Čiurlioniada: Organ Music Evening | Jan Kopřiva, Anna Drobílková, and Choir “Adoramus”

Evening programme will be truly special and will feature performance of the first times this year sounding greatest surviving work of M. K. Čiurlionis - the symphonic poem "The Sea", arranged for the organ.

The transcription of the work with particularly rich instrumentation was prepared for organ four hands by Czech artist Jan Kopřiva, who admitted that it was a truly demanding task. The organist, who is fascinated by the composer’s work, will play "The Sea" together with his wife Anna Drobílková – these are performers who are devoted to organ music and have a great synch and understanding of each other. The entire sacred pieces of M. K. Čiurlionis written for the choir will also be performed, including rarely presented fugues and the cantata “De profundis” - the composer’s final work at the then Warsaw Institute of Music, as well as the second part of the cantata “Juk Tu, Viešpatie”. This challenge was accepted by the Vilnius Sacred Music Choir “Adoramus”, which will be led by its artistic director Imantas Jonas Šimkus. This is the choir's second major encounter with Čiurlionis' creative legacy - in 2023, the performers, together with pianist Rokas Zubovas, presented, and later, with Aleksandra and Viliņš Keras, recorded a reconstruction of the historical 1908 concert of M. K. Čiurlionis himself and the "Vilniaus Kankliai" choir conducted by him. This time, exclusively sacred music will be performed, the basis of which is choral fugues, written following the texts from the Mass cycle and psalms, rich in chromatic shades.

 

This event is part of the concert series "Čiurlioniada. Piano and Organ Music Evenings". On this special occasion, the Center for International Cultural Projects has invited special guests and jury members, laureates of the various editions of the International M. K. Čiurlionis Organ and Piano Competition to the Lithuanian capital. In addition to the composer's own organ and piano works, the program of the cycle will also include premieres of the pieces inspired by Čiurlionis's legacy, explications of the fragments or just the themes left, improvisations, newly prepared and previously created arrangements, and the work of contemporaries.

 

Project is partly sponsored by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality.

 

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PROGRAMME

 

❯ Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911)

Symphonic Poem The Sea (arr. for organ four hands by J. Kopřiva)

 

Fugue Kyrie, VL 12

Fugue Kyrie (II), VL 19

Fugue Gloria, VL 14

Fugue Sanctus, VL 18

Fugue Agnus Dei, VL 16

 

Pulkim ant kelių, VL 60

Requiem, VL 13 (užbaigtas A. Kubilūno)

 

Psalms:

Introduction and Fugue Šlovinkite, VL 15

Fugue Neliūskime, VL 17

 

Cantata De Profundis (arr. for organ and mixed choir by B. Vasiliauskas / I. J. Šimkus)

Juk Tu, Viešpatie, VL 9 (arr. for organ and mixed choir by I. J. Šimkus)

 

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ARTISTS

 

Jan Kopřiva (Czech Republic) entered the Brno Conservatory in 2015, and studied organ interpretation under prof. Zdeněk Nováček. After graduating in 2021, he continued his organ studies at Vienna Music University with prof. Johannes Ebenbauer, where he is currently enrolled in the master's program. Organist took part in several organ competitions, including Organ Conservatory Competition in Brno (2019, 1st prize), and Janáček International Organ Competition (2022, 3rd prize. In addition to his concert performances, Jan is involved in accompanying holy masses. He also participated in several masterclasses conducted by Thomas Ospital, Lionel Avot, Peter Planyavsky, Pier Damiano Peretti, Tobias Cramm, Rudolf Lutz.

 

Anna Drobílková (Czech Republic) has also finished her organ interpretation studies at the Brno Conservatory, where she worked under the guidance of prof. Zdeněk Nováček, and then continued her studies at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno. From 2019 to 2022, she took part at the Concertiste courses cycle with Christophe Mantoux at the Conservatoire régional of Paris. Currently she deepens her knowledge and refine her playing skills at the University for Catholic Church Music and Music Pedagogy in Regensburg, in the organ class of prof. Markus Rupprecht. She also participated in masterclasses with Aude Heurtematte, Hans-Ola Ericsson, Christoph Bossert, Lionel Avot and Roman Perucki.

 

Both artists are participants of the 9th International M. K. Čiurlionis Organ Competition, Jan Kopřiva became the winner of this competition. The performers often appear together while playing in duo or assisting to each other.

 

Vilnius Sacred Music Choir “Adoramus” (artistic director – Imantas Jonas Šimkus; Lithuania) has been active for ten years and is considered one of the best sacred music choirs in the country. Since 2020, the choir has started organizing the Competition of Lithuanian Liturgical Music Compositions’. In 2024, the choir won the Golden Disc award presented by the Lithuanian Musicians’ Union, has recorded several music albums and takes part at the most important church celebrations (including the visit of Pope Francis to Lithuania in 2018). The choir has prepared and presented a reconstruction of M. K. Čiurlionis’ concert in 2023, project programme has also featured premieres of historical editions of the composer’s choral works.

 

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EVENT INFORMATION

 

Date & Time: October 26, 2025, 6 PM

Venue: Church of St. Casimir

Address: Didžioji st. 34, Vilnius

 

Admission is free!

 

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ORGANISERS

 

Centre for International Cultural Projects Lithuania

 

Contact: info@ipmc.lt / +370 52 496 171

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