Event date: 2023-05-25
Event starts: 19:00 Event ends: 20:30
Event place: St. Catherine's Church, Vilnius
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the State of Israel and the 700th anniversary of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, we are honored to present “Symphony from Jerusalem of the North” by Lithuanian composer Jievaras Jasinskisis to commemorate these two historic events.
This magnificent piece of music will be performed by the Vilnius City Municipality St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, the State Ensemble “Lietuva” National Instruments Orchestra and classical, jazz and folk musicians from Lithuania and Israel. The concert will incorporate classic music intertwined with Lithuanian and Hebrew folklore motifs taking listeners on an hour-long journey that combines birbynė, kanklės, Persian tar, saz, Hurdy-Gurdy and shofars. The concert will also feature Yaron Cherniak, an Israeli musician, specializing in Middle Eastern instruments, and Rafailas Karpis, a Lithuanian Jewish opera singer. The Symphony from Jerusalem of the North Concert is a gala concert of the March of the Nations conference.
Vilnius, once home to a thriving Jewish community, was considered Jerusalem of the North. The idea behind the “Symphony from Jerusalem of the North” evolved from the intertwined history of Lithuanians and the Jewish community. We invite everyone to embark with us on a musical journey, by which we will witness the most important moments in Israel and Lithuania’s history.
The premiere of ‘Symphony from Jerusalem of the North’ made its debut on September 23rd 2021 – National Memorial Day for the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews, and dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust. The concert was performed at the courtyard of the Presidential Palace, close to the Vilnius Ghetto. Among the guests of honor were heads of state, foreign ambassadors, members of the Jewish community of Lithuania, the Righteous Among the Nations and their descendants. The concert itself was broadcasted on Lithuanian national television.