Noreika, Virgilius-Kiastutis Leono

(Virgilijus-Kęstutis Leono Noreikà). Born Sept. 22, 1935, in Šiauliai. Soviet Lithuanian singer (tenor). People’s Artist of the USSR (1970). Member of the CPSU since 1971.

Noreika graduated from the Vilnius Conservatory in 1958. In 1957, while a student, he made his debut at the Lithuanian Theater of Opera and Ballet, where he presently performs as one of the leading soloists. In 1965–66 he was a guest performer at La Scala in Italy. He has sung at opera houses in various cities of the USSR, as well as in Berlin, Budapest, and Prague. Noreika has sung many operatic roles, including Lenskii in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Almaviva in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, the Prince in Prokofiev’s Love for Three Oranges, and Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata. He has also appeared as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Don José in Bizet’s Carmen, Werther in Massenet’s opera of the same name, Andriaus in Klova’s The Daughter, and Tadas in The Wandering Birds by Laurušas.

Since 1974, Noreika has been chairman of the Theatrical Society of the Lithuanian SSR. He received the State Prize of the Lithuanian SSR in 1960 and 1971.