Biography
Justina Repečkaitė’s music is described by critics as having “many similarities to a diamond“ (Ben Lunn, UK), “inviting, constantly changing, gritty and lustrous” (Max Erwin, USA), and „drawn with the sharpest pencil“ (Šarūnas Nakas, LT).
After completing her composition Master’s degree in France she studied at the prestigious Cursus IRCAM in Paris. Her Cursus piece Transduced (2020) for percussion and live electronics was presented at the big hall of the Center Pompidou. In Paris Justina Repečkait (b.1989) was an artist in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation, composer in residence with the ensemble Le Balcon conducted by Maxime Pascal and held a scholarship at the International Centre of Nadia and Lili Boulanger. Later, in Germany, she was an artist-in-residence at Villa Waldberta and at Schloss Wiepersdorf and at Darmstadt Summer Course 2021, together with 4 percussion players, she premiered her piece Pulsating Skin for 4 snare drums & electronics. She was a composer-in-residence at the 53rd edition of the Cordes-sur-Ciel festival in 2024 and is currently an artist-in-residence at Greta and William Lehtinen Foundation, Helsinki.
Both her compositions Chartres (2012) for string orchestra and Tapisserie (2015) for chamber ensemble represented Lithuania in World Music Days and International Rostrum of Composers. Since 2015 she is a member of the Lithuanian Composers’ Union which awarded her the Debut of the Year prize.
In 2019 Justina’s music and interview were featured in Composer’s Portrait in Radio France show Création Mondiale for which she wrote a new composition Encierro, performed by saxhorn quartet Opus 333, whose recording was included in the list of the 15 best Lithuanian pieces of 2019. Her newest composition Weaving (2020) was broadcasted by ARTE television from the Grand Theatre of Provence.
Justina’s music is performed by such ensembles as Ensemble Recherche, Intercontemporain, Court-Circuit, 2e2m, der/gelbe/klang, Spectra, Asko/Schönberg, Ensemble Modern Academy, Collegium Novum Zürich, Ensemble for New Music Tallinn, OSSIA, Platypus, Ars ad hoc, Lithuanian Ensemble Network, Ithaca College Contemporary Music Ensemble, SurPlus, Ensemble XXI Jarhundert and by BBC Philharmonic & Sinfonietta Riga orchestras. She is regularly commissioned by Gaida, the biggest contemporary music festival in the Baltics, for which she has composed several orchestral pieces. Additionally, her music regularly presents Lithuania in Baltic Music Days a festival that has been taking place in one of the Baltic states since 2021.
The Music Information Center of Lithuania is releasing Repečkaitė’s first portrait album. Her compositionshave previously been featured in anthology albums such as Between Music and Ritual (2021), Nouveaux Horizons (2020), 88+ (2020), ZOOM in 12 (2018), Anthology of Lithuanian Art Music in the 21st Century (2017), Contemporary Music Series: Lithuania (2016), ZOOM in 10 (2014) and 30 Druskomanija Moments (2014).
In 2024, her orchestral composition Vellum (2020) was performed at both the Baltic and Estonian Music Days and the Paris Philharmonic.
That same year, Repečkaitė’s composition La muë for serpent, children’s choir & electronics, part of the project Janus project, co-commissioned by Ircam & the Centre of Baroque Music Versailles, was performed at Ircam Espro with the virtual acoustics of the Royal Chapel of the Palace of Versailles.
In October, her composition Whispering Skin for percussion and electronics was premiered by Eklekto in Geneva as part of their 50th-anniversary celebration.
Supported by the Ernst von Siemens Foundation, Justina is composing music for Sfäärit, a project that combines ancient instruments, electronics, and dance, to be performed during the Musica Nova festival in Helsinki in 2025. In Spring 2025, her new choral work, commissioned by ACCENTUS, will be performed by Le Jeune Choeur de Paris at La Seine Musicale and the CRR de Paris.