Irena Bespalovaite is Lithuanian by birth and studied at the Vilnius Music Academy and at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Lilian Sukis and Breda Zakotnik. She completed her diploma at the Mozarteum in 2001 and was awarded the Lilli Lehmann Medal. Her first engagements in 1996 brought appearances as Susanna and as Despina at the Vilnius Music Academy. In 1997/98 she appeared in the International Summer Music Academy, singing Ännchen at the Mozarteum, Pamina, Drusilla in L'incoronazione di Poppea and Zerlina in Don Giovanni. From 1998 to 2001 she appeared at the Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival under Claudio Abbado and René Jacobs. In 1999 she sang the rôle of the First Cretan Woman in Idomeneo at the Salzburg Festival and made guest appeara...