Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, Giedrė Šlekytė began her musical education at the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art-School in Vilnius. She went on to study conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, the Academy of Music and Theatre in Leipzig, and the Zurich University of Arts. She also attended masterclasses by Bernhard Haitink and Riccardo Muti.
In 2024/25 Šlekytė made notable debuts at the Wiener Staatsoper (La Bohème) and the Royal Opera House in London (Hansel and Gretel), while returning to Musiktheater an der Wien and Staatsoper Berlin with The Pearl Fishers and Sacre. Symphonic engagements included debuts with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra —also her US debut—Philharmonia London, and Tokyo NHK Symphony.
Back in November 2023 she stepped in for Daniel Barenboim at short notice, conducting a highly-acclaimed Brahms’ cycle in Toronto with Berlin Staatskapelle, simultaneously making her Canadian and North American debut.
In 2025/26, Giedrė returns to Oper Zürich for a new production (Hansel & Gretel), RSB Berlin, DSO Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker at Musikverein, and the Royal Opera House for Le nozze di Figaro. She will also make exciting debuts with L.A. Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl in August 2025, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.
As a guest conductor, she has appeared with the Wiener Symphoniker, Münchner Philharmoniker, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and many others.
From 2022-25 Giedrė served as Principal Guest Conductor of Brucknerorchester Linz with many appraised concert performances.
Šlekytė was a finalist of the Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award in 2015 and prize winner of the Malko International Young Conductors Competition in Copenhagen. In 2018, she was nominated in the “Newcomer” category of the International Opera Awards.
An active ambassador of Lithuanian music, she performs works by Raminta Šerkšnytė, Bronius Kutavičius, Osvaldas Balakauskas, Justė Janulytė, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, and others across Europe and beyond.
