Biography

  • "An opera soloist still undiscovered in Lithuania has already captivated the international stage."

    - Evelina Aukstakalnytė

  • “ Ach bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben was masterfully brought to life by Justina Vaitkute. Her interpretation was truly exceptional. Vaitkute is, without question, a true mezzo, possessing a voice of warm timbre, a rich, dark velvet quality, and abundant elegance. She displayed a commanding central and lower register, seamlessly unified with a pristine homogeneity in her upper range. In this particular aria, she sculpted an atmosphere of profound sorrow”

    - Elsa Álvarez Forges

  • Justina Vaitkute, a beautiful dark voice with an even range, best appreciated in her beautiful aria ‘Il mesto rusignolo’ in Act II.

    Resonances Lyriques

  • Justina Vaitkute, belle voix sombre assez égale sur la tessiture, qu’on apprécie au mieux dans son très bel air « Il mesto rusignolo » du deuxième acte.

    Resonances Lyriques

  • “...and most notably, the exquisite voice of contralto Justina Vaitkute, who rendered with admirable artistry the celebrated aria “Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben,” later to find its iconic form as the Agnus Dei in the Mass in B Minor.”

    -Lluís Trullén

  • “...Once more, the vocal artistry of contralto Justina Vaitkute was afforded the opportunity to resplendently illuminate the refined aria “Meine Seele auf erzähle” from Cantata BWV 69.”

    -Lluís Trullén

Justina Vaitkute, Lithuanian contralto, is often praised for her unique timbre and rich tone. Born in Rome into a family of classical musicians, she began her musical studies with piano and violin. She graduated with distinction in opera singing from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, where she studied with Prof. Elena Pankratova, and she is currently completing her Master’s degree in concert singing with Holger Falk.

In 2025, Justina was awarded the Salvat Bach Grant in Barcelona. In 2024, she won the San Colombano Competition in Piacenza (Italy), receiving the prize for “Best Performance of a German Oratorio Aria.” That same year, she made her debut at Neue Oper Wien in Pascal Dusapin’s Passion, was a semi-finalist in the Cesti Competition, and performed as a soloist in Mendelssohn’s Paulus at the Musikfest Stuttgart under the direction of Hans-Christoph Rademann. Newly recorded in May 2025 is Florian Leopold Gassmann’s opera Gli Uccellatori, released on the Dynamic label and Naxos Deutschland with Orchestra Ico della Magna Grecia under Enrico Pagano.

She was a member of the Rodolfo Celletti Opera Studio (Martina Franca, 2023) under the artistic direction of Sebastian Schwarz and Fabio Luisi, and has participated in masterclasses with renowned artists such as Hedwig Fassbender, Andreas Scholl, Mariella Devia, and Vivica Genaux. She studied Baroque singing with Andreas Scholl at the Accademia Chigiana, Siena (Italy).

In 2023, she performed the role of ZIA PRINCIPESSA (Suor Angelica, Puccini) in Graz, conducted by Gerrit Prießnitz and staged by Ingo Kerkhof, and made her debut at the Festival della Valle d’Itria as ROCCOLINA in F.L. Gassmann’s Gli Uccellatori. She also appeared as DIE DICHTERIN in Philippe Boesmans’s Reigen, and in November was soloist in Handel’s Messiah at the Slovenian Philharmonic (Ljubljana), conducted by Gary Graden. Earlier that year, she collaborated with the Bachakademie Stuttgart under Hans-Christoph Rademann.

In 2022, she took part in the Zeit Vergänglich production at the Graz Opera and performed Luigi Nono’s Prometeo at the NODO Festival in Ostrava. She previously sang the role of DISINGANNO in Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno at the Haus für Musik und Musiktheater in Graz (2020), and in December 2021, she performed the same role at the Styriarte Festival.

Other notable appearances include FRAU REICH in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (2020), ERSTE NORN in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (2021), and ANGELO in Bononcini’s La decollazione di Giovanni Battista at the Graz Opera (2019). She has also performed in several world premieres of contemporary music and sang in Klaus Lang’s Der verschwundene Hochzeiter at the Bayreuth Festival (2018).

Justina studied piano at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome and philosophy at Sapienza University of Rome. As a child, she was a member of the Children’s Choir of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She has also studied in Boston (Berklee College of Music) and Cardiff (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), and has over 12 years of training in ballet and modern dance.