Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla facts for kids
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (born Mirga Gražinytė on August 29, 1986) is a talented conductor from Lithuania. She is famous for leading orchestras and making beautiful music. She used to be the music director for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).
Contents
About Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
Her Early Life and Learning
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla was born in Vilnius, Lithuania. Music runs in her family! Her father, Romualdas Gražinis, conducts choirs. Her mother, Sigutė Gražinienė, is a pianist and singer. Her grandmother, Beata Vasiliauskaitė-Šmidtienė, was a violinist. Other family members were also musicians. Mirga is the oldest of three children. Her sister, Onutė Gražinytė, is a pianist.
When she was a child, Mirga first learned French and painting. At age 11, she decided she wanted to study music. The only music program open was choral conducting. This meant she learned to conduct without playing an instrument herself. She first led a choir when she was 13.
Mirga studied music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. She finished her degree in 2007. She then continued her conducting studies in Leipzig and Zurich. Mirga chose to add the word 'Tyla' to her name. 'Tyla' means 'silence' in Lithuanian.
Her Exciting Career
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla started her professional career in Germany. She became a Kapellmeister (a type of conductor) at the Theater & Orchester Heidelberg in 2011. In 2012, she won an important competition for young conductors. She then worked at the Bern Opera in Switzerland. From 2015 to 2017, she was the music director of the Salzburger Landestheater in Austria.
In the United States, Mirga worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She was first a fellow, then an assistant conductor. Later, she became an associate conductor for the orchestra.
A big step in her career happened in 2015. She guest-conducted the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in England. In February 2016, the CBSO chose her as their new music director. She started this role in September 2016. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla made history as the first female conductor to lead the CBSO. She conducted her first concert as CBSO music director on August 26, 2016. She also performed at The Proms, a famous music festival. She continued as music director until the 2021–2022 season. After that, she became the CBSO's principal guest conductor.
In 2019, Mirga signed a special recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. She was the first female conductor to have an exclusive deal with this famous record label. Her first album featured music by Mieczysław Weinberg with the CBSO. This album won the 'Album of the Year' prize in 2020. She has also recorded music by other composers like Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Her Family Life
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is a musician's partner. They have two sons and one daughter. The family lives in Salzburg, Austria.
See also
In Spanish: Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla para niños
