Klaipėda State Musical Theater Symphony Orchestra is the largest professional orchestra not only in Klaipėda, but also in the entire region of Western Lithuania. During the season, the orchestra takes part in theater performances and premieres, and after the end of the season, every year it delights the residents and guests of Klaipėda and surrounding towns with magnificent concert programs at summer festivals.
Today's nearly 60-member KVMT orchestra has grown from 1956. the Klaipėda Folk Theater Orchestra was founded, which initially consisted of only 13 musicians - teachers, students and amateurs of the Klaipėda Music School (now Satsios Šimkaus Conservatory). For three decades, the theater operated as an amateur collective - all performers rehearsed and participated in performances free of charge, led by conductors Aleksei Pozdneev, Aleksander Buzis, Augustins Kepenis, Robert Varna, Algis Jonas Lukoševičius, Vladimir Konstantinov, and for the longest time - Kazios Kšan (1966-1986).
After the Klaipėda Folk Opera reached a professional level, in 1987 Klaipėda State Musical Theater was founded. He continued to work with the orchestra, KVMT performances and concerts were often conducted by Lithuanian and foreign guest conductors: Gintaras Rinkevičius (A. Žigaitytė's opera "Mažvydas", 1988), Dante Anzolini (G. Verdi's "Traviata", 1994), Jonas Aleksa (K. Weillio "Three-penny opera", 2001), Saulius Sondeckis, Juozas Domarkas, Modestas Pitrėnas, Martynas Staškus, Robertas Šerveniks, Vytautas Lukočius, Davidas Geringas, Modestas Barkauskas, Andris Veismanis, Normunds Vaicis, Imantas Resnis (Latvia), Martinas Lutz (Germany) , Josef Wallnig (Austria), Salvatore Cicero (Switzerland), Erki Pehkas (Estonia) and many others.
in 1993 When Stasiis Domarkas became the chief conductor of KVMT (he led the theater until 2004), the repertoire was filled not only with operettas, musicals, operas, but also with oratorios, cantatas, and other large concert works for soloists, choir and orchestra. During the preparation of symphonic music programs, guest musicians were used to perform larger works. The Symphony Orchestra of Little Lithuania, founded by S. Domarko in 1993, grew out of the KVMT orchestra with such an expanded composition. He often assisted at the conductor's initiative in 1998-2020. at the summer festival of opera and symphonic music "Musical August by the sea". in 2019 celebrating the conductor's 80th birthday, S. Domark was the first to receive the regalia of the theater's Honorary Conductor. In the following years, the theater orchestra was led by Ilmaras H. Lapinis, Dainius Pavilionis (2010-2015), Vladimiras Ponkinas (2016), from 2017 Tomas Ambrozaitis became the chief conductor. Over the past few years, the orchestra has significantly renewed and strengthened professionally.
The Klaipėda State Musical Theater Orchestra's repertoire includes the brightest classical masterpieces, contemporary music by Lithuanian and foreign composers. The Symphony Orchestra of the Musical Theater has repeatedly inspired Klaipėda composers to come up with new ideas. The collective was the first to perform Alvid Remesa's Symphony No. 4 Ecce Homo (1999) to commemorate the 2000th anniversary of Christianity (recorded and released on CD), as well as three other symphonies by the composer, large-scale works by Vladimir Konstantinov.
Famous Lithuanian and foreign soloists and groups performed with the orchestra, including violinists Ingrida Armonaitė, Ingrida Rupaitė, Vilhelmas Čepinskis, harmonica virtuoso Gianluca Littera (Italy), flutist Lukasz Długosz (Poland), singers Michailas Svetlov (USA), Almas Švilpa, Nomeda Kazlauskaitė-Kazlaus, Oscar Marín (Spain), Violeta Urmana and Alfredo Nigro (Italy), Kaunas State Choir, Šiauliai State Chamber Choir "Polifonija", Choir "Vilnius", Mixed Choir of Vilnius Municipality "Jauna muzika". The orchestra toured in Russia, Latvia, Poland, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany.
