ARTIST

ARTIST

Joana Daunytė(Harp)

Dr.Joana Daunytė is an Associate Professor of Harp Performance at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Director of the public institution Arfos Menas, and a distinguished solo, chamber, and orchestral performer. Known as Lithuania’s “harp ambassador,” she has performed across Europe and the United States, bringing expressive and technically precise interpretations of the harp repertoire to prestigious concert halls.

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A graduate of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, Daunytė continued her studies abroad, shaping a distinctive performance style and artistic voice. She trained with Professor Florence Sitruk in Geneva, studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under Professor Erika Waardenburg, and became the first harpist in the history of the Norwegian Academy of Music to complete a Master’s degree in harp performance with the celebrated French professor Isabelle Perrin. Her doctoral research at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (2018–2024), Composer–Performer Collaboration: Formation of the Lithuanian Harp Repertoire in the 21st Century, focused on the creative interplay between composers and performers, particularly in the pre-compositional stage. In 2024, she became the first Lithuanian harpist to earn a Doctor of Arts degree. Daunytė has premiered works by leading Lithuanian composers, including Jonas Jurkūnas, Loreta Narvilaitė, Vladas Švedas, Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, Giedrė Pauliukevičiūtė, Viktoras Miniotas, Rūta Vitkauskaitė and others. She has collaborated with major ensembles such as the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, and Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, performing at internationally renowned venues including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Oslo Philharmonic Hall, and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic. Her orchestral experience spans decades, beginning in her teens and encompassing collaborations with the Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, and Norrköping Symphony Orchestra. She has performed extensively in opera and ballet theaters in Lithuania and Norway, further broadening her artistic versatility. In 2022, Naxos released the first-ever harp recording of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ music, performed by Daunytė and recorded by Baltic Mobile Recordings: On The Harp Strings-harp Arrangements Of Piano Works: Daunyte. In 2024, the Lithuanian Music Information Centre published her arranged collection of Čiurlionis’ works for harp. Through these projects and numerous premieres, Daunytė continues to champion Lithuanian composers and expand the national harp repertoire on the international stage. 

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