Masterclass in Lithuania
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL AND OLYMPUS MUSICUS MASTERCLASS IN KAUNAS FOR THE FIRST TIME
Kaunas, Lithuania: 2–8 November 2026
Olympus Musicus is a non-profit cultural organisation that has been active in Prague for thirteen years, bringing together musicians, renowned teachers and young performers through international concerts, masterclasses and educational projects. In 2026, Olympus Musicus will bring its international festival and masterclass to Kaunas, Lithuania, for the first time.
From 2 to 8 November 2026, Kaunas will become a meeting place for talented young musicians, renowned teachers and concert artists from several European countries, Israel and the United States.
Teachers and Artists
Raimondas Butvila – Lithuania – violin
Vsevolod Dvorkin – Italy – piano
Donaldas Račys – Lithuania – piano
Ramutė Kalnėnaitė – Lithuania – cello
Evgenia Epshtein – Israel / Croatia
Alejandro Drago – USA – violin, composer
Roman Fedchuk – Czech Republic – violin
Sergey Kalyanov – Czech Republic – cello
Iakov Zats – Italy – viola
Natalia Lipkina – Germany – violin
Raimondas Butvila, Donaldas Račys and Ramutė Kalnėnaitė are professors at the Music Academy of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, providing the festival with an important connection to the local academic and musical community.
Raimondas Butvila, Donaldas Račys and Ramutė Kalnėnaitė are professors at the Music Academy of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, providing the festival with an important connection to the local academic and musical community.
Festival Programme
The festival will open with a ceremonial concert at the Kaunas Philharmonic, featuring the participating professors and artists together with the festival organiser.
On 7 November, a student concert will offer young musicians the opportunity to perform in public and present the results of their work during the masterclass.
The festival will culminate on 8 November with a final gala concert featuring both students and professors.
The final programme will also include compositions by Alejandro Drago, who, alongside his international career as a violinist, is also active as a composer.
Baroque Dance Course
A distinctive and unconventional part of the programme will be a Baroque dance course held during one day of the masterclass.
The course was first introduced as part of the Olympus Musicus Masterclass in Prague in 2024, where it was highly successful and attracted considerable interest. It focuses on the connection between music and dance from an instrumentalist’s perspective.
The course will be taught in English by Czech harpsichordist Petra Žďárská.
International Music Education
The masterclass is intended for talented young musicians who wish to deepen their artistic and technical skills through intensive work with experienced teachers and performers from different countries.
Participants will have the opportunity to develop their musical abilities, gain new artistic experience, meet other young musicians and become part of an international musical community.
The graphic design of the poster was created with the assistance of AI.