The final month of summer at Paliesius Manor will be beautifully vibrant—a total of eight concerts awaits. Singer Rūta Ščiogolevaitė and pianist Paulius Zdanavičius will open the month with an evening steeped in cozy jazz. On the second Saturday of August, the Pēteris Vasks Quartet—a special project bringing together four magnificent Latvian musicians—will perform modern and contemporary classical works, while on Sunday, pianist Viktoras Paukštelis and Vladimiras Tarasovas will present their new collaborative project. On the third weekend, renowned French pianist Jean-Marc Luisada will play fantasies and nocturnes, while the fourth weekend will feature Nordic jazz legend Lars Danielsson with an exceptional solo program. The month will conclude with an abundance of music—three concerts in a single day—as we host the eighth Alexander Paley music marathon, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
August 1, 4:00 PM | Rūta Ščiogolevaitė | Jazz Ballads at Paliesius
August 8, 4:00 PM | Pēteris Vasks – 80
The Pēteris Vasks Quartet arrives—a special project formed for the composer’s 80th birthday in 2026, bringing together four outstanding Latvian musicians who perform across Latvia and throughout Europe. Violinist Magdalēna Geka is a laureate of the Parkhouse Award in London, the International Johannes Marschner Competition in Germany, as well as the Pro Musicis and Académie des Beaux-Arts awards in Paris. Kristaps Bergs is not only an active concert performer but also a deeply inquiring musician who has led the cello sections of the Oslo Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic, collaborating extensively with contemporary composers. Egīls Šēfers is one of Latvia’s best-known clarinetists, a soloist who renders even the most complex passages with incredible ease, renowned for his high technical mastery and meticulous artistry. Pianist Iveta Calite is a dedicated chamber music performer and soloist who has graced stages in numerous countries and recorded several albums.
Their concert at Paliesius Manor will feature Olivier Messiaen’s “Quatuor pour la fin du temps”, an eight-movement masterpiece of 20th-century chamber music, which inspired P. Vasks’s piano trio “Episodi e Canto Perpetuo”, also on the program, alongside Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres”.
August 9, 5:00 PM | Reminiscence of Chopin
Viktoras Paukštelis and Vladimiras Tarasovas return to Paliesius Manor with a new collaborative project. Previously, the duo deconstructed the Baroque era; in this new program, the music of Chopin awaits. The manor’s antique instruments—the organ and harpsichord—will also resonate.
Vladimiras Tarasovas is a world-renowned drummer, inventive percussionist, composer, and visual artist. He masters a multitude of musical styles, yet his primary passions remain free jazz and improvisational music. Together with the GTČ trio, V. Tarasovas laid the foundations of the Lithuanian jazz school, played with global luminaries of improvisational music, and was one of the first in Europe to perform solo percussion programs. Pianist Viktoras Paukštelis has graced such prestigious stages as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein, and the Berlin Philharmonie, participating in countless international festivals. He has released four albums featuring the works of J. S. Bach, C. Franck, R. Schumann, and other composers.
August 15, 4:00 PM | Jean-Marc Luisada. Fantasies and Nocturnes (Piano, France)
World-renowned French pianist Jean-Marc Luisada will perform—this time, inviting listeners into a realm of fantasies and nocturnes. Works by Joseph Haydn, Frédéric Chopin, and Gabriel Fauré will resound, revealing the diversity and beauty of the fantasy and nocturne genres.
In 1985, Jean-Marc Luisada won the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and is now recognized globally as one of the finest and most captivating interpreters of F. Chopin. He considers himself a man of the 19th century, often emphasizing his deep love for the past that slumbers within music. The pianist is celebrated as a poet of the piano, distinguished by exceptional grace and unexpected interpretations. He collaborates with renowned European orchestras conducted by masters of the baton such as Ch. Dutoit, A. Fischer, and M. Plasson. His career is accompanied by worldwide tours, albums released with prestigious record labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and RCA Red Seal, and honors including French orders of merit for his contributions to the arts and literature.
August 22, 6:00 PM | LARS DANIELSSON SOLO
August 29, 12:00 PM / 4:00 PM / 8:00 PM | The Eighth Alexander Paley Music Marathon “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
The eighth Alexander Paley music marathon—”A Midsummer Night’s Dream”—will soon take place. This marathon is dedicated to the music of German composer Felix Mendelssohn. Not only will famous pieces like the “Wedding March” be performed—some compositions will sound in Lithuania for the very first time. Three concerts await: at 12:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM.
Four talented musicians will perform. Pianist A. Paley leaves no one indifferent with his profound talent and charisma. Honored with a multitude of world-class awards, the pianist has held performances and is always warmly welcomed in the most prestigious concert halls and festivals. Taipei-born pianist Pei-Wen Chen made her debut at the prestigious Carnegie Hall shortly after completing her piano studies at the Mannes College of Music in New York. She is a laureate of international piano competitions and a participant in world-class projects. Violinist Raimondas Butvila played in the Lithuanian State Quartet, served as the first concertmaster of the current Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and in 1993, under a Lithuanian-Venezuelan creative cooperation agreement, departed for this South American country, where over 18 years he trained several generations of professional musicians. Cellist Marius Dominykas Sakavičius is a participant and laureate of various national and international masterclasses and competitions, having performed as a soloist with various orchestras.