Niele Vintsovna Ambrazaitite

(also Nijole Ambrazaitytė). Born Feb. 21, 1939, in the village of Burokai, Lazdijai Raion, Lithuanian SSR. Soviet Lithuanian singer (mezzo-soprano). People’s Artist of the USSR (1977).

In 1966, Ambrazaitite graduated from the Conservatory of the Lithuanian SSR in Vilnius, where she had studied singing under E. Mažrimaitė-Dirsienė. In the same year she became a soloist with the Lithuanian Theater of Opera and Ballet. Her roles have included Marina Mnishek in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, Amneris in Verdi’s Aïda, and the title role in Bizet’s Carmen. Among her other roles are Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther, Ortrud in Wagner’s Lohengrin, Varvara in Shchedrin’s Not for Love Alone, and Maria in Paltanavičius’ At the Crossroads. She has performed abroad. Ambrazaitite won second prize at the G. Enescu International Vocalists’ Competition in Bucharest in 1970.