Pirmoji tarptautinė doktorantų vasaros mokykla

2024 m. rugpjūčio 19–22 d.
Stamerienos pilis, Vecstamerienė, Latvija 

Naujus studijų metus LMTA doktorantai pasitiko intensyviai besimokydami: keturias dienas kartu su kolegomis iš Latvijos kultūros akademijos jie praleido romantiškoje Stamerienos pilyje, kur klausė paskaitų, dalyvavo kūrybinėse dirbtuvėse bei diskusijose ir konsultavosi su mentoriais – muzikos, kino ir scenos meno ekspertais.

Ši doktorantų vasaros mokykla – bendras Lietuvos muzikos ir teatro akademijos ir Latvijos kultūros akademijos projektas, įgyvendintas siekiant stiprinti šių aukštųjų mokyklų bendradarbiavimą ir plėsti doktorantų kompetencijas, sudaryti galimybę pristatyti savo tyrimus, keistis idėjomis ir mokytis neformalioje aplinkoje. Meno ir menotyros doktorantai dirbo su latvių kompozitoriumi Kristu Auznieku, britų muzikologu ir pianistu Julianu Hellaby, suomių dokumentinio kino kūrėja Susanna Helke ir Didžiojoje Britanijoje meninius tyrimus atliekančia aktore Ilona Krawczyk, taip pat su LMTA mokslininkėmis, kuruojančiomis meninius tyrimus – muzikologe Lina Navickaite-Martinelli ir teatrologe Ramune Balevičiūte. Ramunė Balevičiūtė taip pat moderavo viešą diskusiją apie tyrimų reikšmę profesionalaus menininko karjerai.

„Esu labai dėkinga Latvijos kultūros akademijos rektoriui Dāviui Sīmaniui už galimybę surengti doktorantų vasaros mokykloje tokie nepaprastoje vietoje – Stamerienos pilyje. Regis, jau vien praeities slėpinių prisigėrusios sienos, senovės auros apgaubti kambariai ir terasos, taip pat pilį supantis nuostabus parkas – pati aplinka skatino naujas įžvalgas ir kūrybiškumą. Sutarėme, kad projektą tęsime ir tobulinsime ir kitais metais“, – sakė viena iš stovyklos organizatorių, LMTA meno ir mokslo prorektorė Ramunė Balevičiūtė.

„Doktorantų vasaros mokykla man buvo apie pažinimo, smalsumo provokavimo ir atradimo procesus. Labai džiaugiuosi, kad turėjome galimybę dalintis koncentruota mokslo ir meninių tyrimų erdve su programos lektoriais – skirtingų sričių menininkais-tyrėjais bei kitais meno doktorantais. Jaučiu, kad tiek paskaitos, tiek individualios sesijos su mentoriais ar pokalbiai su kitais doktorantais ne tik praplėtė žinių lauką, bet ir padėjo geriau įsiklausyti į savo pačios atliekamą meninį tyrimą. Atrodo, kad doktorantų vasaros mokyklos programa sukūrė erdvę, leidžiančią iš kitų perspektyvų stebėti savo tyrimo procesą, aptikti jo trūkumus, užčiuopti galimus jų sprendimus ir pažadinti smalsumą judėti pirmyn“ – patirtimis dalijosi meno doktorantė, teatro režisierė Monika Klimaitė-Daunienė.

Kita vasaros mokyklos dalyvė, kino kūrėja Miglė Križinauskaitė-Bernotienė pabrėžė galimybę tobulėti tarpdisciplininiame ir tarptautiniame kontekste. „Labai vertinu tai, kad teminis dėmesys meniniams tyrimams, ypač „dreamvoice“ technikai, puikiai atitiko mano meninės praktikos ir meninio tyrimo interesų sritį. Dalyvaudama doktorantūros vasaros mokykloje galėjau pasisemti neįkainojamų įžvalgų iš dėstytojų, mentorių ir kolegų, kurių skirtingos perspektyvos ir patirtis meninių tyrimų srityje labai praturtino mano suvokimą. Programos struktūra, kurią sudarė paskaitos, seminarai, individualios sesijos su mentoriais ir bendros kūrybinės laboratorijos, suteikė visapusišką ir įtraukiančią mokymosi patirtį“ – džiaugėsi meno doktorantė.

Doctoral students from the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC), Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), and Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music are invited to apply for the International Doctoral Summer School, which will take place from August 19 to 22 in Stameriena (Gulbene district, Latvia). The School will cover topics related to artistic research in the fields of music, film, performing arts, and interdisciplinary students. The application deadline is June 3.

The purpose of the Summer School is to support the professional development of Latvian and Lithuanian doctoral students, encourage the advancement of their doctoral theses, and promote international and interdisciplinary cooperation and the exchange of ideas. The program will include lectures, workshops, individual mentoring sessions, co-creation labs, and feedback and reflection sessions on the workshop and co-creation lab results. 

A notable aspect of the Summer School is that part of the program will be publicly available at Stameriena Castle and partly online, accessible to anyone interested in culture and the arts. The public program will feature a concert, a film screening and two public discussions on interdisciplinary cooperation and artists’ career perspectives. It will also introduce the artistic works of the Summer School lecturers and allow doctoral students to present their interests and research topics to a wider audience.

The main lecturers and mentors of the Summer School are distinguished representatives from various art fields: Dr. Susanna Helke (Finland), DMA Krists Auznieks (Latvia), Dr. Ilona Krawczyk (Poland / United Kingdom), and Dr. Julian Hellaby (United Kingdom). The program is curated by Prof. Dr. Dāvis Sīmanis (LAC), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramunė Balevičiūtė (LMTA), and Prof. Dr. Rūta Stanevičiūtė-Kelmickienė (LMTA), who will also mentor the participants. The tentative program of the Summer School is available here.

To apply, please fill out the application form and attach a CV and a motivation letter. The application deadline is June 3, 2024. Information regarding participation in the Summer School will be provided individually by e-mail by June 10. The program of the Summer School will be conducted in English. Participation is free of charge, but the number of participants is limited.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Kristīne Freiberga (kristine.freiberga@lka.edu.lv) or Božena Čiurlionienė (bozena.ciurlioniene@lmta.lt).

The International Doctoral Summer School is organized by the Latvian Academy of Culture and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in cooperation with the Gulbene Municipality Council.  Summer School is supported by the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and the project “Cultural and creative ecosystem of Latvia as a resource of resilience and sustainability” / CERS (No. VPP-MM-LKRVA-2023/1-0001).

Further information:

About the lecturers of the Summer School

Dr. Susanna Helke is a Professor of Research and director of the Critical Cinema Lab at the department of Film at the Aalto University (Finland). She is an award-winning filmmaker and theorist whose films (e.g. Ruthless Times – Songs of Care, 2022, American Vagabond, 2013) have received international recognition and have been screened in major international film festivals (e.g. IDFA, Locarno IFF, Chicago IFF, Visions du Réel). Her work on the theory-praxis interface examines the intersection of the poetics and politics of documentary cinema in dialogue with, for example, contemporary political philosophy and critical theory.

DMA Krists Auznieks is an Associate Professor at the Department of Composition and  Head of Department of Music Technologies at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. He has been praised for his “exhilarating… stunning… luminous” (San Francisco Classical Voice) music, possessing “astonishing complexity and beauty” (Broadwayworld), and “old-fashioned elegance” (Herald Tribune). Auznieks received a doctoral degree from Yale University, where he also received awards for best dissertation, best large-scale composition and best use of counterpoint. Auznieks has taught at Yale University, Montclair State University, Jāzeps Vītols Academy of Music of Latvia, New York Philharmonic Young Composers Program and elsewhere. He has received awards from International Rostrum of Composer, Aspen Music Festival’s Jacob Druckman Award, as well as fellowships from Civitella Ranieri, Hermitage Artist Retreat, Cite International Artist Residency in Paris and Richard Wagner Stiftung. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert hall, Danish Royal Theatre, Latvian National Opera, and many others.

Dr. Ilona Krawczyk is a Lecturer in Acting at the Norwich University of the Arts, performer, vocalist and researcher. Through her practice-as-research PhD at University of Huddersfield (UK), she developed a Process-oriented Approach to voicework and performer training oriented on preservation of a performer’s wellbeing. Her recent work explores possible overlaps between physical, musical theatre, experimental music, and sound art, investigating new ethics and aesthetics of voicework and acting in the theatre informed by post-Grotowskian practice. In her artistic work she uses a wide range of vocal techniques, including open throat singing, Persian tahreer and extended vocal techniques. As a freelance artist, Ilona collaborated with Grotowski Institute (Poland), NeTTheatre (Poland), SheWolf Company (UK), Mechanical Animal Corporation (UK), Musical Theatre CAPITOL (Poland), Anna Zubrzycki Studio (Poland), Urban Research Theatre (US/UK), Royal Exchange Theatre (UK), Drift Ensemble (UK), Replica Institute for Creative Anticipation and Performing Arts (Germany), among others. Ilona is a founder of DreamVoice practice, a co-founder of Insoundout collective and a member of Videographic Entanglements working group.

Dr. Julian Hellaby is a pianist, teacher, lecturer, examiner, adjudicator and author, who greatly enjoys sharing his interests and enthusiasms with fellow pianists, musicians and learners as well as with the wider public. Julian Hellaby (PhD, MMus, BMus, LRAM, ARAM) studied piano with the distinguished British pianist Denis Matthews and later at London’s Royal Academy of Music. He has performed as solo pianist, concerto soloist, accompanist and chamber musician in continental Europe, the Middle East, South Africa and throughout the UK. Julian was an ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) examiner, moderator and public presenter until 2022, as well as a former mentor for the ABRSM’s Certificate of Teaching course. He has taught academic music at Coventry University and London College of Music, and also has extensive experience of piano teaching at all levels. He has released several CDs as solo and collaborative pianist and has also published books and journal articles on various aspects of piano performance.