Born in 1982 in Vilnius, she studied piano, choral conducting, music theory, and composition (with Bronius Kutavičius) at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, and later composition with Osvaldas Balakauskas and music theory with Gražina Daunoravičienė at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

(bachelor’s degree in 2004, master’s degree in composition – 2006). In 2004–5 she also studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, as well as taking part in masterclasses in Latvia, Estonia (with Helena Tulve), Poland, and Italy (Luca Francesconi’s Earlab).

In 2009 she won the main prize at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris (selected work in the category of composers under 30). In2011, she was awarded the Young Artists’ Prize of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, and in 2017, the Lithuanian National Arts and Culture Prize (the highest artistic distinction in Lithuania). In 2019 she won the Musica Femina competition in Munich.

Janulytė has collaborated with some of the world’s leading ensembles and soloists, including Konzerthausorchester Berlin, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Orchestra of Teatro La Fenice, BBC Symphony and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Helsinki Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Estonian National Symphony, Brno Philharmonic, Münchener Kammerorchester, Riga Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, London Sinfonietta, Remix Ensemble Casa da Música, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber and Male Choirs, SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Rundfunkchor, Latvian Radio Choir, BBC Singers, Quasar, Xasax and Flotilla saxophone quartets, saxophonist Marcus Weiss, cellist Sèverine Ballon, trumpeter Marco Blaauw, flutist Manuel Zurria, harpsichordist Gośka Isphording, as well as conductors such as Olari Elts, Sylvain Cambreling, Eliahu Inbal, Emilio Pomarico, Enno Poppe, Peter Rundel, Normunds Šnė, Jörg Widmann, and Bas Wiegers, among others. Her music has been performed across Europe, the Americas, Australia and Japan, and has featured in such contexts as Sydney Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Venice Biennale, Roma Europa, Milano Musica, ManiFeste (Paris), Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Musica Nova Helsinki, Warsaw Autumn, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, SonicA (Glasgow), Maerzmusik (Berlin), Musik der Zeit (WDR Cologne), Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, Musikprotokoll Graz, Klangspuren Innsbruck, Biennale Némo (Gaîté Lyrique, Paris), Musica festival (Strasbourg), Musicadhoy (Madrid), and the Moravian Autumn (Brno), to name but a few.

In 2020 Janulytė made her cinematic debut, collaborating with Latvian director Viesturs Kairišs on the full length feature Sign Painter (Piļsāta pi upis), and continuing with January, which won the Tribeca (New York) film festival (as the best international feature film), Warsaw International Film Festival, as well as the Roma Film Fest, among others.

Janulytė teaches composition at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, as well as conducting numerous masterclasses. Janulytė’s music, mostly written for dense monochromatic ensembles (only strings, only winds, or only voices), explore musical time/space perception through large-scale multilayered textures and extremely gradual metamorphoses. While balancing between the aesthetics of minimalism, spectralism, and acoustic electronica, Janulytė builds sonic metaphors of optic ideas (Here at the Quiet Limit for male choir and string orchestra, The Colour of Water for saxophone(s) solo and orchestra, Was there a Swan? for symphony orchestra) and researches the visual nature of musical phenomena in the works where sound and image are fused together (Breathing Music for string quartet, electronics and kinetic sculptures, Sandglasses for four cellos, electronics and video scenography).

Selected works: White Music for 15 strings (2004), Let’s Talk about Shadows for clarinet in B♭, violin and piano (2004), Endings for saxophone quartet (2005), Textile for symphony orchestra (2006), Silence of the Falling Snow for two pianos (2006), Aquarelle for chamber orchestra (2007), Breathing music for string quartet, electronics and kinetic sculptures (2007), Aria for string quartet (2008), Aria for cello and accordion (2008), Psalms for cello and prerecorded cellos (2008, also versions for bass flute/soprano saxophone/violin/electric guitar etc.), Elongation of Nights for 21 strings (2009), Sandglasses for four cellos, electronics and video, stage performance (2010), Pendulums for string quartet and string orchestra (2011), Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz for organ (2012), Observation of Clouds for choir, double wind quintet and strings (2012), Ihr Schatten schneller Zeit for 16 voices (2014), Radiance for choir and electronics (2015), Plonge for cello and 12 voices(2015), Harp is a Chord for harpsichord and accordion (2016), The Colour of Water for saxophone(s) and chamber orchestra (2017), Here atthe Quiet Limit for male choir and string orchestra (2018), Circle for a Square for four (amplified) string quartets (2018), Windharfe for harpsichord and string orchestra (2018), Was there a Swan? for organ and symphony orchestra (2019), Now I’m Nowhere for male choir(2019), Skycity and Waves, installations (2019), Unanimus for eight strings (2020), Unanime for eight trumpets (2020), Recordare for choir and orchestra (2021), Apnea for string orchestra (2021), Sleeping Patterns for ensemble (2022), Clessidra for ensemble (2023), Iridescencefor choir and electronics (2023), Confluere for chamber orchestra (2024), Nodo infinito for voice and string quartets (2024).