Vilnius City Contemporary Music Ensemble Synaesthesis has a growing reputation within the contemporary music world. The team of young and ambitious musicians has taken up the mission of introducing works of experimental Lithuanian and foreign composers to the performance venues. The ensemble’s vision goes beyond sound – but into space, light, movement and narrative – anything that allows for professionally performed music to become a multidimensional creation, blurring lines between genres.
The ensemble is an active performer on Lithuania’s contemporary music scene and festivals, such as Druskomanija, Ahead and Gaida, DAR (Druskininkai Artists Residence) and Artist Residency in Kintai. Making its first, but very secure steps into the international scene Synaesthesis participated in the International Summer Academy in Austria (ISA 2016 and 2017), where both years musicians were awarded the Just Composed interpretation prize for the best performance of the premiered pieces. Synaesthesis is successfully entering the international music stage since 2015 ensemble was performing at contemporary music festivals in Austria, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Cyprus, Estonia, United Kingdom. In the end of 2017 ensemble received the Young Artist Award from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania and in 2019 was given the prestigious name of Vilnius City ensemble, in 2020 Synaesthesis became Ernst von Siemens foundation Ensemble Prize winners.
Members coming to Estonia: Dainius Peseckas (violin), Diemantė Merkevičiūtė (violin), Monika Kiknadzė (viola), Arnas Kmieliauskas (cello), Vytenis Gurstis (flute), Artūras Kažimėkas (clarinet), Marta Finkelštein (piano, artistic director), Karolis Variakojis (conductor, musical director).