Antanas Zakarauskas was born in Klaipeda on November 5, 1977. His tenor operatic and concert activity was not limited to Lithuania alone - he performed and sang in Australia, Latvia, Poland, Italy, Denmark, the USA, and others. In Sydney, Australia, he performed the role of Aeneas in the opera "Dido and Aeneas" (H. Purcell), Alfredo in "La Traviata" (G. Verdi), Pinkerton in "Madama Butterfly" (G. Puccini) and participated in ten opera concerts and solo recitals throughout Australia. Antanas Zakarauskas is the only Lithuanian opera soloist in Australia with the Exceptional Talent status. In Lithuania, he can be heard performing the roles of Don José in G. Bizet's opera "Carmen", Lensky in P. Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin", Don Giovanni in A. Dargomyzhsky's opera "The Stone Guest", and John in B. Britten's "Let's Make an Opera", in various classical music concerts, solo recitals and many popular music concerts. Antanas Zakarauskas began his musical journey from his adolescence, when he won a pop singing contest and had the opportunity to participate in various music festivals. Nevertheless, he was more interested in classical singing, so he chose to study classical vocals. Antanas acquired a wide range of musical education in Lithuania, studying piano, clarinet and singing, winning many competitions and obtaining a degree in choral conducting and music education from the Klaipeda S. Simkus Conservatory. He then went to study in Italy, where he participated in the Pope's Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, studying Gregorian singing and choral conducting, and at the same time obtained a certificate in Italian language and culturology. Antanas also completed a Bachelor's degree in classical singing at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and moved to Australia, where he won a scholarship to study at the Sydney Opera School and began singing in operas and concerts in various Australian cities. He also studied singing with Armenian soprano Arax Mansourian and Australian tenor Glenn Winslade, as well as participating in singing masterclasses led by such famous art specialists as Dame Joan Sutherland, Dennis O'Neill, Lisa Gasteen, Yvonne Kenny, and Sharolyn Kimmorley. Upon returning to Lithuania, Antanas completed his Master of Performance studies with renowned Lithuanian soprano and professor Sigutė Stonytė at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and also interned with Joshua Hecht, a bass and vocal consultant for Opera Australia, in Sydney. Currently, the soloist is perfecting his art, interning with famous American soprano/mezzo-soprano Grace Bumbry, and frequently performing concerts in Lithuania and abroad.
