Participants

      Duo LennaK, consisting of Paulina and Miia, was formed in 2020 when both began studying the chromatic kannel at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College. The kannel is a very special instrument for them — something both ancient and modern at the same time. The...

      The place of gathering for the folklore group "Āre" is the Latvian city of Pļaviņas. The Daugava, Latvia’s largest river, winds through the entire city. Nowadays, the Daugava flows slowly and peacefully. Only when the water level drops are the edges of the...

      The kokle is the Latvian version of a plucked string instrument, similar to the zither. Along with the Lithuanian kanklės, Estonian kannele, and Finnish kantele, it belongs to the family of Baltic psalteries. Latvia’s musical traditions reflect a deep respect...

      “The playing of the kanklės, a unique Lithuanian folk stringed instrument, by Kristina Kuprytė is a culmination of what has been achieved in the development of the whole culture related to the kanklės.” Prof. Dr. Algirdas Vyžintas, from a review of the CD...

      Folk Ensemble "Yavoryna" was founded in 1991 at the Mykola Leontovych School of Arts in Kyiv. The leaders of the ensemble are Iryna Bonkovska and Oksana Milevska, an Honored Worker of Culture of Ukraine. The ensemble's creative activity is aimed at reviving,...

      The folklore ensemble “Aidija” of Radviliškis City Culture Centre was established in 1986. Donatas Stakvilevičius has been leading the group since 2011. The ensemble’s repertoire includes songs, dances, and games from the Radviliškis region and Northern...

      The ensemble was formed a year ago, but it is already working very intensively and actively. They have participated in numerous various festivals and events throughout Lithuania. The group has created two theatrical programs: “Apeiginis javų lankymas” and a...

      In the autumn of 2016, Dalia Magylienė formed the adult folklore ensemble “Davila” at the Utena Culture Centre. The ensemble is named after a river flowing in the Utena district, whose name symbolizes the flowing of spring water.       The group primarily learns...

      The ensemble, formed by four enthusiastic women who wished to sing sutartinės, was established in 2012. Each year, the group participates in various events interwoven with Baltic and Lithuanian folk traditions – Jorė, Rasos (Midsummer), Advent-Christmas...

      The ensemble was established in 2017. Currently, it is attended by 60 children who sing, dance, play instruments, and cherish the traditions of their region. The ensemble regularly participates in regional, national, and international events, and has won...

      The children and youth folklore ensemble “Gers smuoks” (25 members) of Šilalė District Municipality Culture Centre is celebrating its thirteenth year of activity. Since 2018, the ensemble has been led by Ilona Raudonienė. The ensemble was founded and for eight...

      The “Gojus” dance ensemble of the Anykščiai Culture Centre in Lithuania was founded in 1991. The name of the ensemble is symbolic: gojus (a grove) is the most beautiful place in the forest, where magnificent trees and plants grow, the most beautiful flowers...

      The ensemble “Inkstiliuks” began its activity as a folk group in 1998 at Skaudvilė Gymnasium. Since 2010, they have been rehearsing at the Skaudvilė branch of the Tauragė Culture Centre, and since the end of 2024, following institutional reorganization, they...

      The folklore ensemble “Jūrupė” was established in 2010. Its mission is to preserve and present the sung and spoken folklore traditions of the Tauragė region. In 2013, the ensemble recorded a CD titled “Songs of the Tauragė Region (Southern Samogitia).” The group...

      The adult folklore ensemble “Kor's” of the Vaškai Branch of Pasvalys Culture Centre has brought together men and women aged between fifty and eighty years. They play two accordions, violin, basedlė (folk bass), small drum, jingles, and ratchet.       The...

      The ensemble was formed in October 2019. A boundless desire to play the kanklės, sing, promote the Lithuanian national instrument, and share the heritage of the Anykščiai region brought together 15 enthusiastic music lovers from various professions.       The...

      From the very beginning, “Linkava” has prioritized the folklore of Northern Lithuania. Today, the ensemble proudly performs songs, dances, and circle dances from the Linkuva region, preserving their original form, content, and authentic performance style. In...

      The Lithuanian Armed Forces Orchestra was founded on September 4, 1991. The orchestra’s first bandmaster was Major Justinas Jonušas (1938–2013).       The orchestra consists of 60 professional musicians. It is led by the bandmaster, Major Egidijus Ališauskas,...

      Šiauliai District Municipality Culture Centre’s Folk Craftsmen Ensemble “Margulis”       The Folk Art Folklore Ensemble was established in 1990, initially consisting of folk artists who enjoyed singing.       In 1994, the ensemble was led by a young and talented...

      The Folk Music Band “Radvija” was founded in 2008. The ensemble preserves and promotes Lithuanian folk songs and melodies, as well as traditional folk music-making. The majority of the repertoire consists of Lithuanian folk melodies arranged by the ensemble...

      The Folk Ensemble “Salduvė” of Šiauliai City Culture Centre “Laiptų Galerija” was founded in 1986. The ensemble is named after the historical hillfort located on the eastern outskirts of Šiauliai, known as Salduvė Hill.       Šiauliai, as the center of the...

      The Folk Ensemble “Sidabrinė gija” of Šiauliai Culture Centre has been active for more than 30 years. It is led by artistic director Vita Taučienė-Rezgienė. The ensemble consists of 25 senior participants who cherish folklore, with members aged between 64 and 96...

      The Folk Ensemble “Šatrija” of Luokė Culture Centre, Telšiai District Municipality, has been active since 1972, when a group of singers, brought together by Lithuanian language teacher Joana Vaigauskaitė-Misiūnienė from the then Luokė Secondary School, first...

      In 1922, the Kaunas Duke Vaidotas 8th Infantry Regiment was stationed in Šiauliai along with its brass band, which was led by the famous bandmaster Bronius Jonušas. From 1925 to 1936, the future founder and leader of the Šiauliai Brass Band, Stasys Jautakas...

      The ensemble consists of kanklės teachers from Šiauliai city and the Šiauliai region. Most of these teachers participated in the “Kad giria žaliuotų” concert “Skambėkite, kanklės”, which took place in July 2024 at St. John's Church in Vilnius as part of the...

      The Kanklės Ensemble of Šiauliai Saulius Sondeckis School of Arts is part of the instrumental group of the folk music ensemble “Jovarėlis.” The ensemble consists of students from grades 6 to 12. The ensemble performs both as an independent group and as part of...

      The ensemble was formed in 2000. It has participated in many events not only in Pasvalys but also in the neighboring districts of Biržai, Pakruojis, Kupiškis, Joniškis, and Panevėžys. Since 2003, the ensemble has taken part in all Lithuanian Song Festivals. In...

      The ensemble has been active since 1978. It preserves the customs of the Kaišiadorys region, ensures their continuity, fosters traditions, and helps safeguard the region’s ethnic culture. The group collects ethnographic material from the Kaišiadorys region. It...

      The ensemble began its activity in 1998 at Šiauliai’s 16th Secondary School (now “Saulėtekis” Gymnasium) with 15 members. The concert programs consist of folk songs, games, and instrumental music from the Aukštaitija and Samogitia regions. The members play...

Artistic Director: Daina Kavaliauskienė

      The Folklore Ensemble “Žiedupė” of Krakių Culte Centre (Artistic Director: Jūratė Gudliauskienė) has been active since 2007. During this time, the ensemble has participated in all Lithuanian Song Festivals (2009, 2014, 2018, and 2024) and is a regular...

      Damilė and Lukas Bagdonavičiai — a family of folklore enthusiasts who found each other at the Vilnius University Folk Ensemble “Ratilio”, combining the roots of Damilė from Šiauliai and Lukas from Vilnius.       Lukas is a physics teacher and deputy principal...

      Alvaidas Bernotas – birbynė player, educator, performer.       In 2003, he graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, earning a bachelor's degree in music (birbynė specialization, class of Associate Professor K. Mikiška), and in 2005, he...

      Darius Daknys – leader of folklore and folk music ensembles, birbynė player, expert-level teacher, participant and organizer of various folklore and folk music events and musical projects.       He has performed with the Šiauliai City Kanklės Trio “Aušrinė”, the...

Coming soon

Regina Marozienė – kanklės player, laureate of international and national contests, conductor, leader of various projects, and Doctor of Arts (Musicology).

      Vytautas Pilibavičius – trombonist, composer.       Vytautas Pilibavičius (b. 1961 in Šiauliai) graduated from Šiauliai Higher Music School and, in 1986, from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), specializing in trombone and wind orchestra...

      Loreta Sungailienė – ethnomusicologist, Doctor of Humanities, intangible cultural heritage specialist at the Lithuanian National Culture Centre, and host of the LRT television program “Duokim garo!”       She gives lectures on the preservation and promotion of...