Justina Vaitkute
Contralto
Award-winning Lithuanian contralto Justina Vaitkutė was born in Rome, completed her Master's degree in Opera with distinction at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. A 2023 alumna of the "Rodolfo Celletti" Opera Studio in Martina Franca, she is a prizewinner of the 2025 Fundación Salvat Bach Award in Barcelona and the San Colombano Competition. Renowned for her interpretations of Baroque repertoire, she performs regularly with leading baroque ensembles across Europe. Recent highlights include her title-role debut in Vivaldi’s Il Giustino at the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, her debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, and the Händel-Festspiele Karlsruhe. Justina has appeared at renowned venues and festivals including the Festival della Valle d'Itria, Styriarte, Musikfest Stuttgart, Neue Oper Wien, and the Bayreuther Festspiele, with an operatic repertoire encompassing roles such as Bradamante (Alcina), Smeton (Anna Bolena), Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), and Floßhilde (Das Rheingold). Her performances have been broadcast on ARD, SWR Kultur, and Rai Radio 3, and her recordings are featured on labels including Naxos Deutschland, Arcana, and Dynamic Sounds.
“ Ach bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben was masterfully brought to life by Justina Vaitkute. Her interpretation was truly exceptional. Vaitkute is, without question, a true mezzo, possessing a voice of warm timbre, a rich, dark velvet quality, and abundant elegance. She displayed a commanding central and lower register, seamlessly unified with a pristine homogeneity in her upper range. In this particular aria, she sculpted an atmosphere of profound sorrow”
Elsa Álvarez Forges
Neben den Bayreuther Stars begeisterten Justina Vaitkute (Flosshilde). Ihre fesselnden Darbietungen ließen das Publikum lauschen.
Steiermarkmagazin
“...contralto Justina Vaitkute's forceful and engaging characterization ensured that the hero was not allowed to be pushed into the background. Her recitatives were lively, sensitively accented to promote the text and dramatically strong, while her arias, underpinned by a solid technique, were carefully crafted to bring out their emotional qualities. In Act one, scene four, for example, Giustino bemoans his life as a farmer and his desire to experience the field of battle, for which Vaitkute beautifully captured the sense of longing. In a further example in Act two, scene 13, Giustino reflects on his love of danger and his inability to feel fear in the aria "Ho nel petto un cor si forte," for which she sensitively depicted his heroic character while showing off her ability to ornament and color the vocal line."
Alan Neilson
Operawire
“Giustino was convincingly represented, both musically and visually, by the alto Justina (!) Vaitkute, whose long blond curls and assured poise (including the incidental slaying of a sea monster with a sword) complemented a voice distinguished by beauty of tone and flexibility, even in the lower registers.”
Andreas Marte
VOL.AT
“There is no doubt she is an accomplished singer: her voice enchants with its rich color, combining metal and velvet in an alluring blend, while her stage presence is equally convincing.”
Xavier Rivera
Crescendo Magazine
Imagine the charming simplicity of Giustino—so gracefully embodied by Justina Vaitkute—rising through comedy, danger, and mythic grandeur, all while maintaining a humanity that hooks the listener.
Tanja Reinhart
ENA
“Justina Vaitkute shapes the title role of Giustino with a powerful contralto, convincing both vocally and dramatically as a heroic figure who fears no danger.”
Thomas Molke
Online Music Magazine
“...and most notably, the exquisite voice of contralto Justina Vaitkute, who rendered with admirable artistry the celebrated aria “Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben,” later to find its iconic form as the Agnus Dei in the Mass in B Minor.”
“...Once more, the vocal artistry of contralto Justina Vaitkute was afforded the opportunity to resplendently illuminate the refined aria “Meine Seele auf erzähle” from Cantata BWV 69.”
Lluís Trullén
Unerbittlich war ihre Gegenspielerin die La Zia Principessa, die von Justina Vaikute bravourös gespielt und gesungen wurde.
operaonline.com
"The hero of the peasant-to-emperor rise-and-mobility story is Giustino: he was portrayed by justina (very fittingly) Vaitkute with a joy that was youthful and impetuous. The beautiful deep timbre and the natural acting recalled a young Vesselina Kasarova."
Jens F. Laurson
Die Presse
"An opera soloist still undiscovered in Lithuania has already captivated the international stage."
Evelina Aukstakalnytė
“ Vivaci e spigliate sono le servette affidate a Justina Vaitkute (Roccolina) promettente mezzosoprano..." "Vifs et dynamiques sont les personnages des servantes confiés à Justina Vaitkute (Roccolina), mezzo-soprano prometteuse...”
operacasa.com
“… the beautiful softness of the timbre of the Italian singer of Lithuanian origin, Justina Vaitkute, who sang the alto chorale from BWV 92 with a most delicate expressive devotion.”
Diario de Sevilla