DIDŽIOJI MUZIKŲ ŠVENTĖ

GREAT MUSICIANS' FESTIVAL 2024

On Tuesday, October 1, the Grand Celebration of Musicians will take place at the Palace of the Grand Ducal Rulers. The Lithuanian Musicians' Union, which invites everyone to join in celebrating World Music Day, will present the 2024 Golden Disk Laureates during the festive evening. This year’s honorees are soprano Rita Petrauskaitė, pianist Paulius Andersson, vocalist and flutist Neda Malūnavičiūtė, and the Vilnius Sacred Music Choir Adoramus, directed by Dr. Imantas Jonas Šimkus. For the first time, a lifetime achievement award will be presented to jazz pianist Povilas Jaraminas.

Established by the Lithuanian Musicians' Union in 2001, the Golden Disk award is presented annually to four outstanding representatives from various music genres or fields. Past laureates include notable artists such as Violeta Urmana, David Goering, Virgilijus Noreika, Antanas Smolskus, Saulius Sondeckis, and Petras Bingelis. In recent years, the award has been given to distinguished performers like singers Justina Gringytė, Aušrinė Stundytė, Liudas Mikalauskas, and Aistė Pilibavičiūtė, as well as instrumentalists Rūta Lipinaitytė, Daumantas Kirilauskas, Renata Marcinkutė-Lesieur, Aistė Bružaitė, the Vilnius Balys Dvarionas Ten-Year Music School Symphony Orchestra Simfukai (under the direction of conductor Modestas Barkauskas), the Boys' and Young People's Choir Ąžuoliukas (led by Vytautas Miškinis), the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra (director Algimantas Treikauskas, chief conductor Constantine Orbelian, USA), the choir of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art (led by Romualdas Gražinis), Saulius Petreikis, folk band Žalvarinis, and the Capital Children and Youth Center Choir KIVI (led by Danguolė Aukselienė), as well as double bassist Vytis Nivinskas.

In addition to the Golden Disk winners, this year’s celebration will showcase the young laureates of 2024 international competitions. Performing on the stage of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania will be Povilas Ušinskis, an 11th grader at Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis Gymnasium of the Arts (teacher Raimonda Sližienė), and Rokas Diržys, a 10th-grade violinist from Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis Gymnasium (teacher Rūta Lipinaitytė), as well as cellist Teodoras Lipčius (6th grade, teacher Ramutė Kalnėnaitė). The concert will also feature pianists Audronė Juozauskaitė, Simas Minkevičius, Richardas Banys, and Aleksandras Vizbaras.

There will be a diverse selection of great music from various eras. We warmly invite you to enjoy the evening and celebrate the vital role music plays in our lives.