Vasario 16, penktadienį, Toronto Lietuvių Namuose rengiamas lietuviškos muzikos vakaras “Skriski, skriski Lietuvėlėn…”. Lietuvos nepriklausomybės 100-mečio proga geriausių Lietuvos klasikų ir šiuolaikinių kompozitorių kūrybos dainas, lietuviškų ir pasaulio populiariausių operų arijas atliks gerai žinoma Lietuvoje ir Europoje solistė Asta Krikščiūnaitė, pianistė Audronė Kisieliūtė ir iš Detroito (JAV) kilusi solistė Kristina Petrauskas.
Jų parengtoje programoje skambės geriausi Lietuvos muzikinio paveldo kūriniai: gerai žinomos St. Šimkaus Plaukia sau laivelis, B.Dvariono Žvaigždutė, A.Kačanausko Vai gražu gražu dainos. Išgirsime ir M. Petrausko operos Birutė bei Dalios iš B.Dvariono operos Dalia arijas, skambės ir kelios Vakarų Europos kompozitorių A.Bellini ir G.Puccini operų arijos. Šventinėje programoje išgirsime ir daugelio dainininkų dainuojamą Skriski, skriski Lietuvėlėn dainą iš G.Kuprevičiaus muzikinio spektaklio Denvynbėdžiai, Lietuva (J. Marcinkevičiaus ž.). Šios jubiliejinės programos atlikėjos gerai pažįstamos ne tik Lietuvos, bet ir Europos muzikos mėgėjams.
On February 16th – A musical greeting for a centenary of independence
On Friday, February 16, Toronto’s Lithuanian House will host a musical evening called “Fly, Fly to Lithuania” (“Skriski, skriski Lietuvėlėn”) in honour of the country’s 100-year anniversary of independence.
The concert will feature a selection of some of the finest works by past and present Lithuanian composers, as well as popular operatic arias from Lithuania and the rest of the world. Headlining the event are the celebrated Lithuanian soloist Asta Krikščiūnaitė, pianist Audronė Kisieliūtė and Detroit-born soloist Kristina Petrauskas.
Some of the well-known works that will comprise the program include “There Sails a Boat” (“Plaukia sau laivelis”) by Stasys Šimkus (1887-1943); “Little Star” (“Žvaigždutė”) by Balys Dvarionas (1904-1972); and “How Pretty, Pretty” (“Vai gražu gražu”) by Aleksandras Kačanauskas (1882-1959). Excerpts from the operas Birutė by Mikas Petrauskas (1873-1937) and Dalia by Dvarionas will also be featured, as well as arias from the works of Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) and Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). Finally, there will be a rendition of the program’s titular song “Skriski, skriski Lietuvėlėn,” a popular number from the musical Ninewretches, Lithuania (Devynbėdžiai, Lietuva) by Giedrius Kuprevičius.
The three women headlining the concert are not only well-known to Lithuanians, but are famous to European musical enthusiasts in general:
Asta Krikščiūnaitė has been one of the leading artists in the field of classical music in Lithuania for more than two decades. The beauty and clarity of her voice was noticed at a very early stage – she was awarded a diploma at Pavarotti International Voice Competition in Philadelphia. After the completion of her studies at Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Krikščiūnaitė began her career at Klaipėda Music Theatre, where earned her a prize from the Lithuanian Theatre Union. She furthered her professional skills in the United States, where she studied under the tutelage of famous vocal teachers such as Claire B. Alexander. The possibilities of her well-groomed voice – from tender lyricism to intense dramaticism – allow her to perform music of diverse genres: operas, oratorios, large-scale symphonic works, chamber music, and compositions by contemporary composers.
Audronė Kisieliūtė has been a concert pianist for over three decades. A pupil of the Lithuanian Academy of Music, she has gone on to participate in over 15 international competitions, traveling to such varied places as Athens, Barcelona, Helsinki and Vienna. Most notably, she won the distinction of “Best Accompaniment” at the 11th Glinka Competition under the guidance of Russian singer I. Archipov. With singers or instrumental orchestras, Kisieliūtė has performed at such illustrious venues as the Tchaikovsky Grand Philharmonic in Moscow, the M. Glinka Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, the Ukrainian National Philharmonic in Kiev, the Warsaw National Philharmonic, the University of Massachusetts and Boston’s Symphony Hall in the United States, as well as concert halls in Estonia and Lithuania. She has also toured Germany, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Latvia.
Kristina Petrauskas was born in Detroit in 1985 and mastered in vocal music at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre under the tutelage of Asta Krikščiūnaitė. In 2017, she participated in the International Virgilijus Noreika Competition for Singers; in the years 2014, 2015 and 2017, she also sang at a national singers’ competition named after Vincė Jonuškaitė-Zaunienė. In 2014, she placed second at the third-annual international Lithuanian-Italian competition “With Music across Europe” (“Su muzika per Europa”), and to this day she continues to actively perform in concerts and competitions across Europe and America while furthering her educational studies.
Don’t miss a wonderful opportunity to hear this group of talented musicians and vocalists perform some of Lithuania’s most cherished and beloved musical works!
