The Night is Young: At the Edge of Summer with ISM Bel Canto Choir Vilnius & Friends
ISM Bel Canto Choir Vilnius opens the summer season in the intimate setting of St. Catherine’s Church in Vilnius. The concert brings together contemporary choral music and distinctive popular‑music interpretations, featuring special guests of the evening – jazz pianist Motiejus Bazaras and the IPA String Quartet. Solo parts will be performed by Agnė Bagdonavičienė, Justinas Stanevičius, other choir soloists, and the choir’s vocal coach Eglė Stundžiaitė.
Modern Choral Music and Unique Sonic Palette
The programme highlights works by some of the world’s most acclaimed contemporary composers, alongside original arrangements of popular music created especially for the choir by Blake Morgan – tenor of the British vocal ensemble VOCES8 and a distinguished songwriter. His interpretations bring fresh shades and detail to pieces such as the Scottish ballad Caledonia and the iconic You Raise Me Up. The evening will also feature compositions by Christopher Tin, Grammy Award–winning composer and one of today’s leading creators of video‑game and concert music.
Uncommon Baltic Sounds
The choir will present rarely performed works by Baltic composers, including Atsalums by Latvian composer Jēkabs Jančevskis – often described as “the heavy artillery of choral music” – and Sutartinė by Lithuanian composer Romualdas Gražinis, surprising listeners with rhythmics more reminiscent of techno than traditional choral writing.
The soundscape of the evening will be shaped not only by the choir but also by piano, strings, organ, and electronic textures. The audience will hear a special arrangement of Coldplay’s Fix You (arr. Evaldas Stulgaitis), as well as solo performances by guest artists Motiejus Bazaras and the IPA String Quartet.
Concert Programme
Štai Čia Šviesa
Deividas Edas Kukta
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Sarah Flower Adams, Eliza Flower
Caledonia
Dougie MacLean | arr. Blake Morgan
Atsalums
Jēkabs Jančevskis
Sutartinė
Romualdas Gražinis
Astronomy
Christopher Tin
Fix You
Coldplay | arr. Evaldas Stulgaitis
You Raise Me Up
Rolf Løvland, Brendan Graham | arr. Blake Morgan
The Circle of Life
Elton John | arr. André van der Merwe
Sogno di Volare
Christopher Tin
Tėvyne Mūsų
Vaclovas Augustinas
Performers & Creative Team
ISM Bel Canto Choir Vilnius (Artistic Director & Conductor – Milda Švelnienė).
Motiejus Bazaras – piano.
IPA String Quartet: Paulius Biveinis (violin), Kristina Morozova (violin), Monika Kiknadzė (viola), Tomas Ramančiūnas (cello).
Choir soloists: Agnė Bagdonavičienė, Justinas Stanevičius, Eglė Stundžiaitė (vocals), Evaldas Stulgaitis (electronics).
Concert Producer – Audrius Valatkevičius (ISM Bel Canto Choir Vilnius).
Sound – NGR (Sound Engineer: Žygimantas Vosylius).
Lighting – Delegatai (Lighting Designer & Operator: Povilas Varonenka, FadersUp.Live).