The Night is Young. Bel Canto Choir Vilnius Presented a Cozy Concert in Collaboration with the Vocal Ensemble Duodeco!

On June 14, 2024, the charming St. Catherine’s Church in Vilnius resonated with the harmonious melodies of Duodeco and the Bel Canto Choir Vilnius. The musical program, sensitive and stylistically diverse, was enriched by Lina Dambrauskaitė (soprano) and the solo roles of the choir singers Justinas Stanevičius (vocals), Andrius Gailiūnas (acoustic guitar) and Mindaugas Rumšas (saxophone). The choir’s choirmaster, pianist Raminta Gocentienė, accompanied on the piano.

Photo Gallery

The Bel Canto Choir Vilnius and Duodeco’s program showcased a selection of pieces that have resonated with both the ensembles and their audiences. Groups presented works of globally acclaimed contemporary composers such as Eric Whitacre, Christopher Tin, Bob Chilcott, and Ēriks Ešenvalds, as well as Lithuanian composers Vytautas Miškinis and Donatas Zakaras.

A special highlight of the evening was the works of Grammy-winning American composer Christopher Tin, one of the world’s most famous concert and media music composers.

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius and Duodeco performed two movements from Tin’s latest large-scale work, “The Lost Birds.” With its strong social and environmental themes, this cinematic-style composition serves as a musical memorial to bird species driven to extinction by humankind. It’s a sweeping, elegiac tribute to the soaring flocks that once filled our skies but have since been silenced.

The ensembles also performed a vocal rendition of Christopher Tin’s renowned work, “Sogno di Volare.” Originally composed for the video game Civilization VI, this piece is a musical interpretation of Leonardo Da Vinci’s texts on flight. It symbolizes the spirit of discovery, both geographically in terms of exploring new lands and intellectually in the pursuit of science and new technologies.

Start of the Concert

Hear My Prayer
Moses Hogan

The Long Road
Ēriks Ešenvalds

The Saddest Noise
Christopher Tin

All That Could Never Be Said
Christopher Tin

Duodeco

Come To Me
Ivo Antognini

Beatus Vir
Lukasz Urbaniak

Cantate Domino
Vytautas Miškinis

Sleep
Eric Whitacre

Feller From Fortune
Bob Chilcott

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius

The Seal Lullaby
Eric Whitacre

Laiškai Sofijai
Donatas Zakaras

Neišeik, Saulala
Vytautas Miškinis

Fix You
Coldplay

This is My Song
Jean Sibelius, arr. Blake Morgan

In far-off Malta
Arnold Bax

Nyon Nyon
Jake Runestad

Finale

Sogno di Volare
Christopher Tin

Artists & Performers

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius (artistic director & conductor Milda Švelnienė)
Vocal Ensemble Duodeco (artistic director Povilas Vanžodis)
Lina Dambrauskaitė (soprano)
Raminta Gocentienė (piano)
The Bel Canto Choir Vilnius singers’ solo roles: Justinas Stanevičius (vocals), Andrius Gailiūnas (acoustic guitar), and Mindaugas Rumšas (saxophone).

Bel Canto Choir Vilnius’ artistic director Milda Švelnienė, choirmasters Raminta Gocentienė and Povilas Vanžodis, vocal coaches Eglė Stundžiaitė and Eimantas Bešėnas. Concert & choir producer Audrius Valatkevičius.