“DANCING HARPS” | AISTĖ BALIUNYTĖ AND GIEDRA JULIJA TUTKUTĖ

From the traditions of European classical music to the fiery rhythms of Latin America, the colourful programme will reveal the remarkable possibilities of two harps, combining elegance of sound with vibrant and captivating performance.

The concert will feature Ottorino Respighi’s delicate Siciliana, rhythmically engaging works by Luigi Boccherini and Isaac Albéniz, and the passionate dances of Enrique Granados and Astor Piazzolla. Music by Alfred Holy and Ignacy Jan Paderewski will lend an additional touch of elegance to the programme. A special place is reserved for the music of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, transporting listeners to the refined atmosphere of the salon era.

Performing together since 2023, the duo is dedicated to cultivating the rare genre of the harp duo. They expand the boundaries of the instrument, create their own distinctive arrangements and reveal to audiences the unexpected richness and variety of colours offered by this instrumental combination.

A B O U T   T H E   P E R F O R M E R S:

Aistė Baliunytė is a former student of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, where she now teaches herself. She is Principal Harp of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre Orchestra and regularly collaborates with other Lithuanian and international orchestras. Aistė spent eight years studying in Paris and graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris in the class of Prof. I. Moretti. She is a winner and prizewinner of numerous international competitions.

Despite her young age, Giedra Julija Tutkutė, a graduate of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, has already established herself as an outstanding professional. A scholarship recipient of the Mstislav Rostropovich Charity and Support Foundation Help for Lithuanian Children, she has participated in seven international harp competitions over the past few years alone, winning first prize in every one of them.

Giedra Julija is also a gifted composer. For several years, her chamber works have won first prizes in national competitions for young composers organised by the Lithuanian Composers’ Union, as well as at an international composition competition in Kazakhstan. Her music has also been performed in many other European countries. While still a school student, she was twice awarded the Little St Christopher statuette and received a letter of appreciation from the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė.