“Ideal Hope: Between War and Peace”

On June 5, we invite you to the concert “Ideal Hope: Between War and Peace,” presented by tenor Donato Ravini and pianist Lina Giedraitytė.

Every soul is a traveler in search of itself. This concert by Donato Ravini is an intimate journey through the landscapes of the soul: from the passionate streets of Naples and mysterious Roman nights to the nostalgic horizons of Buenos Aires and the sacred silence of the Baltic forests. The program “Ideal Hope: Between War and Peace” speaks not of geopolitical conflicts, but of the invisible battles within each of us: the pain of losing a loved one, the burden of exile, and the call of our origins. Through the timeless melodies of Francesco Paolo Tosti, the heartfelt passion of Neapolitan classics, and the deep longing of Carlos Gardel’s tango, music becomes an extraordinary inner instrument. In life’s darkest moments, a love song—such as “Volvér” or “Santa Lucia Luntana”—becomes a saving hand, protecting us from spiritual drowning.

This concert seeks to be a bridge of light, connecting the sun of Southern Europe with the spirit and lands of Northern Europe. It is a declaration that, despite wars and conflicts, Beauty, Love, and Hope play an essential role in the destinies of humanity.

Tenor Donato Ravini has been performing in Lithuania since 2014. As a tenor and artistic director, he participates in performances with various renowned artists, prepares classical shows with pianists and orchestras, and creates classical performances and concerts that garner enthusiastic acclaim from audiences and the press.

The world of music and art was opened to the tenor by his school teachers, the Salesian monks. At school, he began singing in the choir, visited important Italian museums and art exhibitions with classmates, and realized for the rest of his life that the beauty of art is profoundly important to the human soul and the world.

D. Ravini has been interested in music since childhood, learning to read sheet music, sing as a soloist in a choir, and perform as an orchestral instrumentalist with the Salesian monks. In his teens, he sang the works of the most famous Italian singers—both accompanying himself on the guitar and performing with other young musicians.

Later, the tenor encountered opera music. After various studies and many classical music experiences, his curiosity and love for knowledge and art led him to Maestro Lino Puglisi, a famous Italian opera baritone and film actor, who imparted his knowledge of “bel canto” and stagecraft to the young tenor.

D. Ravini is also interested in cinema. He graduated with a degree in directing from the Rome University of Cinema, later specializing under renowned film and theater figures: Dario Fo (Nobel laureate in literature, a brilliant playwright and actor), Silvano Agosti (writer, director, poet), Paolo Benvenuti, Federica Pontremoli, and others… D. Ravini has worked on documentary and fiction short films both as an author and as an actor. These films have resonated at international festivals in Italy and abroad.

D. Ravini has performed tenor parts and leading roles in several famous Italian operas: La Traviata (Alfredo), La Boheme (Rodolfo), L‘Elisir d‘amore (Nemorino), Rigoletto (Duca di Mantova), Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton), Tosca (Cavaradossi), and others. Under the direction of Maestro Lino Puglisi, the distinguished baritone and actor, D. Ravini has recorded several studio CDs. He has created, written, and performed classical works, recitals, and concerts for audiences in Lithuania, Latvia, and Italy. On Lithuanian stages, he contributes to performances as a tenor, author, and artistic director, and has performed with many renowned conductors and opera singers. Some of these works have been and continue to be performed in Italy, Rome, Naples, and elsewhere.

When asked how classical music affects listeners and what energy it radiates, tenor Donato Ravini replied that “art is beauty, and beauty touches and heals people’s souls. Music is the direct language of art, which, much like other arts, but perhaps even more so, has the power to bring us closer to ourselves and our spiritual nature, reaching our subconscious without intermediaries. Therefore, Music is wonderful food for the soul, one of the most important things in human daily life.”

Today, Italian tenor Donato Ravini continues his artistic activities by organizing performances and concerts in Italy, Lithuania, and other countries, appearing as a performer, author, and artistic director alongside various orchestras, conductors, and musicians.

Lina Giedraitytė is a long-time stage partner of Maestro Virgilijus Noreika, having accompanied him in dozens of concerts at the most prominent halls in Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Great Britain, and beyond, over eighteen years of collaboration on stage. The pianist also performs with many other singers and instrumentalists, and has played with the National Symphony Orchestra. She is a pianist at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, as well as a concertmaster-assistant at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. Lina Giedraitytė collaborates with Vilnius City Opera.