Singing Session: Kotryna Starkutė

Kotryna Starkutė led the final session of the day, revisiting music from earlier in the day, and celebrating song that transcends national borders. 


 
 
 




Where is this?




A song to the snake god



Biography

Kotryna Starkutė is a Lithuanian choral conductor, singer, and music educator based in Glasgow. She began her musical studies at the J. Gruodis Conservatoire and earned a Bachelor's degree from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius. Her postgraduate studies took her to the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where she collaborated with ensembles including the Swedish Radio Choir and the KMH Vocal Ensemble.

Kotryna currently teaches at First Chord Music School and performs with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus and Scottish Voices. She is also the music director of Cappella Slavonica Scotiae, a Glasgow-based choir dedicated to Eastern European choral traditions.

In 2025 Kotryna will join the Young Event Management Programme (YEMP 6) at Leading Voices in Tallinn. Her recent projects include directing concerts with Scottish Voices and Cappella Slavonica at WestFest and the Edinburgh Fringe, leading a Lithuanian traditional singing workshop with VoiceBeat, and performing as a soloist in contemporary choral works. She is deeply inspired to contribute to the spread of Eastern European (Slavic) choral and folk singing traditions in Scotland and the UK. Her artistic interests centre on collective singing and folk music passed down through oral tradition, while her academic focus at the moment lies in vocal development, children's choirs, and choral education.

 

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