Piazzolla in Paris

On March 3, we invite you to travel to Paris through music! Three talented musicians will perform works by three magnificent composers.

Paris became a fateful turning point in Astor Piazzolla’s creative journey—here, studying under Nadia Boulanger, he discovered his unique musical signature. The sense of French harmony and polyphony became an inseparable part of “tango nuevo”.

Parisian modernism, the colors of impressionism, and the pulse of dance—this is the musical world of Maurice Ravel. This aesthetic environment became the inspiration for a new urban music, where French harmony merged with South American passion and ultimately, with Piazzolla’s help, transformed into “tango nuevo”.

Flutist, composer, and conductor Philippe Gaubert reflects the musical aesthetics of early 20th-century Paris. His work blends impressionist harmony with a lyrical approach to timbre—the very same French traditions that, through Nadia Boulanger, also reached the musical palette of Astor Piazzolla.

The members of “Duo FluPia“—flutist Vilmantė Kaziulytė and pianist Kristina Ivanauskaitė—are graduates of the Lithuanian school of music. Vilmantė studied at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre under Prof. Algirdas Vizgirda (graduating in 2015), and Kristina in the class of Prof. Aleksandra Žvirblytė (graduating in 2010). In 2019, Vilmantė Kaziulytė also completed her master’s studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, in the class of Prof. Baudoin Giaux.

The young performers have deepened their professionalism and broadened their horizons by participating in masterclasses with domestic and foreign pedagogues, as well as in international competitions and festivals in Lithuania and Western Europe.

The ensemble has prepared various thematic concert programs, released the CD “Duo FluPia” (2017), and published the sheet music edition “Lakštingala” (2021), featuring M. K. Čiurlionis’s preludes arranged by the ensemble. In 2023, the duo marked the tenth anniversary of their creative activity with the concert tour “Dešimtmečio mozaika”.

Cellist Domas Jakštas completed his master’s degrees in solo performance and pedagogy at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Prof. R. Armonas’s class), and completed an internship at the Prague University of Music (D. Veiss’s class). He has refined his skills in masterclasses in Austria, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, and Germany.

The musician is a laureate of the R. Katilius Soloist Competition, and a diploma recipient and laureate of the S. Vainiūnas Chamber Ensemble Competition. He performs with various chamber music ensembles in Lithuania and abroad. He is an active promoter not only of traditional repertoire but also of contemporary and new music: with the “Cello Club,” invited composers prepare new works specifically for the cello ensemble.

D. Jakštas also serves as the concertmaster of the cello section of the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, and is a teacher at the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art and a lecturer at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.