Ričardas Šumila

(Chief Conductor of the Lithuanian National Opera)

EDUCATION AND WORK
In 2011, Ričardas Šumila completed his post-graduate course in conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (class of prof. Gintaras Rinkevičius). He also studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (with prof. Uros Lajovic) and perfected his skills during various masterclasses with conductors Sian Edwards, John Carewe, Steuart Bedford. Since 2008, he has been the assistant to the chief conductor of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and is initiating and creating concert programmes for children. He has also collaborated with the Vilnius City Opera, where he prepared and conducted various opera productions. Since 2011, Šumila has been working at the Juozas Naujalis Music Gymnasium, and since 2015, he has been teaching students of operatic vocal performance at the Vytautas Magnus University. Šumila is often collaborating with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Vytautas Magnus University Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the LAMT, Kaunas State Musical Theatre. Over the last few years, the conductor has been actively working with young orchestra musicians, initiating creative workshops and various programmes, such as festival “Without the Roof”, also “Music Differently: Petras Vyšniauskas” and “Music as Cinema” (with dir. Audrius Stonys). Since 2019, Šumila has been the chief conductor of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In 2014, he was bestowed the Golden Cross of the Stage award in the Young Artist category for the production of “Hansel and Gretel” (Vilnius City Opera) that he prepared together with director Gediminas Šeduikis.

REPERTOIRE
Music Director at the Vilnius City Opera:
Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”
Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte”
Massenet’s “Werther”
Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd”
Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin”
Tchaikovsky’s “The Queen of Spades”
Janáček’s “Katya Kabanova”
Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut”
Puccini’s “La bohème” 
Puccini’s “Tosca”
Verdi’s “Il trovatore”
Debussy’s “Pelléas and Mélisande”
Gounod’s “Faust”