Jazz In The City

On the evening of October 24th, the Downtown Piano Lab stage will bring together the warm, emotional vocals of GAJA and the virtuosic piano playing of Vytautas Straižys. "Jazz in the City" is a vibrant and elegant jazz evening where music is not just performed, but born right there in front of the audience.

GAJA is one of the most talented jazz vocalists of the younger generation. Having studied jazz vocals at the Stasys Šimkus Conservatory in Klaipėda, the performer is distinguished by her warm vocal timbre, emotionality, and courage to improvise. She won 3rd place in the vocal category at the international young jazz performers festival-competition "Jazz Fontanas 2024" and later performed on one of the country's biggest jazz stages – the Klaipėda Castle Jazz Festival.

At the piano is pianist, singer, and founder of Downtown Piano Lab, Vytautas Straižys. A graduate of the M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, who earned his master's degree at the Royal Conservatory of the Netherlands and the CodArts Academy in Rotterdam, Vytautas combines the subtlety of classical harmony, the freedom of jazz, and exceptional musical sensitivity in his music. His concert programs resonate in both cozy club spaces and major Lithuanian concert halls.

Aistė and Vytautas have performed together before – their duo is distinguished by natural stage chemistry and the ability to respond sensitively to one another. Voice and piano become equal conversationalists here: one melody can sound fragile and intimate, another – free, rhythmic, and energetic.

The evening's program will blend colors of jazz, soul, and R&B, time-tested melodies, unexpected interpretations, and improvisations, making every live performance unique and unrepeatable.

This is a concert for those who long for real live music, a close connection with the performers, and an evening after which you don't want to rush home.

The Dainykla project is partially funded by the Vilnius City Municipality.