Lithuania's unique cello group Cello Club to perform a new performance filled with spatial meanings

On 27 October, Lithuania's only cello ensemble Cello Club will give a special performance at St Catherine's Church in Vilnius. One of the most charismatic ensembles on the Lithuanian music scene is preparing a concert of exclusive premiere works, with the spatial arrangement of the musicians on a special 360 degree stage. For the first time in Lithuania, works for cello ensemble by the legendary US minimalist Steve Reich, some of the world's most renowned composers Kaija Saariaho (Finland) and Enno Poppe (Germany) will be performed, as well as two world premieres: the latest opuses by the Italian-based Lithuanian composer Justė Janulytė, who has always attracted the attention of audiences and critics alike, and by the acclaimed Lithuanian minimalist Rycis Mažulis. This concert is expected to be as impressive, if not more so, than the previous Cello Club concert at the Gaida International Festival of Contemporary Music, when the masterful performance of the hour-long work "8" by another renowned New York composer, Michael Gordon, was greeted by an ovation.

This concert will also feature guest composers from this year's Gaida Festival - Enno Poppe, one of today's most prominent German composers, and the internationally acclaimed Lithuanian composer Justė Janulytė, who have prepared their own compositions especially for this concert and the Cello Club ensemble.

The Cello Club has been in existence since 2020.Its five members Povilas Jacunskas, Domas Jakštas, Arnas Kmieliauskas, Evaldas Petkus and Rokas Vaitkevičius are all active musicians on the Lithuanian stage. D. Jakštas is a member of the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, R. Vaitkevičius is a member of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre Orchestra, P. Jacunskas is a concertmaster of the cello groups of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, A. Kmieliauskas is a concertmaster of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, E. Petkus is a member of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Cellists also play in various chamber ensembles.

The Cello Club is inspired by the homogeneous ensembles that have become popular around the world, which become ambassadors of both their instrument and their country. The ensemble's distinctive feature is its democratic principle of operation, where each of its members can become a leader and soloist. The name Cello Club, which means "cello club", conveys a message of openness, not committing to a single line-up and leaving room for a wide range of programmatic and ensemble choices. The audience can hear Cello Club performing both academic and popular classics, as well as lighter genre pieces, the ensemble does not shy away from humour and is flexible in its approach to the boundaries of high art and entertainment. "Cello Club is open to other colleagues. For example, after being the first in Lithuania to perform Gordon's "8", the ensemble invited three other artists to join its "club". In this concert, the ensemble's expanded line-up of up to 8 cellists is already becoming a regular occurrence, as the Gaida Festival offers more and more works for the larger ensemble each time.

Cello Club cellist Arnas Kmieliauskas says: "Although the composers featured in this concert have unique and individual styles, we can find common links between their works. One of the points of intersection is the exploration of sound textures and their changes in time and space. During the concert, the Cello Club performers will be seated in a circle, with the audience seated around the performers. This arrangement will allow the sounds to spread throughout the space evenly, rather than in a one-way direction, as is the case in conventional concerts. This arrangement reveals the three essential elements of spatial sound design: the location of the sound source, the movement of the sound and the spatial acoustics. The movement of sounds in space will enhance the timbral and emotional aspects of each piece, creating different acoustic experiences that will make the audience feel as if they are part of the piece."

The Cello Club is constantly expanding its repertoire by adding its own arrangements. The ensemble performs works by Romantic composers, the most prominent 20th century and contemporary world and Lithuanian composers. "The Cello Club's repertoire includes music by Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, Max Richter, Edvard Grieg, Samuel Barber, Béla Bartók, Anatoly Shenderov, Dominykas Digim and many others. "Cello Club is invited to the biggest Lithuanian festivals and plays in the most important concert halls. In 2023, together with the new vocal music ensemble Melos, Cello Club released the album Monochrome, featuring new works by Lithuanian composers.