On July 19, the Pažaislis Music Festival invites everyone who wishes to explore or rediscover early music to an exceptionally heartfelt concert “Night, Birds, and Baroque,” featuring Swiss-based singer Emilė Ribokaitė (soprano) and the chamber ensemble “AR’s Musica.” The program prepared by the performers will transport listeners through the most wonderful pages of early music, opening a path in their souls to the works of Arcangelo Corelli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, and other composers of that era.

The ensemble “AR’s Musica” has been active for eight years. Its musicians play in Lithuania’s most renowned orchestras and various chamber ensembles. They are members of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre Orchestra, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles. The ensemble’s musicians are outstanding professionals with a wonderful sense of ensemble playing. The ensemble features violinists Linas Valickas, Irma Bakševičienė, Artūras Šilalė, Dalia Suraučiūtė-Gotoveckienė, Vilija Vitkutė-Pranskienė, and Marija Pranskutė; violists Žilvinas Švelnys, Ričardas Vytas, cellist Deividas Dumčius, double bassist Arūnas Kučinskas, flutist Andrius Radziukynas, harpsichordist Vaiva Eidukaitytė-Storastienė, and others.

E. Ribokaitė, a soprano with a graceful voice, combines a passion for vocal expression with depth of interpretation and a wealth of knowledge, captivating listeners with the clarity and authenticity of her voice. Her love for early music is fueled by her playfulness and her ability to use her voice as an instrument, as part of a whole. Born in Lithuania, the artist earned a bachelor’s degree in classical singing and music education, and later completed her bachelor’s and master’s studies in early music at the renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. She also studied conducting and piano. After winning the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci competition three years ago, she has been performing throughout Europe, participating in early opera productions, concerts, and interdisciplinary projects. Speaking about her passion for early music, the singer says: “I believe that early music is closer to the human essence; it is found with the heart. There is a great deal of sincerity in it. We humans have an unquenchable need to create, but it seems to me that in the process of creating, we sometimes stray from our essence. Perhaps that is why early music speaks to me as if directly to the soul.”

The concert is organized in collaboration with the Kaunas State Philharmonic