Music
Concert of the 2026 international chamber music festival "droga dō" ("the path of dō")
About this event
Performers:
ANIA KARPOWICZ (flute, festival artistic director) NARUHIKO KAWAGUCHI (piano) ALICJA KIERUZALSKA (bassoon) ŁUKASZ ŁACNY (French horn)
Composer-in-residence – ALEKSANDRA KACA
Visuals: ALEKSANDRA OŁDAK, TOMOKI YAMAZAKI
The international chamber music festival "Droga Dō" ("The Dō Way") unites Poland, Lithuania, and Japan through music and fosters historical memory.
"Dō" means "way" in Japanese, and in many languages, it is associated with the first note of a musical scale. Therefore, the festival's name contains a play on words – "droga dō," which also means "musical way." The festival is dedicated to the memory of the refugees, mostly of Jewish origin from Poland and Lithuania, who traveled through Poland and Lithuania all the way to Japan during World War II. The festival gives meaning to history and reminds us how people were saved from Nazi persecution thanks to the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara.
More about the festival at www.droga-do.org.
On September 19, the Kaunas State Philharmonic will host a concert featuring works by Japanese composers Toru Takemitsu, Dai Fujikura, and Kishio Hirao, as well as opuses by Jewish-origin Polish and Lithuanian creators – Mieczysław Weinberg, Władysław Szpilman, Aleksander Tansman, Alexander Veprik, and Joseph Achron, all reflecting on the theme of memory. The concert will also feature the premiere of a new work for flute, bassoon, French horn, and piano by the festival's composer-in-residence, Aleksandra Kaca.
Composer A. Kaca is a contemporary music creator of the younger generation, actively combining academic composition with electronic and pop music. In her work, she focuses primarily on timbre, choosing unusual instrument combinations.
More about the composer: https://szalonednimuzyki.pl/artysta/aleksandra-kaca.
The creation of A. Kaca's work is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund under the "Composing Commissions" program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.
More about the composer: https://szalonednimuzyki.pl/artysta/aleksandra-kaca.
"Droga dō" festival creative team: Author of concept and program texts, artistic director Ania Karpowicz Coordinator Alicja Kieruzalska Historical consultant Zofia Hartman Visual identity and design creator Tomoki Yamazaki
