Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (born Mirga Gražinytė, 29 August 1986 in Vilnius)[1] is a Lithuanian conductor. She was the musical director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).[2]
Biography[edit]
Early years and education[edit]
Gražinytė-Tyla was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. Her father, Romualdas Gražinis, is a choir conductor affiliated with the Aidija Chamber Choir in Vilnius.[3] Her mother Sigutė Gražinienė is a pianist and singer.[4] Her grandmother Beata Vasiliauskaitė-Šmidtienė was a violinist.[5] Her great-uncle was an organist, and her great-aunt was a composer.[6] The oldest of three siblings,[7] her sister Onutė Gražinytė is a pianist, and she has a younger brother, Adomas Gražinis.
As a child, Gražinytė-Tyla received her initial education in French and painting,[4] and studied at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius. At age 11, she decided that she wanted to study music, and the one remaining musical programme option was choral conducting. She subsequently received musical training and education without ever playing a musical instrument.[8] She first conducted a choir at age 13.[9] She subsequently continued music studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz,[10] where her instructors included Johannes Prinz,[6] and completed her degree in 2007. She subsequently studied conducting at the Music Conservatory Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy in Leipzig with Ulrich Windfuhr and the Music Conservatory in Zurich (where her mentors included Johannes Schlaefli).[9] Gražinytė-Tyla chose to add the word 'Tyla', Lithuanian for 'silence', to form her professional name.[11][12]