On July 25, the piano trio “FortVio”—featuring pianist Indrė Baikštytė, violinist Ingrida Rupaitė, and cellist Povilas Jacunskas—will perform at the Old Zapyškis Church. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the ensemble was formed in 2006. The group marked the beginning of its career not only with resounding successes at international chamber music competitions but also with successful debuts at various international festivals (from the Thomas Mann Festival in Nida to festivals in Austria, Portugal, Germany, and elsewhere), and by winning the “Golden Disc” award in 2009. In 2012, the trio became an active member of the ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy) (only two Lithuanian ensembles have achieved this status to date), In 2013, they won the “Grand Prix” at a competition in Warsaw, and in 2015, “FortVio” received the Lithuanian Government’s Culture and Arts Award. Over time, “FortVio” has established itself as one of the most professional chamber music ensembles in Lithuania, performing regularly in concert halls as well as with chamber and symphony orchestras. One of the most memorable recent projects was the LRT-filmed program “Vilnius 700th Anniversary.”

FortVio tirelessly promotes the chamber music of Lithuanian composers, so the program for this festive concert will feature Lithuanian works.
The program will open with Vidmantas Bartulis’s piece “I Like Haydn,” paying tribute to the composer who lived in Kaunas and his wonderful creative partnership with the Pažaislis Festival. In memory of composer Faustas Latėnas, who would have celebrated his 70th birthday this year, the piano trio “A Glance Through the Eighth-Floor Window” will be performed.The program dedicated to FortVio’s 20th anniversary will be based on Rebecca Clarke’s (1886–1979) Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1921). While the works of this British composer from the first half of the 20th century are rapidly gaining recognition worldwide, they remain largely unknown in Lithuania. The trio is a technically complex and emotionally compelling piece.

So let’s set off on a musical journey led by “FortVio,” which has been traveling with us for 20 years!

The concert is organized in collaboration with the Kaunas State Philharmonic