In the Gardens of Romanticism: The Mendelssohns and Wolf. Vilnius String Quartet, Kaja and Klėja Kašubaitė

Performers: State vilnius quartet KAJA and KLĖJA KAŠUBAITĖ (piano duo)

Program: HUGO WOLF – "Italian Serenade" for string quartet FANNY MENDELSSOHN-HENSEL – String Quartet in E-flat major FELIX MENDELSSOHN – String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 (arranged by Carlo Burchard for string quartet and piano four hands)

A new generation ensemble, the State Vilnius Quartet, successfully combines deep traditions with a modern approach to the classical repertoire, earning recognition for its interpretive maturity, technical precision, and exceptional energy of sound. The quartet performs with the most prominent artists as well as young talents. In this concert, musical families and generations meet symbolically. Alongside the melodic Serenade by the master of songs Hugo Wolf and the Octet by the eminent romantic Felix Mendelssohn, the concert will feature a string quartet by his sister, also a composer, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. Having lived in her brother's shadow, she mostly showcased her work at Sunday musical concerts, which were attended by such figures as Franz Liszt and Clara Schumann. Only later did the composer receive wider recognition.

The Octet in E-flat major by the composer's famous brother, F. Mendelssohn, arranged by Carlo Burchard for string quartet and piano four hands, will be performed with the Vilnius Quartet by the young generation piano duo, sisters Kaja and Klėja Kašubaitė. The talented musicians are the youngest Lithuanians to have debuted in the world's most famous halls: the Berlin Philharmonic, Konzerthaus, New York's Carnegie Hall, the Hamburg Philharmonic, and have played at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Old Town Hall in Brussels, the Philharmonic halls of Kyiv, Kaunas, Vilnius, and elsewhere. Since 2022, they have lived in Berlin, where they study as young students at the Berlin University of the Arts, and also study at the International Music Academy and the Youth Chamber Music Academy. The pianists have won titles as laureates of international competitions in solo and piano duo categories (over 100 first places and 28 Grand Prix). For five years, Klėja was a scholarship holder of the M. Rostropovich Foundation; since 2023, Kaja and Klėja have been scholarship holders of the Yehudi Menuhin Association "Live Music Now," and since 2024, of the German foundation "Musikleben." In 2025, they were young residents of Weissenbrunn Palace in Germany, and in 2026, they were laureates of the international "Mein Geld Medien" project "Jeunesse musicale européenne." For their excellent achievements and for promoting Vilnius, Kaja and Klėja were awarded the "Little Christopher" by the Vilnius City Municipality.