Eighth Lithuanian Song Festival

ATSILIEPK DAINA!

I invite you to join us for the 8th Lithuanian Song Festival.

This festival will continue the rich tradition of Lithuanian Song Festivals in North America which began in 1956.

Audrius Polikaitis

On July 2, 2006 we are expecting over 1000 singers from nearly 30 cities across the US and Canada to join together in song at the University of Illinois Pavilion in Chicago. These singers will form the combined adult, youth, and children’s choirs that will be featured at the Festival.

The Festival will provide an opportunity for all Lithuanians to join together as one and share their heritage with the Chicago community.

This will truly be a unique cultural experience.

I hope that you are able to be a part of this special event!

Audrius Polikaitis
Chairman, Eighth Lithuanian Song Festival

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the website of the Eighth Lithuanian Song Festival to be held July 2, 2006 in Chicago at the UIC Pavilion. Plans for this festival began in September of 2002. We knew the job would not be an easy one, for somewhere in the not too distant past, the tradition of organizing these song festivals in North America went into an inexplicable deep sleep. There has not been a similar festival for 15 years. In that period of time much has changed including lists of choirs, their leaders, addresses but more importantly times, technology and people. We had to start anew.

Rita Kliorys

But I am thrilled to say, that since we embarked on this journey in the fall of 2002, we have come a very long way. A team of super-enthusiasts has joined our ranks, those who believe this song festival can happen, want it to happen and are working around the clock to make it happen! Until now, much has been geared to choir directors and choirs. In the upcoming months, we will be posting new information about ways others can help.

As artistic director I am excited about the work we have accomplished thus far: 1) the repertoire has been chosen, 2) the music of the songs has been engraved and posted on this website to be downloaded and learned, 3) learning tapes of individual voices of many songs have been made and can be downloaded. This should be a tremendous learning tool. 4) This past summer we hosted a seminar at Camp Dainava (Manchester, MI) for the directors of all choirs who came from all corners of the US and Canada. They got the chance to meet with one another, make plans for their choirs, and most importantly, they became familiar with all the songs to be sung next summer at the festival. It was a wonderful experience for all who attended. The directors left revved-up for the upcoming season, ready to teach and inspire their choristers.

Each day a new person visits this website and becomes part of our team. They offer support in many capacities from joining a choir to offering financial aid. From performer to director, from philanthropist to music lover and listener, there is a place for everyone in this song festival! We hope you will also join us!

For those of you who know little Lithuanian or have stumbled upon this website, we invite you to become better acquainted with the world of Lithuanian folk songs and compositions by Lithuanian composers. I think you’ll find it awesome!

With great anticipation we look forward to seeing each and every one of you on July 2, 2006 at this historic event. As the motto ATSILIEPK DAINA! suggests, we invite you to respond to our invitation in song. Let it unite us, make us proud of our Lithuanian heritage and allow us to share what we cherish so much with the world around us.

Rita Čyvaitė-Kliorienė, artistic director
Eighth Lithuanian Song Festival

Participants

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photographer Juozas Vaiciūnas visited the song festival events

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Re"live" the Festival