# Viktorija Gecyte pays a visit to afternoon Jazz, before the Sarah Vaughan vocal competition: Photos, Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/11/23/viktorija-gecyte-pays-a-visit-to-afternoon-jazz-before-the-sarah-vaughan-vocal-competition-photos-video/
- Published: 2019-11-23T22:13:38+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Viktorija Gečytė started singing early in life. Although she didn’t come from 
a musical family, she has always been drawn to music; she would often hitchhike 
to music festivals around Lithuania, her home country.**

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**Viktorija Gecyte, right**

At 19, she received a scholarship that brought her to the United States to study
mathematics and economics at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. During her schooling,
she just couldn’t keep away from the jazz scene in New York. After receiving her
degree, she moved to Paris, France, where she started performing.

She’s since toured and recorded with several notable musicians, including Gene Perla,
a New Jersey-born bassist. A recent performance at Miller Symphony Hall, in Allentown,
Pa., was broadcast on the local PBS station.

When asked to name her favorite Sarah Vaughan tune, Viktorija chose “Can’t Get Out
of This Mood.”

On Sunday she competes in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition
at NJPAC, as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival. Viktorija is honored to participate
in such a prestigious competition, and looks forward to rubbing shoulders with renowned
artists like Christian McBride and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

![](https://i0.wp.com/www.wbgo.org/sites/wbgo/files/styles/medium/public/201911/
viktorija.png?w=640&ssl=1)

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