MY STUDENT MOBILITY IN VILNIUS: Maša Đuričić

Maša Đuričić

University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Music

Erasmus+ Mobility for Studies at:

Lithuanian Academy for Music and Theater, Lithuania

Time I spent in Vilnius was lovely, interesting and filled with lots of different experiences and inspiring content. The Lithuanian Academy for Music and Theater is a great school, with many different buildings, practice rooms, concert halls, and overall is very pretty and well organised. At the academy, I was very happy to collaborate with professor Dainius Pavilionis, chief of the department of conducting. He is a very experienced conductor, and a great pedagogue. It was truly inspiring for me to work with him, and I believe I have developed my conducting skills greatly thanks to his approach. Other subjects I have chosen to listen to were also very interesting for me, and I think I have attained some very useful new skills while studying at the LMTA.

Aside from the classes, I have had the opportunity to visit many different concerts, including the ones in the National Philharmonic and the National Opera, but also in the alternative scene. Vilnius has a very prolific and active scene of contemporary and experimental music, which was especially interesting and inspiring for me. This has given me a lot of new insights and materials to think about, it refreshed my view towards music and inspired me.

Vilnius is a beautiful, small and peaceful town. I enjoyed many walks around the city and I used all the free time to visit other cities of Lithuania, but also the neighbouring Latvia, Estonia and Finland. The Baltics are indeed a beautiful and magical region to explore. Being in an international environment meant a lot to me. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about other countries and their cultures and mentalities. Also, I have made friendships which I believe will last for life.

All in all, this four-month period has passed by so quickly, I was pretty sad it couldn’t last longer. It also left me hungry for new similar experiences, and I believe I will try and apply for Erasmus or some other international exchange programme again, if a possibility occurs. I would definitely  recommend this programme to anyone who is eager to experience something new, inspiring, challenging, beautiful and perhaps even life-changing.