Lithuania Splendor: Lithuanian Musical Heritage Education Project with Historical Church Organs

About this project

<p>The project is an educational program about the Lithuanian musical heritage from the early 17th century, in a collaboration between Lithuanian early music ensemble Canto Fiorito and Norwegian early music ensemble Silva Norvegica. A pedagogical multi-media material will be created by the artistic director of the project and will be sent to the schools of 5 Lithuanian Towns (Kretinga, Adakavas, Telsiai, Varniai and Kartena), where local history and art teachers will work with the students. A Belgium organ master will come to Lithuania and restore (tuning and voicing) the historical organs of those towns, in order prepare them for the demonstrations and concerts. Workshops with the students will be performed in the churches with the organs, covering the content of the pedagogical material: historical organs, particularities of the local organs, relationship Vasa house/music, composers, HIP, acoustic and architectural needs of such organs. A historic organ master course will be performed by the Norwegian organ player of the project in Kretinga and Varniai for piano students. A pedagogical concert will be performed by Silva Norvegica and one singer from Canto Fiorito lead by the artistic director in the 5 towns, for the students in their school time. A final concert with both ensembles (4 instrument players from Silva Norvegica, 5 singers from Canto Fiorito and the artistic leader) will be performed in the 5 towns for the students in the school time. This concert will be repeated in the evening and will be opened to the whole community.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The institution "Nikolai Endresen Dahl" administers the Norwegian early music ensemble "Silva Norvegica". The project partner "Nikolai Endresen Dahl" together with the project manager VšĮ "Canto Fiorito" created the overall concept of the project and together with the project promoter was responsible for the preparation of two concert programs, for conducting organ master courses for piano students in Kretinga and Varniai, for publicizing the project in Norway, for the organization of ensemble "Silva Norvegica" members trips for the participation in the events and concerts in 5 different regional towns in Lithuania. The ensemble was chosen for creative collaboration with the Lithuanian ensemble "Canto Fiorito" because it perfectly fits the requirements and needs of implementing the common musical programs of the project. This combination of two vocal and instrumental ensembles was perfect for performing early 17th-century sacred music and bringing it closer to the regional communities in Lithuania. The partnership between the two ensembles can be called an interdisciplinary collaboration in order to create a unique high-level musical product for supporting access to the culture and strengthening cultural education.

Project partners

• Nikolai Endresen Dahl Donor project partner· Norway