Director Rasa Viskantaitė
Rasa Viskantaitė, a choir director and music teacher, was born in Vilnius; she is the daughter of the well-known musician Feliksas Viskantas.
She studied choral conducting at the M K Čiurlionis Secondary School in Vilnius (lecturer M Gaižauskienė).
She studied choral conducting at the Lithuanian State Conservatoire (now the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre), in the class of T. Šumskas.
She began working as choir director and accompanist of the academic choir “Gabija” at the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute.
She worked as a teacher of conducting, choir, and other disciplines at Vilnius 4th Children’s Music School (now Vilnius Algirdas Music School); since 1996, she has been a senior music teacher.
She was a lecturer at the Department of Aesthetics of the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute and conducted and accompanied at concerts.
She led a women’s vocal quartet that gave the first performances of several works by R Mažulis and R Kabelis.
She takes part every year in international masterclasses and professional development courses led by leading choir directors from around the world.
Since 1995, she has been the artistic director and chief choir director of the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University student mixed choir “Gabija”.
Since 1997, she has been a member of the Lithuanian Choral Union.
Under the leadership of Rasa Viskantaitė, the VILNIUS TECH academic choir “Gabija” continues its established traditions of creative and concert activity, maintains a high level of musical performance, receives significant recognition at international music events, and becomes a winner of many competitions.
In the Year of the Millennium of Lithuania, the choir “Gabija” was recognised as the Brightest Star of Lithuania and was awarded the “Golden Bird”.
Rasa Viskantaitė was awarded the VGTU 10 Years Medal in recognition of her work.
She was awarded the medal of the World Lithuanian Song Festival “Mes”.
She was awarded the VILNIUS TECH Jubilee Silver Medal.
She was awarded the medal of the Lithuanian Song Festival “Būties ratu”.
She was awarded the medal of the Lithuanian Millennium Song Festival “Amžių sutartinė”.
Rasa Viskantaitė pays special attention to Lithuanian songs and the works of Lithuanian composers. The choir’s repertoire includes works of various genres, with a strong focus on Lithuanian music, as well as large-scale compositions.