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ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS
Founded by its artistic director and chief conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra debuted in 1989. The orchestra‘s activities began during the years of the national revival of the late 1980s and have evolved in parallel with the history of the re-established independence of Lithuania. It is thus no coincidence that its first name was the Youth Symphony Orchestra: a young state, young musicians, a young conductor, and great hopes for the future. Although three years later the orchestra was conferred the prestigious title of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the musicians and their artistic director have been faithful to their youthful traditions.
30 January 1989 – the very first concert of the orchestra at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre – is still alive in the memories of several generations of music lovers. The theatre with a seating capacity of a thousand seats could not accommodate all those who wished to be there, and ingenious students sneaked into the theatre through the restroom window. An orchestra of young and student musicians, and their conductor, Gintaras Rinkevičius, who was also just twenty-eight years old... The opening sounds of the symphonic poem Miške (In the Forest) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the expressive gestures and astounding energy of the young conductor mesmerized the audience and made the music sound somewhat different and vibrant. The breath-taking sparkling forte, the subtle and sentimental lyricism, and outbursts of emotion – it was so unusual, bold, and strong… Everyone in the audience realised they were witnesses to a historic evening. It was a time of courage and resolve.
Gintaras Rinkevičius and his orchestra became one of the symbols of the young state and of the renewal of its agitated society. The programmes of the orchestra were like repertoire explosions in the musical life of the capital. The ambitious conductor introduced the Lithuanian public to then unheard-of monumental works: Wagner’s Parsifal, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Honegger’s Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake), Walton‘s Belshazzar's Feast, and Mahler’s complete symphonies. In 2019, G. Rinkevičius, together with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, embarked on a new ambitious project – performing the complete symphonies of A. Bruckner and D. Shostakovich over several years and releasing recordings of these works.
For its first ten years in existence the orchestra led a student-like life: with no roof over its head it would perform at different venues, yet the loyal audience would follow it everywhere. At last, in 1999, Rinkevičius’s determined efforts yielded results and the orchestra acquired its home, the Congress Hall in Vilnius. Although the original purpose of the building had nothing to do with music, concert goers came to love the new musical space. Youth, novelty, freshness, and the conductor’s charisma attracted the interest of a wider audience, and today one can see a great number of young couples, students, businesspeople, and teenagers here. The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra has become trendy. This is also thanks to the orchestra’s repertoire, which, alongside classical music, features the music of such rock bands as the Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, and Pink Floyd. In 2024, another historic milestone took place in the life of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra – the reopening of its concert hall (formerly the Vilnius Congress Hall) following a major renovation. Designed specifically for symphonic music and meeting the highest international standards, the hall is now one of the largest and most modern concert venues in Lithuania and the Baltic States. This enables the orchestra to undertake even more ambitious musical projects and to host world-class classical music artists.
A significant aspect of the orchestra’s activity is its involvement in staged opera productions, initiated by director Dalia Ibelhauptaitė, who brought together an informal group known as the “Bohemians,” now officially established as the “Vilnius City Opera” company. In collaboration with Vilnius City Opera, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra has presented Lithuanian audiences with a remarkable array of the world’s most celebrated operas: R. Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (2003), G. Puccini’s La Bohème (2006), W. A. Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2007), J. Massenet’s Werther (2008), S. Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2009), P. Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (2011), L. Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová (2011), G. Puccini’s Manon Lescaut (2012), W. A. Mozart’s Così fan tutte (2013), G. Verdi’s Il Trovatore (2014), G. Puccini’s Tosca (2016), C. Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande (2016), Ch. Gounod’s Faust (2017), C. Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah (2017), P. Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades (2019), R. Strauss’ Salome (2024), and G. Verdi’s Macbeth (2025). In 2017, a significant milestone was the premiere of L. Vilkončius’ rock opera Eglė – the first production of this work, which attracted exceptional attention. With its archaic symbolism and philosophical themes, the rock opera was also selected for the opening event of the Lithuanian Song Festival celebrating the country’s centenary on July 1, 2018. In 2024, audiences were introduced to L. Vilkončius’ latest opera, The Creation of the World. In 2026, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra embarked on another ambitious project – a cycle of Richard Wagner’s late operas. The first performance featured Wagner’s Lohengrin, with Parsifal scheduled for 2027.
Every year the orchestra has concert tours in European countries. It has played under the baton of such outstanding conductors as Nikolai Alekseyev, Young-Min Park, Tarmo Peltokoski, Brian Schembri, Martynas Staškus, Modestas Pitrėnas, Julius Geniušas, Martinš Ozolinš, Fabrice Grégorutti, Charles Olivieri-Munroe, and Marc Tardue. The orchestra has performed with a multitude of famous musicians: pianists Petras and Lukas Geniušas, Nikolai Petrov, Nikolai Lugansky, Alexander Paley, Ekaterina Mechetina, Gintaras Januševičius, Andrius Žlabys, Katia Skanavi; violinists Gidon Kremer, Liana Isakadze, Akiko Suwanai, Alena Baeva, Dalia Kuznecovaitė, Sergei Malov, and Vadim Repin; cellists David Geringas, Mischa Maisky, Gautier Capuçon, Alexander Knyazev, Sergei Antonov, Vytautas Sondeckis, and Denis Shapovalov; the trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov, singers Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli, Violeta Urmana, Mikhail Kazakov, Sergei Larin, Irena Milkevičiūtė, Vladimiras Prudnikovas, Asmik Grigorian, Edgaras Montvidas, and other prominent Lithuanian singers of different generations. The orchestra has performed with the Moscow Trio, the Kaunas State Choir, the state choir “Latvia” and many other Lithuanian and foreign performers of classical, popular, and rock music.
The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra pays considerable attention to its educational mission of acquainting the listener with professional music art of the highest calibre, and of contributing to the spread of musical ideas. Every year it builds up a wide-ranging repertoire, introduces exceptional programmes, and invites young talent to perform along with outstanding and recognized soloists. The orchestra also delights audiences of all ages with special programs for children, featuring collaborations with soloists and theater actors alongside the orchestra.
Jūratė Katinaitė
