Lithuania in the News
10th March 2013
Australia and Lithuania Enriched by Artistic Exchanges
James Morrison. Photo courtesy filharmonija.lt
These days visits by Australian artists to Lithuania are become much more frequent, as are those of Lithuanian artists to Australia, to the cultural enrichment of both countries.
Vaidas Vyšniauskas in the role of Otello.
Photo courtesy opera.lt
The Australian world-renowned trumpet jazz virtuoso James Morrison will play in Vilnius on 21 March 2013. He will perform in a concert with Lithuania’s Trimitas State Wind Orchestra under the baton of Trimitas’ chief conductor Ugnius Vaiginis. Trimitas itself has a distinguished international reputation and James Morrison says that “he likes very much the sound and energy of the orchestra and impatiently awaits the forthcoming concert with Trimitas”, as will many Lithuanian music lovers. Incidentally, the word “trimitas” in Lithuanian actually means “a trumpet”.
Later in the year the noted Lithuanian tenor Vaidas Vyšniauskas (who goes under the stage name Kristian Benedikt) will have the leading role in Verdi’s opera “Otello” with the Queensland Opera October 24 – November 2, 2013. Last year another Lithuanian opera star, Vida Miknevičiūtė, gave a superb performance also in Brisbane as Freia in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” with by the Hamburg State Opera and Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Vaidas Vyšniauskas’ namesake Petras Vyšniauskas, the famous Lithuanian saxophonist, has recently taken up the post of artistic director of Trimitas. Many Australian Lithuanians will fondly remember Petras from his tour “down under” in 2000, with the late birbynė virtuoso Antanas Smolskus.

Further information:
www.filharmonija.lt/en/events/jazz-virtuoso-james-morrison-and-trimitas/
www.trimitas.lt/
www.operaq.com.au/event-details/event/otello#&panel1-1
www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/wagner-played-with-fantastic-power-and-great-restraint/story-fn9d2mxu-1226457251400