“Neojiba” in kaunas!

Performers: NEOJIBA ORCHESTRA (Brazil) Artistic Director and Conductor Riccardo Castro

Soloist

GUIDO SANT‘ANNA (violin, Brazil) Conductor RICCARDO CASTRO (Brazil)

Kaunas State Philharmonic will present an extraordinary surprise to its listeners – a concert by the youth orchestra from sunny Brazil, NEOJIBA. Joyful, unique, passionate, and inspiring, NEOJIBA is an extraordinary ensemble formed of musicians from the state of Bahia, playing at the highest level.

In 2027, celebrating its 20th anniversary, the orchestra is organizing a concert tour in Europe and will perform in Kaunas.

The list of achievements of the NEOJIBA orchestra is adorned with numerous successful tours of prestigious concert halls and performances with world-class pianists such as Martha Argerich and Maria João Pires.

In Kaunas, the orchestra, conducted by its director RICCARDO CASTRO – the only Latin American pianist to have won the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in the United Kingdom – will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the composer's death, and music by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, who was born 140 years ago. Alongside these, there will be the world premiere of “Carnival,” a piece by former orchestra musician and 1st prize winner of the Geneva International Composition Competition, Caio de Azevedo. This work perfectly reflects the mission of NEOJIBA – to nurture a young generation of musicians and contribute to the creation of new repertoire.

The concert soloist is the Brazilian GUIDO SANT‘ANNA, considered one of the most promising violinists of the young generation of the 21st century. He gained international recognition in 2022, becoming the first South American violinist to win the prestigious Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition in Vienna. For his exceptional artistic achievements, G. Sant’Anna was included in the “30 under 30” list by Forbes Brasil, which presents the brightest young talents. G. Sant’Anna plays a violin made in 1874 by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, loaned to him by the renowned master Marcel Richters.

The evening will be crowned by H. Villa-Lobos’s work “Chôros No. 6” – an impressive masterpiece of Brazilian symphonic music that will highlight the richness and originality of this country’s musical heritage and beautifully commemorate the twentieth anniversary of NEOJIBA.