Call for Applications: 3rd International Doctoral Summer School
Doctoral students from the organizing institutions – the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC), the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA) and the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow as well as partner institutions are invited to apply for the International Doctoral Summer School, which will take place from August 17 to 21 at Jaunmokas Palace (Jaunmoku pils, Tumes pagasts, Tukuma novads, LV-3139) and preparation and introduction lecture held online on August 4. The School will cover topics related to artistic research in the fields of music, film, performing arts, and interdisciplinary approach. The application deadline is May 29, 2026.
The purpose of the 3rd Summer School is to support the professional development of doctoral students in the field of arts, encourage the advancement of their doctoral theses, and promote international and interdisciplinary cooperation and the exchange of ideas. The program will include lectures, workshops, individual mentoring sessions, as well as a public program with the opportunity to participate in discussions or showcase the artistic works of the participants and lecturers of the Summer School. The public program will be curated after the confirmation of participants, and it will be open to the local public interested in culture and the arts.
The lecturers and mentors of the Summer School are distinguished representatives from various art fields (see the introductions below): Dr. Radim Procházka (The Czech Republic), Prof. Christian Windfeld (Denmark), Dr. Olga Lapina (Denmark/Lithuania), Dr. Agnė Jurgaitytė-Avižinienė (Lithuania). The program is curated by Prof. Dr. Dāvis Sīmanis (LAC) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramunė Balevičiūtė (LMTA), who will also mentor the participants. The tentative program of the Summer School is available here.
To apply, please fill out the application form and attach a CV and a motivation letter in English. The application deadline is May 29, 2026. Information regarding participation in the Summer School will be provided individually by e-mail by June 4. The program of the Summer School will be conducted in English. Participation is free of charge, but the number of participants is limited. Travel costs should be covered by the participant or the sending institution.
If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Kristīne Freiberga (kristine.freiberga@lka.edu.lv) or Božena Čiurlionienė (bozena.ciurlioniene@lmta.lt).
The International Doctoral Summer School is organized by the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC), the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), and the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, in cooperation with the Jaunmokas Palace. Summer School is organized as an Erasmus+ BIP (Blended intensive programme) project and is co-funded by the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, the European Union ERASMUS+ and the EU Social Fund programmes.
Photo: Latvijas Valsts meži
Further information:
Kristīne Freiberga
Head of the Production and Marketing Department
Latvian Academy of Culture
kristine.freiberga@lka.edu.lv
+371 29939915
Božena Čiurlionienė
Doctoral Studies Officer
Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre
bozena.ciurlioniene@lmta.lt
+370 68794630
About the lecturers of the Summer School
Dr. Radim Procházka is a producer, director, and mentor at Prague’s FAMU and a graduate of its Documentary Film Department (2006). He is a long-time collaborator of Karel Vachek, a master of the Czechoslovak New Wave, whose last film COMMUNISM AND THE NET premiered at IFFR 2020. Procházka has worked as a producer, director, and screenwriter, including long-term collaboration with director Robert Sedláček (e.g. Family is the Foundation of the State). He produced Karel Vachek’s films Záviš – Prince of Pornofolku (2006) and Tmář and His Family (2011), and directed documentaries such as Whose Child Is It (co-directed with Marek Duda), which was named the best Czech popular-educational film at Academia Film Olomouc 2014. Together with Jan Bušta, he co-wrote the script for the “electro-minimalist docu-operetta” Televise bude! In 2024, he produced Jan Cechl’s puppet short LAWRENCE OF MORAVIA and Lukáš Masner’s live-action short THE PRICE OF A STORY, the first Czech–Greenlandic co-production. Since 2012, he has been teaching international students at FAMU and mentoring emerging directors in the Academy Preparation Program. He is a board member of the Association of Audiovisual Producers, a member of the European Film Academy, and a participant in Producer on the Move 2011. He also produced Štěpán Altrichter’s feature debut Schmitke (2014), for which he was nominated for the Czech Lion in the Best Film category.
Prof. Christian Windfeld is a Danish improviser, composer, percussionist, and educated soloist from the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. Since the age of 19, he has built an international career touring all over Europe, North America, and Australia, and has lived in Stockholm, New York, and Berlin. Windfeld has a minimalist but highly expressive approach to percussion instruments, often reducing his setup to focus on just one instrument, e.g. the snare drum, in order to explore its full potential and transcend the general perception of its capabilities. As a composer, he has created pieces and installations for art exhibitions and cross-media publications with writers and visual artists. Windfeld is featured as a leading figure on more than 30 recordings and has so far recorded two solo albums under the alias FØRSTEPERSONENTAL (FIRSTPERSONSINGULAR): the first released in 2014 and the second, ROTUNDA, in autumn 2016. He has received a string of honors and grants, most notably the prestigious “Young Elite” fellowship awarded to him by the Danish Arts Council in 2015.
The director and educator Dr. Olga Lapina made her debut on the professional theatre scene in 2010, and since then she has directed a number of productions and led creative seminars in Italy, Brazil, France, Germany, and Estonia. In 2011–2015, she taught at the directing department of Klaipėda University, and since 2015 she has been teaching at the LMTA. From 2014, she joined the team of teachers at the international theatre research institute AKT.ZENT (Berlin, Germany, artistic director Prof. Dr. Jurij Alschitz) and has led workshops on acting in Germany, Estonia, Italy, France, Mexico, and Brazil. In her artistic work, she researches the fields of artistic ensemble, improvisation, ludic structures, and unconventional theatre formats. Olga has staged a variety of performances in state theatres, and four of her performances were awarded the highest national prize of Lithuania (Golden Stage Cross).
Dr Agnė Jurgaitytė-Avižinienė is a Lithuanian clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, researcher and lecturer specialising in existential psychology, psychotherapy and qualitative research. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and a PhD in Psychology from Vilnius University. She has worked in clinical practice, higher education and professional training for more than twenty years, including positions at the Republican Vilnius Psychiatric Hospital, OVC Consulting, the Psychological Counselling Centre, and the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where she serves as Associate Professor. Alongside her clinical and academic work, Dr Jurgaitytė-Avižinienė has spent more than a decade leading lectures and training sessions on stress management, anxiety, depression, personality development and professional growth. She also consults and supervises educators, lecturers and consultants working in adult education. Her public engagement includes participation in psychology popularisation projects and self-help initiatives in cooperation with public institutions, including projects organised with the Ministry of Health and cultural organisations. Her academic and professional work focuses on existential therapy, creativity, supervision, stress management and the psychology of human experience. Dr Jurgaitytė-Avižinienė has published research articles, participated in international conferences, and actively contributes to psychology education and public mental health initiatives. She is a member of the Lithuanian Psychological Association (LPS), the East European Association for Existential Therapy (REETA), and the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA). Today, her work continues to integrate psychotherapy, research, creativity, supervision and interdisciplinary collaboration, with a strong focus on existential approaches to human experience and personal development.