Rafailas Karpis and State Choir „Vilnius“/ Shalom Culture

On June 4, the Shalom Culture & Music Festival concert will take place at St Catherine's Church, where opera soloist Rafailas Karpis, violinist Boris Kirzner and the State Choir „Vilnius“, under the direction of conductor Artūras Dambrauskas, will perform for the first time in Lithuania the work „Wagon of Shoes“ by composer Lee Kesselman. The concert programme will be complemented by works of Jewish composers for soloist and choir.

"Wagon of Shoes“ is a work for choir, soloist, piano and violin by Lee Kesselman, based on a poem by Abraham Sutzkever, a Jewish survivor of the Vilnius Ghetto. The Jewish composer, who lives in the USA, wrote this music piece on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Vilnius, on the commission of the Lithuanian Consulate in Chicago and the Dainava Choir of the Lithuanian Community in Chicago. The premiere took place in June 2022 in Chicago, and during the concert at St Catherine's Church, it will be performed for the first time in Lithuania.

“The Shalom Culture & Music Festival” will take place from May to October and will visit 11 Lithuanian cities and towns. The almost half-year-long Jewish Music & Culture Festival will feature classical and contemporary music, klezmer melodies, jazz improvisations, exhibitions, and artistic activities. Musicians and singers from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Germany, and Israel will participate in the festival. This year's festival programme will include over 20 concerts in concert halls in Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai and Palanga, the Old Zapyškis Church, synagogues in Alytus, Joniškis, Kėdainiai, Pakruojis and Žiežmariai, and the Telšiai yeshiva.

The festival is partly financed by Vilnius City Municipality, Kaunas City Municipality, the Department of National Minorities under the Lithuanian Government, Wix.com and private sponsors. Information partner LRT. Tickets distributed by Bilietai.lt

Tickets distributed by Bilietai.lt https://bit.ly/3TZ7dS1
Tickets for other festival events: https://bit.ly/3W2MgIl

Photographs, videos, photos or videos of participants may be taken during the Festival concerts and may be published on publicly accessible social networks or media outlets.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:
Rafailas Karpis started his musical career in the choir of boys and young people "Ąžuoliukas". In 2007 he graduated from the LAMT with a master’s degree in singing under the guidance of Prof. Virgilijus Noreika. In 1999 he won the first prize and the Grand Prix at the Baltic Sea Young Singers Competition in Tartu (Estonia). At the Opera Beacons Awards in 2008 he won the Opera Hope of the Year Award, and in 2010 - the Best Opera Supporting Soloist Award. In 2020 he was awarded the Golden Stage Cross and the LNOBT Soloist of the Year Award. On 16 February 2024, he was awarded the Order of Merit for Lithuania medal. Since his debut at the LNOBT in 2003, R. Karpis has been a soloist of the theatre.   He has also collaborated with the Lithuanian State and Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestras, St. Christopher's, Klaipėda and Lithuanian Chamber Orchestras, Vilnius City Opera, Klaipėda Music Theatre, and other ensembles.

His repertoire includes works by Jewish composers and Yiddish songs, which he often performs with various ensembles and with pianist Darius Mažintas, with whom he released the CD „A Letter from the past“, and prepared a programme of songs from the Vilnius Ghetto.

State Choir Vilnius is a professional ensemble with a high-performance culture, versatility, and educational activities. The choir keeps pace with today's artistic trends but does not forget the fund of classics from past eras. The choir's exceptional characteristic is the synthesis of creativity and professionalism, the ability to convey music to different audiences, and the implementation of non-traditional events and projects. All this has led to Vilnius being recognised as one of the best choirs in Lithuania.

Vilnius Choir pays special attention to the dissemination of Lithuanian music - every year it prepares premieres of works by contemporary Lithuanian composers, and exceptional works reach the recording studio. "Vilnius has already released 15 CDs, and 300 recordings of its works are kept in the Lithuanian National Radio and Television.

The choir's artistic maturity was achieved by professional directors. The current chief conductor of Vilnius is Artūras Dambrauskas, a renowned Lithuanian choir conductor and pedagogue, who is charting new artistic trajectories for the ensemble towards a varied and modern work.

The ensemble, which is always active in concert, is concerned with the dissemination of choral art, introducing original programmes to various audiences. The choir's concerts are performed not only in the halls of big cities, but also in the most remote corners of the country. Future audiences are nurtured through playful and engaging programmes especially for children.

Since 2011, the State Choir Vilnius has been organising the International festival of St. Jakob, the Vilnius State Choir has become an integral part of the capital's cultural life, colouring every autumn with the light sounds of sacred music.

Events website: http://www.orkestras.org