On 4 June, St. On June 6, St Catherine's Church will host the Shalom Culture & Music Festival concert, during which opera soloist Rafailas Karpis, violinist Boris Kirzner and the Vilnius State Choir, led by conductor Artūras Dambrauskas, will perform the work Wagon of shoes by the composer Lee Kesselman for the first time ever. The concert programme will be complemented by works by Jewish composers for soloist and choir.

"Wagon of Shoes" is a work for choir, soloist, piano and violin, based on a poem by the Jewish survivor of the Vilnius Ghetto, Abraham Sutzkever, by Lee Kesselman. The Jewish composer, who lives in the USA, wrote this work 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 work was premiered in Chicago in June 2022 and will be performed for the first time in Lithuania during a concert at St Catherine's Church.

This concert is part of the Shalom Culture & Music Festival. The festival will take place from May to October and will visit 11 cities and towns in Lithuania. The Shalom Culture & & Music Festival programme, which runs for almost half a year, will feature classical and contemporary composers, klezmer melodies, jazz improvisations, exhibitions and artistic activities. Musicians and singers from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Germany and Israel will participate in the festival. Currently, more than 20 concerts are scheduled to take place in the concert halls of Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai and Palanga, the Old Zapyškis Church, the synagogues of Alytus, Joniškis, Kėdainiai, Pakruojis and Žiežmari and the Telšiai Yeshiva.

The festival is partially financed by the Municipality of Vilnius City, the Municipality of Kaunas, the Department of National Minorities at the Ministry of the People's Dependency of the Republic of Lithuania, Wix.com and by private sponsors. Information partner LRT.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Rafailas Karpis started his musical career in the choir "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 Soloist in Opera Supporting Roles 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. Since his debut at the LNOBT in 2003, R. Karpis has been a soloist at the LNOBT.He also collaborates with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, St. Christopher's Symphony Orchestra, Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra, Vilnius City Opera, Klaipėda Musical Theatre, and other ensembles.

An integral part of his repertoire consists of works by Jewish composers and Yiddish songs, which he often performs with various ensembles and pianist Darius Mažintas, with whom he released the CD "A Letter from the same" and prepared a programme of songs written in the Vilnius Ghetto.

Rafailas Karpis graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2007, where he attended the class of Professor Virgilijus Noreika. Since 2003 he has been working at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Vilnius City Opera. He has prepared more than twenty opera roles. Participates in various music projects. Rafails has a special place in his heart for Jewish music - together with pianist Darius Mažintas they have prepared a programme of songs written in Lithuanian ghettos, and the opera soloist enjoys singing the works of Anatoly Shenderov and other Jewish composers.

The Vilnius State Choir is a professional ensemble with a high culture of performance, versatility, and educational activities. The choir keeps pace with today's artistic trends, but does not forget the fund of classics of past epochs. 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 the 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 stored in the Lithuanian National Radio and Television funds.

The choir's artistic maturity has been helped 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 diverse and modern work.

The ensemble, which is always active in concerts, takes care of the promotion of the choir's art by presenting 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 listeners are nurtured through the preparation of playful and attractive programmes especially for children.

Since 2011, the Vilnius State Choir has been organising the International St. Since 2011, the Vilnius State Choir has been an integral part of the cultural life of the capital city and every autumn it has been colouring the city with the bright sounds of sacred music.