On February 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM, a special concert “Let’s Breathe Together!” will be held in the Great Hall of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, featuring the Vilnius Tech Concert Orchestra from Lithuania and the University of Latvia (LU) Wind Band. This event is dedicated to the 107th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Lithuania, celebrating the rich cultural and musical traditions of both countries.
The concert will also feature guest conductor Joshua Kearney from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (USA), who is widely known for his outstanding talent and rich experience at the international level.
“This concert is a truly special moment, as it brings together two excellent wind orchestras and offers a magnificent and diverse repertoire. It is a great example of how music can bring people from different countries and cultures closer together, creating unity and understanding. We are looking forward to this meeting, which will bring together musicians from Lithuania and Latvia, and I am sure that this concert will provide an unforgettable musical experience for the audience. Such concerts are also important for musicians, as they provide an opportunity to experience and share new challenges, as well as to build international friendships. I am very happy about this opportunity and know that it will be a great event for both the orchestra members and everyone who will attend the concert,” – Jānis Puriņš, Artistic Director of the LU Wind Band.
The concert “Let’s Breathe Together!” on February 15 will also feature the wonderful soloists of the Lithuanian orchestra: Vladimirs Školnijs (trumpet), Daniels Hugo Petkevičs (trumpet) and Lins Mečkovskis (baritone), who will delight the audience with their excellence and musical talent.
The concert will also feature the young Latvian vocalist Paula Osemļjaka, who, together with the LU Wind Band, will delight the audience with her outstanding voice and musical talent.
The artistic directors and principal conductors of both groups, Rimants Valančausks and Jānis Puriņš, have already met many times at various concerts. The orchestra from Vilnius has visited Riga several times, while the LU Wind Band has performed several times in Lithuanian cities – Šiauliai, Panevezys, Kaunas and Vilnius.
Admission to the concert is free.
LU Cultural Center: Concert “Let’s Breathe Together!” – LU Wind Band and Orchestra from Vilnius invite you to celebrate Lithuanian Independence Day
On March 29 at 2:00 p.m., the concert “Dream of Italy” will be held in the hall of the Ogre Music and Art School, featuring the Ogre Music and Art School wind band MELODIJA and the University of Latvia wind band (LUPO). This concert will be an important moment before the 25th international brass band competition “Flicorno d’Oro”, which will take place from April 11-13 in the Italian city of Riva del Garda.
