VILNIUS FESTIVAL 2000
4th festival
4 June – 4 July, 2000

As the merriment and fireworks of the New Millennium Eve party have calmed down, the Vilnius Festival takes its traditional place. In the past four years its original programme has evolved and a close circle of Festival friends has been formed. We always think of what kind and quality music you, the listeners, will hear. This is also the task of the participants of the Festival: world famous orchestras from Italy, Great Britain, and London Musicals' stars, who come to Vilnius. Lithuanian composers and artists perform a very important role in the Vilnius Festival - they have to account to their native audience.

This year we try to discover and reveal the best fruits of American musical culture of the last century: works by Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, the phenomenon of Joshua Bell and of course jazz – the McCoy Tyner trio.

The year 2000 is the year to honour Christianity and European culture. This theme in music is coronated with the works of J. S. Bach, a composer, whose name appears at music events all over the world. His works will be performed at the Vilnius Festival as well.

I welcome you to open and read one more page of the Vilnius Festival.

Gintautas Kėvišas,
Director of the Vilnius Festival