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 district, lies on the border of two Lithuanian ethnographic regions — Aukštaitija and Samogitia (Žemaitija) — which is why the majority of Salduvė’s repertoire consists of Aukštaitian and Samogitian songs, dances, instrumental music, games, stories, as well as calendar songs, romances, and contemporary interpretations of folklore from other Lithuanian ethnographic regions.
Salduvė performs, preserves, and promotes Lithuanian folk music, dance, and storytelling not only in Šiauliai but throughout Lithuania. The ensemble regularly participates in international folklore festivals and Lithuanian Song Festivals. The ensemble has successfully performed abroad in Latvia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Poland, and Bulgaria.
Salduvė has frequently appeared on Lithuanian television and has released six music albums. In recognition of its outstanding artistic achievements, Salduvė received the “Aukso Paukštė” award in 2008 as the Best City Folklore Ensemble in Lithuania.
More information about the folklore ensemble Salduvė can be found on their Facebook page and website
You can listen to Salduvė’s music albums on the following platforms: Pakartot and Spotify
Artistic Director: Darius Daknys
