Vilnius Shalom Festival Closing Concert

On October 7 at 7:00 PM, we invite you to the LVSO Concert Hall, where the Vilnius Shalom Festival closing concert will take place. To mark the third anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, the international October Jazz Ensemble, uniting performers from 11 countries, will present a moving and hopeful musical program dedicated to the memory of the victims of the October 7 terror attack.

October Jazz Ensemble:

– Rugilė Daujotaitė – vocals, kanklės, flute, percussion (Lithuania)
– Karolina Kieraitė – vocals, electronics (Lithuania)
– Lovisa Landström Ruhnau – vocals, cello (Germany / Sweden)
– Jakob Kulke – trumpet, euphonium, shofar (Switzerland)
– Davit Avetisyan – soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, duduk, blul (Lithuania / Armenia)
– Jonny Boston – tenor saxophone, clarinet, shofar, vocals (Netherlands / United Kingdom)
– Tadas Daujotas – vocals, shofars (Lithuania)
– Ofer Portugaly – piano (Israel)
– Bastiaan Johannes Lodewijk Gankema – piano (Netherlands)
– Emanuel Schmidt – guitar, baritone guitar (Switzerland)
– Chris Coulter – bass guitar (USA, Argentina, Italy)
– Iris Portugaly – percussion, vocals (Israel)

The concert program will feature jazz interpretations of Jewish music, as well as world premieres of works created especially for the Vilnius Shalom Festival:

Swiss composer Emanuel Schmidt's work "Rhapsody for the Bibas Family" will be dedicated to the memory of the Bibas family – to the memory of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, who were killed in the Gaza Strip, as well as to commemorate the story of survival and hope of Yarden Bibas, who was freed from Hamas captivity.

The event will also feature the first performance of Lithuanian composer Leonardas Pilkauskas' work "Jazz Suite in Memory of Martynas Kuzmickas", dedicated to the memory of Martynas Kuzmickas, an Israeli police officer born in Lithuania. He was killed on October 7, 2023, heroically defending the city of Sderot from the terrorist attack. The creation of this musical work was partly funded by the LATGA Association.

This concert will be not only the festival's climax, but also a musical gesture of solidarity, inviting us to remember innocent victims, honor heroes, and bear witness through music to humanity, hope and peace.

Tickets are distributed by – Bilietai.lt

The Vilnius Shalom Festival is the third international festival of Jewish music and culture, held in Vilnius, known as "the Jerusalem of the North". From September 13 to October 7, you can look forward to concerts of classical, jazz and klezmer music, the March of the Shofars, and educational events.

The project is funded by: the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Good Will Foundation, Vilnius City Municipality, the Israeli-Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of Israel in Lithuania, the Embassy of Germany in Lithuania, the Polish Institute in Vilnius, the Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Knygos.lt, Wix.com, Park Inn by Radisson Vilnius Airport, Asociacija LATGA and private sponsors.

Project partners: the Jewish (Litvak) Community of Lithuania, the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History, the Vilnius Jewish Public Library, Crescendo International.

Media partner: LRT Plius

Please note: photography and filming may take place during the events. Photos and video recordings taken may be used for the festival's promotional purposes, including publication in the media, on websites and on social networks.