September 21 19:00 On the Cathedral Square a new social project - "Singing Lithuania" will take place. The unique project will invite Vilnius residents and guests of the city to gather together and sing together Lithuanian folk songs and traditional songs, thus expressing unity and pride in Lithuania. During the event, Laurita Peleniūtė, a member of the "Marga muzika" group and organizer of the "Promočių giesmės" project, and Vytenis Jankauskas, a member of the men's folklore group "Ugniavijas", will lead the songs.
"You don't need to know how to sing, you just need to dare and come, stand shoulder to shoulder. The strength of a nation lies not in professional singing, but in unity. Let's be proud of what we have today!" - inviting you to come and sing together, says the initiator of the project, famous Lithuanian folklore performer Laurita Peleniūtė. The artists came up with the idea of the project when they were faced with people's fear of singing, the lack of national confidence and as a challenge to the constantly heard statements that live song is dead in Lithuania. For more than a year, the performer, who has been leading the "Promočių giesmes" folk songs and contract performances every week, says that she sees a great desire of people to sing, which, unfortunately, is often accompanied by big complexes and self-doubt. In her opinion, this is a legacy of the times of occupation, when people were afraid to speak and sing in Lithuanian, and even though 26 years of freedom have passed, this legacy remains in our society. However, when people finally dare and know their voice, they change. "I have seen many wonderful transformations during the "Promočių giesmių" activities and contract trainings that I lead, and I believe in the power of song to liberate. I want this freedom and live singing to spread throughout Lithuania, I want everyone to know that the song is alive in Lithuania", says the performer.
True, a similar initiative organized by the artist last spring did not prove worthy of state support for the Lithuanian Council of Culture. Having not received support that time, the organizers of the project, however, decided not to stop and to implement this event on their own without asking for support from the authorities. "September 21 our goal is to show that citizenship and national self-awareness are not promoted by the support of state institutions or politicians, but by our own unity and desire to be together. The only support we need is the voices and hearts of the people who came to sing," says Laurita. The performer was also happy that Vytenis Jankauskas, a member of the men's folk group "Ugniavijas" will lead the songs with her during the event, because in her opinion, their duet will not only strengthen the feeling of unity, but, perhaps, encourage them to come to the event and sing more. men.
The organizers believe in the continuity of the project and intend not to stop. In the future "Singing Lithuania" events are planned in other cities as well, so that the live song spreads around Lithuania like a good virus, and the event would become a tradition.
