Klaipėda City Municipality
Klaipėda
state music theatre
Danės g. 19, Klaipėda
55.71120, 21.13315
1.5-3 hours for a performance; 10-20 minutes for the building
according to the repertoire; evening light for the new building's architecture
KVMT, Klaipėda Music Theatre, Klaipėda People's Opera Theatre
Klaipėda's music stage on the Danė waterfront
Klaipėda State Music Theatre (KVMT) is the main western Lithuanian institution for opera, ballet, musicals, and music theatre. It matters beyond Klaipėda: it gives regional audiences access to larger-scale music-stage productions without travelling to Vilnius or Kaunas. The theatre stands at Danės g. 19, near the Danė River, in the port city's centre.
The theatre employs more than 200 creative and operational staff - solo singers, a mixed choir, a ballet company, and a symphony orchestra. KVMT therefore works as a full music-stage institution with its own orchestra, which takes part in performances and mounts independent concert programmes.
Founding in 1987 and the Klaipėda People's Opera Theatre
The present theatre was founded on 1 January 1987, when the previously existing Klaipėda People's Opera Theatre was given state-theatre status. The theatre's official history states that the people's opera theatre operated from 1959, while the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia dates it to 1956-1986 - so the KVMT biography connects an amateur opera tradition with a professional institution.
The theatre's directors have changed over time: Laima Vilimienė led it in 2018-2024, and Goda Giedraitytė has led it since late 2024. The symphony orchestra is led by chief conductor Tomas Ambrozaitis, and the ballet company by chief choreographer Aurelijus Liškauskas.
The first performance, Mažvydas, and the repertoire
The theatre's first performance is considered to be Audronė Žigaitytė's opera Mažvydas, shown on 23 April 1988 (based on Justinas Marcinkevičius's drama; music director and conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, director G. Žilys). In the context of Klaipėda and Lithuania Minor that was a symbolically strong choice - Martynas Mažvydas produced the first Lithuanian book.
The repertoire consists of operas, operettas, musicals, ballets, and performances for children. Among the Lithuanian works and those linked with Lithuania Minor are Giedrius Kuprevičius's opera Prūsai, Eduardas Balsys's opera Journey to Tilsit (2019), Bronius Kutavičius's The Bear (2022), and A. Žigaitytė's opera Žilvinas and Eglė (2002). In 2019 the theatre became a member of the Opera Europa association of European opera houses.
Summer festivals: from Musical August to the Klaipėda Festival
From 1998 to 2020 the theatre held the traditional opera and symphonic-music festival Musical August by the Sea, staged in Klaipėda, Nida, Juodkrantė, Palanga, and other towns. The festival's founder and long-time head was the conductor S. Domarkas.
Since 2021 the theatre has run the international Klaipėda Festival. Theatre seasons usually last from September to the end of May, and in summer audiences are invited to the festival programme, so the theatre's activity is not limited to the ordinary repertoire.
The 2018-2024 reconstruction and the new building
In 2018-2024 a project to modernize the KVMT building was carried out - a partial reconstruction and the building of new halls. The architectural lead was Wolfgang Gollwitzer (studioGA GmbH), the structural project leads were Tomas Burokas and Mindaugas Rauckis (Inžinerinė mintis), and the general contractor was Infes. The new hall building holds the large Jūra hall (732 seats) and the small Marios hall (164 seats), along with rehearsal studios and stores.
The modernized theatre opened with a ceremonial gala concert on 20 April 2024. It is the first music theatre built in the whole period of restored Lithuanian independence. In 2025 the theatre's interior (MAMA architects) won a gold award at the international A' Design Award & Competition, so the building is interesting as a new piece of Klaipėda's cultural infrastructure as well.
Tickets and visiting
At the time of research, the official page listed box-office hours as Tuesday 10:30-18:30, Wednesday-Saturday 9:30-18:30 (with a lunch break), and Sunday one hour before an event. The box office is at Danės g. 19 (the Bokštas entrance). Repertoire and box-office arrangements can change, so check the official page before going.
Ticket prices depend on the specific event and seat. If you want to understand the theatre rather than only see the building, choose a performance and leave time for a walk through central Klaipėda and the Danė waterfront before or after it.
