LNSO, international competition winners Javier Comesaña Barrera and Samuel Lee

Performers: Lithuanian national symphony orchestra (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Modestas Pitrėnas) Soloist JAVIER COMESAÑA BARRERA (violin, Spain) Conductor and soloist SAMUEL LEE (viola, South Korea)

Program: MAX BRUCH – Romance for Viola and Orchestra, Op. 85, F major OTTORINO RESPIGHI – Concerto gregoriano for Violin and Orchestra, P. 135 FELIX MENDELSSOHN – Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation"), Op. 107, D minor

The concert brings together winners of international competitions and young talented musicians: Javier Comesaña Barrera, laureate of the Jascha Heifetz Competition in Vilnius, the Joseph Joachim Competition in Hanover, and other competitions, as well as the "Prinz von Hessen-Preis" awarded by the Kronberg Academy, alongside Samuel Lee, winner of the prestigious Malko Conducting Competition, among other achievements.

Born in Seville and already familiar to the Vilnius audience, J. Comesaña Barrera has performed as a soloist with orchestras from various countries (Barcelona, Seville, Hanover, Poznań, Milan, Mantua, Bern, Stuttgart, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, and others) under the baton of Pablo González, Vasily Petrenko, Andrew Manze, David Afkham, Modestas Barkauskas, Modestas Pitrėnas, and others. The violinist also plays in various chamber ensembles and has performed with renowned musicians such as István Várdai, Tabea Zimmermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Martin Helmchen, and Lukas Geniušas. C. Barrera plays a Claude Pierray violin made in Paris around 1720.

Having won the prestigious Malko Competition among other accolades, the young maestro S. Lee has collaborated with a couple of dozen of the world's most prominent orchestras and served as the Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (USA) during the 2024–2025 season. The conductor's wide range is reflected in his passion for contemporary music; he has also participated in the Italian Opera Academy in Tokyo led by Riccardo Muti, where he conducted G. Verdi's opera "Rigoletto." Interestingly, S. Lee began his musical path and studies as an excellent violist, performing as a soloist with orchestras in Germany, South Korea, and elsewhere, and playing in the Novus String Quartet. Thus, in this concert, he will appear not only as a conductor but also as a soloist, playing and conducting Max Bruch's "Romance" for viola and orchestra, a work of extraordinary beauty known as a global pearl of the viola repertoire.