International Klaipėda Cello Festival

Magic always happens when maestro David Geringas and his students meet on stage. An anthem for music will be played during the spectacular opening concert of the International Klaipėda Cello Festival, when dialogues between the teacher and his students will merge into one. Jens Peter Maintz, an outstanding cello virtuoso, Jing Zhao, a Chinese artist of exceptional talent, and Kornelija Kupšytė, one of the brightest cello players in Klaipėda, will embark on a musical exploration with the maestro.

Is it possible to outperform a genius and become better than the teacher? We will seek the answer to this eternal question in this unique musical dialogue.

The opening concert of the International Klaipėda Cello Festival is centred on the Teacher and his students. According to Mindaugas Bačkus, the artistic director of the festival, ‘in the world of music, it is very important to have a teacher, not only an authority, but also a person who helps you to follow the path of creativity, who inspires you to improve, to keep going’.

Tonight’s Teacher is one of the world’s foremost cello pedagogues, David Geringas. In this concert, he will share the stage with his former students: Jens Peter Maintz, one of the most prominent cello virtuosos and teachers in Europe; Jing Zhao, an exceptionally talented cello virtuoso of Chinese origin, and Kornelija Kupšytė, the most outstanding cellist of the younger generation of Klaipėda cellists. Kornelija Kupšytė has had the opportunity to take part in Professor David Geringas’ lessons since she was a child. She will perform a work that has given a special impetus to her professional development: Ottorino Respighi’s Adagio con variazioni.

The programme features opuses by two composers whose anniversaries are celebrated in 2025. One of them is Anatolijus Šenderovas’s Con amore – Adagio from the ballet Desdemona, which will be performed by maestro David Geringas. In 2025, the composer Anatolijus Šenderovas would have turned 80. The other piece is The Muse and the Poet, a piece for violin, cello and orchestra by Camille Saint-Saëns. 2025 marks the 190th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The programme will conclude with the moving Requiem for three cellos and orchestra by the renowned Czech cellist and composer David Popper.

The programme will be performed under the baton of two conductors: Professor David Geringas and the orchestra’s chief conductor Tomas Ambrozaitis.

*The ticket price includes a 1.40 EUR service fee from the Kakava.lt system. This fee is not subject to any discounts.

The event may be photographed and filmed. Photos and videos will be used on Klaipėda Concert Hall’s social media pages and other communication channels. By attending the event, you confirm that you are aware of and agree to the use of non-identifying video material for the promotion of the event. If you wish to have any photo featuring your image removed, please contact gidone.vaitkuviene@koncertusale.lt or +370 650 17 988.

• • 10% – for groups (20 or more people);

• • 25% – for individuals holding a Klaipėda card or the Klaipėda district resident card "Atviri horizontai" (excluding educational programs). The discount applies to one ticket. Upon arrival at the event, it is necessary to present a valid Klaipėda card or "Atviri horizontai" card along with an identity document to the ticket controller. Tickets with a discount can be purchased on the Kakava.lt system only the day after creating the Klaipėda card / "Atviri horizontai" card account. Discounts do not apply to educational programs in the repertoire and events organized by commercial organizers.

• • 50% – for preschool children (for educational programs), students, schoolchildren, and individuals who have reached retirement age, upon presenting a valid document proving this.

• • 100% – for individuals with disabilities, upon presenting a valid document proving this; for an assigned assistant accompanying a person with disabilities. A €1.40 ticket distributor system service fee applies to tickets. This fee is not subject to a discount.

• • 100% – for students of Klaipėda art schools (Klaipėda Stasys Šimkus Conservatory, Klaipėda Juozas Karosas Music School, Klaipėda Eduardas Balsys Art Gymnasium, Klaipėda Jeronimas Kačinskas Music School, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre Klaipėda Faculty, Klaipėda Adomas Brakas Art School, Klaipėda Vydūnas Gymnasium), upon presenting a valid document proving this. A €1.40 ticket distributor system service fee applies to tickets. This fee is not subject to a discount. Tickets can only be purchased at the Klaipėda Concert Hall box office.

• • Discounts do not apply to the KAKAVA LT service fee (€1.40).