Gabija Petrauskas, “BRIDGES” – 2010 June
The 9th North American Lithuanian Song Festival will take place July 2-4th weekend, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 1200 voice choir main concert, Sunday, July 4th at 2pm, Hershey Centre, Mississauga,Ontario, Canada. Website for information and tickets: www.dainusvente.org OR www.lithuaniansongfest.org
This summer’s long weekend in July is eagerly anticipated by the Lithuanian Community in Toronto. Just over a hundred people of all ages are directly involved in organizing and hosting the 9th North American Lithuanian Song Festival in Toronto, Canada. Their work began four years ago when the 8th Festival in Chicago, Illinois ended and the “torch” was handed over, as in a relay, to the Principal Music and Artistic Director, Dalia Skrinskaitė-Viskontienė and Organizing Committee Co-Chairs, Paulius and Rasa Kurai of Toronto. Four years of planning will be over “in the blink of an eye” in three days this July. Friday, July 2nd features a special concert at 8:30pm at the International Centre by one of Lithuania’s leading contemporary music performers – Marijonas Mikutavičius. Saturday, July 3rd features the Festival Choir’s dress rehearsal at the Hershey Centre from 8:30am until 5:00pm and an evening Street Party at the Toronto Airport Mariott Hotel from 7pm on. Sunday, July 4th is the highlight of the Song Festival – the Festival Concert at the Hershey Centre starting at 2pm. The evening celebration Gala – “Melodies of the Forest”, held at the International Centre beginning at 7pm will bring closure to this special weekend.
We promise an exciting and joy-filled weekend to all who participate and invite you to join us in this celebration of song – our oral heritage!!
MASTERPIECE OF ORAL HISTORY:
In 2003, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed the traditional Song and Dance Festivals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as “masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”. Truly something we can be very proud of! The very first Lithuanian song festival was organized in 1924 in Lithuania and the tradition has continued approximately every 5 years for the past 86 years. Following the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union following World War II, the tradition continued within occupied Lithuania. In 1956 the tradition was mirrored outside of Lithuania with the first North American Lithuanian Song/Dance Festival produced outside of Lithuania, held in Chicago, Illinois. This was the first of 8 festivals produced outside of Lithuania over the past 54 years. All took place in Chicago, except in 1978 the Festival was held in Toronto, Ontario Canada. So…. after 32 years, the 9th North American Lithuanian Song Festival returns to Toronto.
FESTIVAL THEME:
“I am the Song” is the theme of the 9th North American Lithuanian Song Festival selected by the Festival’s Principal Artistic Director, Dalia Skrinskaitė-Viskontienė. It is the title of a song from the original works for children’s voices by Toronto composer, Jonas Govėdas. It embodies the spirit of this festival as a celebration of song. Every aspect of our lives is expressed through song – our joy, our sorrow, our memories, our pain, our contemplations and our prayers. The cyclical nature of life whether it be the cycle of a lifetime, of a year or of a day is symbolically embodied in the logo created for this festival by Toronto graphic artist Snaigė Šileika. It features the sun – bright and spreading light on the one side, and dark, contemplative and restful on the other side. These cycles will be reflected in the scenario written by Laimutė Kisielienė of Lithuania and Dalia Viskontienė for this song festival. Dalia feels that the symbol of the sun conveys the reality of our lives: “We settled in different continents, seeking ‘safe harbour’ from various storms of life and have managed to stay “alive” as Lithuanians. For us to come together for events like these is essential to keeping ourselves alive as Lithuanians. We come together in a meeting of the heart and of the soul and we replenish ourselves through the warmth and comfort of each other (of the sun) to endure and create anew as we once again return to our homes across the various continents.” It is as if the strand of sunlight continues to warm us and to unite us with Lithuania, with each other and with our heritage.
4-PART CONCERT SCENARIO:
Our heritage will come alive once again at this festival, melding our proud pagan past with our present and strengthen us for the future. The first part of the concert leads off with the song – Let’s greet the Morning Sun on Wings of Song (an original work written especially for this song festival). Morning – symbolizes birth, new beginnings and new chances and Song born from the cradle of Lithuania leads us throughout our lives. Krivių˛ Krivaitis – the high priest of pagan Lithuania, represents a voice from our distant past. His main function was to tender to the sacred flame and ensure it never goes out. Krivis stems from the Lithuanian word “krūva” – collective or coming into a group. So he calls us all to join in the celebrations of the festival and to never let the sacred eternal flame of our cultural heritage die. As a sign of his high rank in the community he wore a wreath of oak leaves. He was tended to by Vaidilutės – young women who committed themselves to his service and the preservation of the sacred flame. Typically they dressed in white which in Lithuanian tradition represents beauty, harmony and light. Their heads were adorned by wreaths of flowers from the fields. The festival will open by observing some of the sacred rituals associated with lighting of the sacred flame. The second part of the concert is focused on daytime with the lead-in song: I need song like earth needs sun. It celebrates youth warmed by a sun that helps it grow and mature. In ancient Lithuania, the Sun was worshipped, offerings were made to her and she was called Mother (motulė, motinėlė). It represents warmth, light and life. The third part focuses on evening and the setting sun – There Beyond the Star is Evening Peace. At the end of our day, our sun leaves us in darkness as it hurries across the continents to bring a new day and new light to Lithuania. As evening sets the songs become contemplative, nostalgic. We remember songs sung to us in childhood, songs we grew up with. The richness of this nostalgic moment will be experienced most fully if we, in the audience, bring with us memories from our past that still strike a chord in our soul to reaffirm who we are.
The conclusion of the concert will reaffirm I am the Song! (Daina ir Aš tas pats esu). And that being Lithuanian is a conscious decision of the person regardless of which continent he finds himself in. Not the Earth but the Person (Ne Žemė bet Žmogus).
ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR –
Dalia Skrinskaitė-VISKONTIENĖ:
Dalia is a professional teacher, choirmaster, church organist, performer, soloist and effective leader. Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, she left following the Second World War, with her parents at a very young age and lived as a displaced person in various refugee camps until the family settled in Canada. Her ties to Lithuania have always continued to be strong. As she developed professionally, she intensified her professional links with musicians and composers in Lithuania. To this day Dalia maintains a very strong bond with her Lithuanian heritage and is keenly aware of its contribution to the formation of her spiritual/creative side, primarily through music and song. Song has a place in everyone’s life, at all stages of life. Perhaps, then, it’s not surprising that she chose as the logo for the 9th Lithuanian Song Festival the phrase – “I am the Song” since it reflects her own life so closely.
Over 48 choirs representing 1200 singers have already registered to sing in the Festival Choir. They are coming to Toronto from Kansas City, Seattle, San Francisco, Punsk in Poland, from Lithuania, Australia, Europe and from across Canada. “This Song Festival belongs to every person who heard the call to come and sing, who generously donated their free time and their hard earned money to join us in song and to give joy through song!”, says Dalia. “My most sincere thanks, admiration and love belong to them.” She adds that for people involved in choral work, it is essential to share the joy of music and to give it as a gift to one another – a gift that never ends! She says: “This is the key motivator for me – sharing the joy! I look forward to standing in front of the 1200 voice Festival Chorus. Although we will have come from very disparate corners of the world, we will perform as a unit and give you the gift of song.”
We look forward to seeing you at the 9th Lithuanian Song Festival in Toronto, Ontario Canada, July 2-4th, 2010. Please visit the website for more detailed information regarding the events, hotel reservations, ticket purchases and maps.
(Reprinted with permission of Bridges- www.lithuanian-american.org)
