ABOUT INSTITUTION
CONCERT INSTITUTION “KAUNO SANTAKA”
KAUNAS WIND ORCHESTRA “AZUOLYNAS”
Kaunas city occupational brass band was founded in 1961. Founder of the band and its first bandleader – Ceslovas Sidlauskas. In 1973 the brass band was given the name “Azuolynas”. In 1979 on the initiative of the bandleader at that time Juozas Kuciauskas. In 2012 “Azuolynas” became a part of concert institution “Kauno santaka”. Girls choreographic group was founded alongside the band. Currently the band is leaded by Giedrius Vaznys.
MUSIC ENSEMBLE “AINIAI”
Music ensemble “Ainiai” was founded in 1991, on the initiative of musician Jonas Urbonas and actor Petras Venclova. For about a year the ensemble functioned as an amateur group, and in 1992 it became a legal person. In 2012 “Ainiai” became a part of concert institution “Kauno santaka”. “Ainiai” is the first professional ensemble in Lithuania, which has a legal status of budgetary institution. Although its composition changed several times, only professional musicians and soloists who have acquired the higher music education play at the ensemble. Since 1992 the ensemble has toured in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, England, Poland, France, Norway, USA, Canada, Sweden, Belgium, China, South Korea, etc. Since the very start of its activities, besides concerts for adults the ensemble has been engaging in educative activities, introducing the young music admirers with the headwaters of traditional Lithuanian music. The ensemble is composed of seven professional musicians and three professional singers. During the concerts music is played by more than 20 different Lithuanian instruments: reed-pipes, Baltic psalteries, horns, goat horns, panpipes, daudytes (embouchure aerophones), percussion, wooden bells, lumzdelis (Lithuanian wind instrument), clay pipes, bell sticks, pliauska and others. These instruments are used to perform not only Lithuanian folk songs and dances, but also original pieces created by various composers.
KAUNAS BIG BAND
Kaunas Bigband is a municipal Kaunas city jazz orchestra, which was founded in late 1991 by the pianist Romualdas Grabstas. In 2012 Kaunas Bigbend became a part of concert institution “Kauno santaka”. The band is an active participant of the Lithuanian musical life. Kaunas Bigband participates in all jazz festivals held in Lithuania, and presents its listeners yet new and original programmes. The best Lithuanian jazz instrumentalists and vocalists as well as guests from foreign countries are willing to cooperate with Kaunas Bigband. The orchestra also represents jazz culture outside Lithuania – in Finland, Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Poland, Latvia, Belarus. Kaunas Bigband is characterised by a wide scale of styles – from jazz classics to modern jazz compositions. A strong role in the creative biography of the band belongs to projects with world famous jazz creators and performers – Roger Pontare (Sweden), Jukka Linkola, Eero Koivistoinen (Finland), Barbara Dennerlein (Germany), Daniel Messina (Argentina), Frank Mantooth, Randy Brecker, Jiggs Whigham (USA), Arkady Shilkloper (Russia), etc. During the past few years Kaunas Bigband has performed in concerts with world famous jazz performers – Lasse Lindgren (Findalnd), Igor Butman (Russia), Bob Mintzer (USA), and implemented highly popular projects “Frank Sinatra Show” and “Only Girls are Allowed in Jazz ”.