Biography
Silvija Miliūnaitė is a Lithuanian composer of contemporary music whose work spans concert music, works for theatre and dance, and interdisciplinary projects. In 2026 she was nominated for the Golden Stage Cross in the category of Children’s and Youth Performance of the Year for „Panama labai graži“ (Panama Is Very Beautiful). Described in the international press as a “rising Lithuanian star” (erpmusic.com), she combines subtle micro-melodic movement, vivid rhythm and emotional transparency. The minimalist and neo-romantic aesthetic of her music meets her experience as a performer and the traditions of Baroque and classical music, while electronics often serve as an expressive tool that extends the acoustic sound.
In recent years the composer has created a series of striking stage and concert works. In 2025 the Klaipėda State Music Theatre presented her dance production for children „Panama labai graži“, and the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre staged the premiere of the ballet „Saulės dukros“ (Daughters of the Sun), produced by the Neli Beliakaitė Baltic Ballet Academy. That same year the Gaida festival presented „Fire Games for Two“, the first Lithuanian double concerto for percussion and string orchestra, and audiences also welcomed the productions „Muzikos miestas“ (Music City) and „Žemaitė N. 18 (0)“. Her portfolio is further enriched by the dance production for children „Pelėda Drūlija“ (Drūlija the Owl), staged by the Lithuanian State Ensemble “Lietuva” in 2024; „Camino Real“, presented at the Juozas Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys in 2023; and the dance production „Einu namo“ (I’m Going Home), which premiered in Visaginas in 2022.
Earlier notable works include the dance-movement film „Anapus sienų“ (Beyond the Walls, 2021), the ballet for children „Kai atbunda žaislai“ (When the Toys Awaken, 2021), the piece for soprano and string orchestra „Iš tamsos į šviesą“ (From Darkness to Light, 2021), and the composition for string orchestra „Black Grass Town“ (2019), written to mark the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. Silvija’s music is performed by distinguished ensembles, among them the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Kremerata Lituanica and the Lithuanian State Ensemble “Lietuva”. Her works are interpreted by renowned soloists in Lithuania and abroad, who actively enrich the contemporary music repertoire.
Miliūnaitė’s music is widely presented at international festivals, including Gaida, the Vilnius Festival, the Pažaislis Music Festival, Glasperlenspiel (Estonia) and Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad (Switzerland). Among her interdisciplinary projects, she initiated the musical photography exhibition „Kelias migloje“ (Foggy Road) together with V. Usinavičius-Augulis, in which electroacoustic music and analogue photography merge into a single narrative. International recognition also marks „Green Journey“ for two violins and electronics, written for the centenary of Japanese–Lithuanian friendship and premiered in Kanazawa, Japan. Her openness to popular culture shows in a collaboration with the cult rock band Antis, whose album „Baisiai džiugu“ features her „Antisimfonija“. Her works are heard not only in Lithuania but also in Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Hungary, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Estonia and Latvia.
Silvija Miliūnaitė studied violin and composition at the Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium in Kaunas, in the class of Algirdas Brilius. She received a bachelor’s degree in composition in 2019 and a master’s degree in 2022 from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in the class of Prof. Mindaugas Urbaitis.
