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You are cordially invited to come and enjoy The Kazickas Family Sacred Music Hours, a series of ten concerts in St.Casimir Church Vilnius, Lithuania. This season you can hear performers from Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Israel and USA.
In St.Casimir Church, Vilnius Lithuania, a two month festival of the Kazickas Family Sacred Music hours began July 5, 2016. "I have never seen so many people gathered in the church for our concerts, - writes Renata Marcinkute - Lesieur, organist and festival's organizer. - People are so hungry for this kind of music. Forty minutes before the first concert of the series of ten started, there were no seats left. We brought all the chairs that we had, and still so many people remained standing...".
The church will hold concerts July 5th through August 28th, every Tuesday. The last concert will be held in memory of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kazickas.
Admission to all the concerts is FREE
Tuesday, July 5, 7 pm - Opening concert of the cycle, dedicated to mark 25 years since the first sacred music concert held at St Casimir's Church
Performers: LEOPOLDAS DIGRYS (organ)
LIUDAS MIKALAUSKAS (bass)
RENATA MARCINKUTĖ LESIEUR (organ)
Vilnius City Municipality ST CHRISTOPHER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Conductor DONATAS KATKUS
G. F. Handel, G. Verdi, F. Poulenc
Tuesday, July 12, 7 pm
LUCA RATTI (organ, Milan, Italy)
V. Petrali, F. Mendelssohn
The famous Italian organist Luca Ratti will be appearing in Vilnius for the first time. Studying in Milan and Bergamo, he perfected his skills and knowledge with the most famous masters (including Tom Koopman and Robert Hugo). The performer's concert tour schedules make their way across the main European music festivals, while he devotes a great deal of attention to popularising organ music in his role as the president of Associazione Culturale il Bordone.
For his Vilnius concert he has chosen a programme full of romantic frivolity, revealing never before heard combinations of registers and colours.
Tuesday, July 19, 7 pm
A recital by the winner of the International M. K. Čiurlionis Organists' Competition for 2015
MONA ROŽDESTVENSKYTĖ (organ, Lithuania/Germany)
J. S. Bach, F. Liszt, M. Reger, J. Rheinberger, R. Schumann
Born in Moscow and now studying in Germany, yet someone who loves Lithuania and music with all her heart. She is organist Mona Roždestvenskytė, a musician who has captivated the sympathies of the International M. K. Čiurlionis Pianists' and Organists' Competition jury. Even though she is the winner of prestigious competitions, the young performer shows no sign of stopping. The twenty-year-old's plans include numerous competitions, recitals, festivals...
M. Roždestvenskytė is pleased for the opportunity to make the organ at St Casimir's Church speak, and we invite you not to miss one of the cycle's most distinctive debuts.
Tuesday, July 26, 7 pm
ALEXANDER GORIN (organ, Israel)
J. S. Bach, F. Mendelssohn
Alexander Gorin, an organist who has performed at the world's most famous churches, cathedrals and concert halls, will now be playing in Lithuania.
He is the standard when it comes to masterfullness, he is entrusted to play the premieres of today's most renowned composers' works, and his concert tours span China, South Korea and Scandinavia where he appears with the world's best orchestras, conducted by maestros such as Zubinas Mehta.
The programme for Vilnius will not disappoint even the most discriminate fans of sacred music, because even the best known works take on unique colours in the hands of this soloist.
Tuesday, August 2, 7 pm
MARTIN STROHHÄCKER (organ, Germany)
GUDRUN STROHHÄCKER (flute, Germany)
J. S. Bach, J. L. Krebs, F. Mendelssohn, J. G. Rheinberger
The grand sounds of the organ and elegant flute passages are set to fill the arched spaces of St Casimir's Church during this concert by Martin and Gudrun Strohhäcker.
These musicians have travelled the most famous churches and concert halls and regularly receive the warmest accolades from the public, expressed as thundering ovations. Asked what their secret lies, the musicians glance at eachother modestly and smile – what else could one expect when such heavenly instruments are being played?
So come and judge for yourselves how these instruments sound played together.
Tuesday, August 9, 7 pm
DAVID TROIANO (organ, USA)
D. Buxtehude, J. S. Bach, J. Elias, A. Merikanto, D. Locklear, R. L. Becker
David Troiano – a musician of many talents!
As an organist, he has organised recitals at the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadeloupe in Mexico as well as at the most significant churches in the USA, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Finland and Sweden.
Knowledgeable in Spanish Baroque music, he is also a popular speaker at international conferences and symposiums. As a lyrical tenor, he has appeared in many operas, operettas and oratorios. His roles have been well received by music critics who note the “beauty of his tembre, his attention to minute musical details, and his exceptional theatrical execution”. And don't be surprised if you see him at the conductor's pulpit either...
Don't miss this intriguing meeting with a multi-talented artist!
Tuesday, August 16, 7 pm
AIVARS KALEJS (organ, Latvia)
MARTINA DOEHRING (soprano, Germany)
G. F. Haendel, J. S. Bach, A. Vivaldi, G. Verdi, C. Saint-Saens, J. Offenbach
One of the most eminent artists in Latvia – a composer, pianist and organist, Aivars Kalejs amazes audiences with his creative flourishes and productivity: he recently turned 65 and presented several premieres. For his Vilnius performance he has put together a programme of masterpieces, together with his long-serving stage partner, the soprano Martina Doehring.
According to the performers, they don't go out of their way to surprise audiences at their concerts, but the effect is usually the opposite. More often than not, they are met with waves of applause and don't step off the stage without giving at least three encores. This scenario is repeated even where audiences are most spoilt for musical innovations.
The performers' appearance at St Casimir's Church will depend entirely on you.
Tuesday, August 23, 7 pm
BERNHARD GFRERER (organ, Salzburg, Austria)
W. A. Mozart, F. Mendelssohn, A. Guilmant, improvisations
One of the Sacred Music Hours special guests will be Bernard Gfrerer. During the course of his impressive career as an organist-soloist, he has given concerts with the most esteemed music stars in the world, including Domingo, Carreras and J. King, among others. He has appeared in the largest halls and churches and recorded a CD featuring all of W. A. Mozart's works for organ released by EMI-Columbia.
Aside from his solo appearances, the performer regularly plays the organ at the famous Franciscan Church in Salzburg, engages in pedagogical activities, leads master courses and participated in competitions as a jury member. Thus, an exclusive encounter with a true coryphaeus of the art of organ music awaits!
Sunday, August 28, 7 pm
SACRED MUSIC HOURS. IN MEMORIAM ALEKSANDRA AND JUOZAS KAZICKAS
Closing concert of the cycle
T. Albinoni, J. S. Bach, A. L. Webber, H. Wolf, etc.
Performers: VYTAUTAS JUOZAPAITIS (baritone)
EGLĖ JUOZAPAITIENĖ (soprano)
IEVA JUOZAPAITYTĖ (soprano)
LEOPOLDAS DIGRYS (organ)
RENATA MARCINKUTĖ LESIEUR (organ)
Vilnius City Municipality Chamber Choir JAUNA MUZIKA
Conductor VACLOVAS AUGUSTINAS
A dynasty of singers, masters of the organ, and a titled choir – the joined forces of these performers will shake the foundations of St Casimir's Church with this impressive final accord. It is dedicated to the honoured, long-time patrons of the Sacred Music Hours – Juozas and Aleksandra Kazickas.
The tradition they spent many years nurturing has grown beyond the walls of the church, and has become a unique element not just of the Christopher Summer Festival, but of Vilnius itself. So let the words of Dr J. Kazickas be the leitmotif for this concert, words which apply to all of us: “One should not be judged by how much one has, but by how much one can give”.