After a full morning at Lithuanian Saturday School, three Toronto-based children‘s choirs assembled in the Resurrection Parish Hall on Saturday, February 26th, 2010 and spent the afternoon rehearsing their Song Festival repertoire.

After a pizza lunch, 70 young choristers from Gintareliai, Maironis Saturday School and Resurrection Parish Choirs took their places for their combined rehearsal. It began with the announcement that, this past February, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite had proclaimed Dalia Viskontas as a member of the Order of Lithuania for her work on behalf of Lithuania. Dalia will receive her medal at the Song Festival.

And then the rehearsal began in earnest. Each of the choir leaders (Deimante Grigutis, Janet Krisciunas, Anita Puodziunas and Artistic Director Dalia Viskontas), with accompanist Vilma Sabaliauskiene, took turns putting the choirs through their paces. Through stories, excercises, explanations and interpretations, the children gained an understanding of their role at the upcoming Song Festival. They were exemplary in their behaviour and their attention to the choir leaders.

These 70 children all live in the same city but meet only occasionally at Saturday school,  playing basketball or at folk dance practices…but on February 26, they sang together and had a taste of the energy and spirit which they will experience at the Song Festival during the weekend of July 2-4, 2010.

We are very fortunate to have a variety of specialists and experts who have volunteered their time and knowledge to make the concert engaging for both the choristers and the audience. Their talents encompass lighting, sound and set design. Key members of this team include Zoe Dirse (Rita Dirsyte) ir Paulius „Bongo“ Kolycius, internationally acclaimed cinematographers with specific expertise in technical show production. In addition to their assistance in producing the show, they will also create our documentary film highlighting the Song Festival‘s traditions. Architects Shirley and Jurgis Sederavicius, along with their daughters Ilyssa and Audra are the creative masters of the Festival set design and staging. Concert production rests firmly in the capable hands of Raimundas Paskauskas (left photo) and Jurgis Valaitis (right photo). 

ARTECH Communications Inc., expert in concert lighting and sound systems, has been chosen by our Principal Artistic Director, Dalia Viskontas to provide these systems for the concert. Lighting and sound are integral to the concert‘s sucessful production; when combined with our planned special effects, we believe our concert will be unparalled in its presentation.  (photo:  Robert Hunter, Robb Sykes)

Professional photographers Daina and Romas Puteris, with their team of photographers and the resources of their company, Photo Visions Custom Digital Lab, will be capturing every moment of the Festival weekend, documenting it for our enjoyment both during the Festival and afterwards.

Artist Snaige Sileika was born and raised in Toronto and studied at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts  in Paris.  She joined our team at the start of our endeavour and is responsible for all of the Festival‘s colour themes, visuals and graphics. Snaige created our logo, worked with our website designers, and was involved in planning our concert wear.

Our host hotels are telling us that over one-third of the available rooms have been reserved already. This is a excellent indication that many people are already planning their trip to Toronto for the July long weekend. Ticket sales are the next indicator that we are watching closely – look at our website, follow the newspaper and direct mail campaigns and purchase your tickets as soon as possible as we are expecting capacity crowds at all venues. The Festival‘s economic success greatly depends on a variety of factors as ticket sales alone will not carry the show. We‘re very pleased that our Lithuanian – Canadian financial institutions, philanthropists, and business people are supporting the Festival and the ongoing development of Lithuanian songs with meaningful donations. We continue to seek donors and sponsors from across the continent who will support the Festival‘s work and initiatives. Your attendance, your donation, and your advertising support demonstrate that song is truly a part of  us all.

We‘re down to our last six months before the Song Festival kicks off. The plans have been laid, they‘re being implemented and we‘re moving at full speed, full of positive energy and spirits, to bring you a great weekend of song, fun and camaraderie.  We wish you  a great new year and we look forward to seeing everyone in Toronto.

We’re very excited to announce present Marijonas Mikutavičius in concert on July 2.

Mikutavičius’ song “Velnias, man patinka Kalėdos” (”Damn, I Like Christmas”) was named the most popular Christmas song of the decade in Lithuania. Listen to it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTz7lStsu2I      

Order your concert tickets now. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. Seating will be concert-style, with ample room for dancing. (Please note that there are no reserved seats at this event.)

A cash bar and snack sales will be available.

We‘re looking forward to welcoming this reknowned singer and to enjoying the concert with you.

Where you were born and raised? Tell us about your education and work achievements.

Ilyssa: We were born and raised in Toronto.  Both of us attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts, where we explored a brief interest in stage design, and then continued in visual arts at York University. Although we have spent many years studying the arts, both of us have found careers in different fields and art has become a hobby. Following my Honours Bachelor degree in Art, coupled with Kinesiology, I attended teachers’ college and now work in the public school system.  We have both been involved with gymnastics since we were 3 years old.  We are no longer competitive athletes but are still very involved with the gymnastics community as coaches with our gymnastics club.  It is rewarding to be working with children and sharing the sport that we love so much.

Audra: Since graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from York University, we have both found careers outside the artistic realm.  I currently work in sports administration for Gymnastics Ontario, the provincial sport organization.

Our involvement in gymnastics has been significant in both of our lives, first as athletes and now, for me, as a competitive coach. I am also a judge at Provincial competitions. 

How have you been involved in your Lithuanian heritage and community?  What has this meant to you?  What draws you to it?

Audra:  We have been involved in the Lithuanian community since we were young children – since the age of 7.  We attended Maironio Mokykla; however, it was our involvement with Skautai at Romuva and with the folk dance group Gintaras that really allowed us to experience our heritage and feel part of the Lithuanian community.  One of the most memorable aspects of Maironio Mokykla was the Kalėdų Eglutė performances and watching our Dad design and build the stage sets.  We later helped design these sets. Our most significant and longest involvement in the Lithuanian community was with Gintaras.  It allowed us to connect with our peers and the cultural and social events the community offered.  This included memorable trips to other communities and to Lithuania.

Ilyssa: I remember feeling that we never fully fit in, but attending Maironio Moklyka, becoming Skautės and dancing with Gintaras became a big part of our lives. We have very fond memories of Romuva and many Gintaras trips. Being involved in these has made me feel more Lithuanian and closer to my Dad’s side of the family and my Lithuanian heritage.  I am very thankful for that. In Saturday school I remember participating in many holiday performances. Not only was it was fun being involved in the performance, but I also remember being awestruck by the stage sets my Dad created. 

How do you reconcile both your English and your Lithuanian heritage?  Does one tend to dominate the other?  Is this a struggle for you, or a non-issue? Why?

Ilyssa: I’d have to say that my English heritage is more dominant. I feel that we have different circles in our lives that don’t necessarily overlap, and our Lithuanian heritage is one of them.  As kids I think being a part of Skautai and Gintaras helped us become a part of the community.  However, I have never felt that it was as integral a part of our lives as it seems to be for those who have extended family as well as deeper roots in the Lithuanian community in Toronto. We mostly speak English at home, although we do our best to speak Lithuanian as well.

Audra: Our English heritage is more dominant. We wish we were more fluent in Lithuanian; however, we do not really see it as an issue.  For me “being Lithuanian“ is family-oriented. Our last name (and my first name) have an obvious correlation to my Lithuanian roots and serve as an enduring symbol of my Lithuanian heritage. It often comes up in conversation with non-Lithuanians when they ask about my background.

Although Lithuanian activities are not a primary influence, they are still an important part of our lives and I feel it is important to continue being involved with our Lithuanian side.

Have you been to Lithuania?  What has seeing it “live” meant to you?

Audra: Yes, we have been to Lithuania three times. The first was with our Dad, to meet our relatives; the second, with Gintaras for the Šokių Šventė and, most recently, we attended the 1000-year festivities in Lithuania with family and friends. It was nice to be able to share the experience with our Canadian friends. I also have great memories of participating in the Šokių Šventė.

Ilyssa:  Dad took us to Lithuania the first time as a graduation gift.  Our three visits have never been for an extended amount of time. I feel that, if we had the time, there is a lot more to see and experience there. However, being there “live” has helped us feel closer to our extended family, which is important to us and to our Dad.

What is your involvement with the upcoming Song Festival in Toronto?  What will your personal contribution be to this extra-ordinary event?  What is your vision for what you will be creating?

Ilyssa:  We are helping our Dad, who has taken on a huge job.  He is the stage set designer for the Festival. As many know, our Dad was the set designer for the school productions during all of our years at Maironio Mokykla in Toronto.  We were always very proud of this.  During high school I designed a few stage sets and since then our Dad has always bounced his ideas off of us.  We are mainly there to support our Dad and contribute feedback and ideas.  He seems to value our opinion highly so, I guess you could say it’s a family effort; however, we are missing one family member. Our younger sister Lina is at Leeds University working on her Master’s degree and is unfortunately unable to help out, although I know she would love to be part of this event.  It is nice to be involved in the Lithuanian community again and I am excited to see how everything turns out.

Audra: Our Dad is the architect and stage designer for the Song Festival. We are assisting him with the creative process and set construction as well as the staging and visual effects.  We are working to interpret and produce Laimutės Kisielienės concept for this Šventė in hopes of offering an interdisciplinary performance that reflects the Lithuanian identity we all share and also incorporates the Canadian-Lithuanian identity.

Do you think it important to continue having these types of events outside of Lithuania? Or is it more important to participate only in the events held in Lithuania?

Audra: It is important to have both. It is important to celebrate our Lithuanian identities through these events, both inside and outside of Lithuania. I think it is important to share the experiences these venues provide and to combine the traditional with the new.

Ilyssa: I think it’s great to continue having these events. This past summer, the 1000^th Anniversary celebrations in Lithuania were exceptional.  For the first time, instead of participating as dancers, we got to be spectators at such a huge event. It made me miss the dancing, but it was also a great experience to see such an event as a member of the audience.  Whether in Lithuania or outside of it, I feel these events keep the culture alive and the community close.  This is a great way to celebrate our heritage. 

Many thanks to you both for this conversation.  We wish you luck, that you will be proud of your creation, and that it will reflect both your Lithuanian and Canadian heritage. We hope that this experience will inspire you to continue contributing to the Lithuanian community through your creative efforts in the future.

Prepared by Gabija Petrauskienė