Rūta Vitkauskaitė is a composer, performer, new music event organiser and a teacher

Rūta Vitkauskaitė is a composer known for her unique musical language, which seamlessly bridges classical traditions with a profound interest in cross-disciplinary collaboration and ancient tribal music.

Described as a composer who strives to uncover ‘fundamental matters, the primeval universality’, Rūta’s compositions evoke ‘the shapes of the collective unconscious’ (MIC). Her music for ensemble and orchestra has earned multiple prestigious awards and been showcased at renowned festivals including Apeldoorn, Sound (UK), Gaudeamus, Operadagen (NL), Nordbeg, Sounds of Stockholm, Halland (SE), Gaida, NOA (LT), Q-O2 (BE), SUSA (DK), Nordic Music Days, and ISCM World New Music Days. Broadcasts of her work have been featured on major platforms such as BBC Radio 3, Deutschlandradio Kultur, and Lithuanian Radio and TV.

Vitkauskaitė’s music has been performed by some of the world’s most esteemed ensembles and orchestras—such as the BBC Singers, Manchester Collective, Ensemble 360, Ligeti Quartet, Kaleidoscope, Apartment House, and the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra; and notable soloists, including Martynas Levickis, Rakhi Singh, and Daniele Roccato. Her music was supported by the audiences in iconic venues, including Wigmore Hall, King’s Place (UK), Lithuanian National Philharmonic, and Godsbanen (DK).

Collaboration lies at the core of Rūta’s creative process. Her electro-acoustic opera Confessions, which invites audiences to experience the performance blindfolded, won the Golden Stage Cross—Lithuania’s highest theatre award. The opera has been performed over 50 times across Europe. Her Walking Opera, a series of workshops culminating in a community-driven operatic sound-walk, was selected to represent Aarhus - European Capital of Culture in 2017.

Rūta holds a PhD in Composition from the Royal Academy of Music, London, and was awarded the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) Honour in 2024. A recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Composers' Scheme in 2021, she is also a multiple winner of the Lithuanian Composers’ Union Best Composition of the Year award. Her recent project Modern Chants, which explores onomatopoeia in ancient folk music, was shortlisted for the 2023 Scottish Awards for New Music. Rūta is a two-time shortlist candidate for the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award, and the Ivor Novello Award (2024).

Vitkauskaitė’s passion to advocate for making new music accessible to young people and diverse communities reflects in her work, which delves into merging classical composition and participatory practices. Rūta has worked extensively with CoMA - Contemporary Music for All, where she served as a founder and Music Director of the Glasgow branch from 2019–2024. In 2023, she was appointed Deputy Director at the Sound Festival (Aberdeen), where she focused on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Currently residing in Scotland, Rūta is a Lecturer in Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Her music is published by Composers Edition.