Draugas News

10/29/2025

10/27/2025

Lithuania’s Firefighters – World Champions!
Three Lithuanian teams secured gold medals in relay events at the 2025 World Firefighter Challenge Championship October 20 – 25, 2025 Farmers Branch, Texas
🇱🇹 Men’s Team: After defeating their longtime rivals from Ukraine in the semifinals, the Lithuanian men’s team triumphed in the final against Montgomery, USA, claiming gold. (Team members: L. Leonavičius, J. Višnevski, G. Samauskis, R. Lindenis, R. Vilimas)
🇱🇹 Mixed Relay Team (2 women + 3 men): Despite being the underdogs, the Lithuanian team pulled off a remarkable upset over the favored St. Lucie County, USA, winning by holding their lead in the final meters to become world champions. (R. Balčiūnas, M. Kirelytė, K. Gražinis, R. Bartkutė, A. Ašmontas)
🇱🇹 Men’s 40+ Team: The Lithuanian over-40 men’s team was unstoppable, claiming the World Champion title. (R. Balčiūnas, A. Ašmontas, M. Gasparėnas, R. Viskontas, E. Krivickas)
🥉 Bronze Medalists: Two Lithuanian relay teams brought home bronze medals — the mixed team (M. Gasparėnas, E. Litwin, M. Dūda, D. Gideikaitė, R. Viskontas) and, for the first time, the women’s team (M. Kirelytė, R. Bartkutė, D. Gideikaitė, E. Litwin).
🔥 Tandem Events: Lithuanian pairs also excelled:
Gold: L. Leonavičius & E. Krivickas (Open); R. Bartkutė & M. Tommervold (Women 45–49)
Silver: R. Balčiūnas & R. Bartkutė (Mixed); R. Balčiūnas & D. Gideikaitė (Mixed); R. Viskontas & E. Krivickas (Men 40–49); M. Gasparėnas & E. Litwin (Open Mixed); L. Leonavičius & R. Vilimas (Men under 40)
Bronze: R. Bartkutė & E. Litwin (Women’s)

Congratulations to our champions!

10/24/2025

My upcoming recitals are a celebration of two major figures in Lithuanian music — Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911) and Vytautas Bacevičius (1905–1970) 🇱🇹
I’ll be performing their works alongside music by their contemporaries — Szymanowski, Janáček, Scriabin, Hauer, Jolivet, and Messiaen — exploring the rich artistic connections that shaped that remarkable era. It was exciting to discover so many links and creative parallels between these composers, and I look forward to sharing these discoveries (and the music!) with you 🎵

10/23/2025

Breaking news:

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says Russian military planes violated Lithuania’s airspace on Thursday evening.

10/22/2025

FULL IN-PERSON LINEUP

WED, NOV 5 – 6:30 PM
OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION
THE EXALTED (Cildenie, LV/EE/GR) – North American Premiere + talk w/ Juris Žagars

THU, NOV 6
6:30 PM – THE EXALTED (Cildenie, LV/EE/GR) – re-screening + talk
8:15 PM – THE BLACK HOLE (MUST Auk, EE) + talk w/ Moonika Siimets

FRI, NOV 7
6:30 PM – THE MUTINY (Dumpis, LV) + talk w/ Dita Cimermane

SAT, NOV 8
1 PM – MURMURING HEARTS (Murmančios širdys, LT) + talk w/ Vytautas Puidokas
3:15 PM – BECOMING ROOSI (Siit ta tuleb, Roosi, EE) + talk w/ Margit Lillak & Roosi Mai Järviste
5:15 PM – RENOVATION (Renovacija, LT) + talk w/ Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė & Armands Začs
7:30 PM – ROLLING PAPERS (Pikad paberid, EE) – Estonia’s Oscar entry + talk w/ Meel Paliale

SUN, NOV 9
2 PM – TO BE CONTINUED: TEENHOOD (Turpinājums – Pieaugšana, LV) + talk w/ Armands Začs
4:15 PM – BALTIC SHORTS – 6 short films (LV/EE/LT)
6:30 PM – THE VISITOR (Svečias, LT) – Closing Night

🎬 The 8th Annual New York Baltic Film Festival is back Nov 5-16, 2025!
📍 In-person: Nov 5-9 @ Scandinavia House, NYC
🌐 Virtual: Nov 10-16 (U.S. only)

More info about the movies & tickets – link in our bio.

Lietuvos Generalinis Konsulatas Niujorke/Consulate Gen. of Lithuania in NY
Fondas - Lithuanian Foundation, Inc.
Kultūros ministerija
Lietuvos kino centras
kultūros institutas / Lithuanian Culture Institute
ambasada Vašingtone / Embassy of Lithuania in Washington, D.C.
Pasaules Brīvo latviešu apvienība
Kino centrs
American Latvian Association
of Latvia to the USA - Latvijas vēstniecība ASV
Latvian Cultural Association TILTS
Latviešu Fonds
Latvijas Republikas Kultūras ministrija
Yorgi Eesti Maja - New York Estonian House
Consulate General of Estonia in New York
American National Council - Eesti Rahvuskomitee Ühendriikides
Estonian Embassy in Washington
Kultuuriministeerium
Filmi Instituut / Estonian Film Institute
Estonian Culture in New York
Estonian World
+ Scandinavia House

10/22/2025

Čiurlionis is everywhere this fall. Catch him at the Kennedy Center in DC on November 19th,

10/22/2025

Pianist Gabrielius Alekna in Concert – In honor of Čiurlionis's 150th Anniversary
Sunday, October 26, 2:00 PM | Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Held in Chicago’s stunning Rudolph Ganz Memorial Hall, a masterpiece of Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, and Frank Lloyd Wright, adorned with stained glass, gold leaf, and hand-painted murals.

It's a perfect setting for a transcendent afternoon of music as Gabrielius Alekna performs “Visionaries and Trailblazers: From Čiurlionis to Messiaen” — a program linking the mystical sound worlds of M.K. Čiurlionis, Vytautas Bacevičius, Olivier Messiaen and others.

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visionaries-trailblazers-from-ciurlionis-to-messiaen-tickets-1591432590719

Read our Draugas News interview with the artist here: https://www.draugas.org/news/when-music-turns-cosmic/

10/21/2025

The Joint Baltic American National Committee will host its next Baltic Spotlight on October 29 at 8 p.m. ET, featuring Benjamin Schmitt, Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Fellow for Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, it has intensified attacks on European infrastructure, seeking to destabilize and sow doubt within European civil society. The Baltic Sea has become a flashpoint in infrastructure security discussions, with multiple incidents of cable cutting resulting in damaged data cables and gas lines.

Helping assess the state of Baltic Sea security and potential policy solutions is Benjamin Schmitt, author of the report “UNDERWATER MAYHEM: Countering Threats to Energy and Critical Infrastructure Across the NATO Alliance and Beyond.” (https://upenn.app.box.com/s/wvrobfk9j1h34agng36chj73ibtkcx0h) Schmitt previously served as European Energy Security Advisor at the U.S. Department of State, where he advanced diplomatic engagement vital to the energy and national security interests of the transatlantic community, focusing on strengthening the resilience of NATO’s eastern flank and Ukraine in the face of Russian malign energy activities.

We invite you to join the discussion on Zoom and learn more about Russia's shadow war in the Baltic Sea.

Register Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQuTrrs-JZcVOcLXN06-oKD-nemhN-W8tz0X1mVuf21UE6MA/viewform?usp=header

10/20/2025

What happens when a Lithuanian visionary meets a French mystic?
Pianist Gabrielius Alekna explores that cosmic encounter in his new program,
“Visionaries and Trailblazers: From Čiurlionis to Messiaen.”
Hear it live this fall — FOUR CITIES, four unforgettable evenings.

Read our Draugas News interview with the artist here: https://www.draugas.org/news/when-music-turns-cosmic/

TOUR SCHEDULE:

CHICAGO, IL
Sunday, October 26 – 2:00 PM
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
Presented by the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
More info: balzekasmuseum.org
Tickets: https://alekna.eventbrite.com

NEW YORK, NY
Wednesday, October 29 – 7:00–8:30 PM
Mary Flagler Cary Hall, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Tickets: pianistalekna.eventbrite.com ($35)
Reserve or pay at door: Gintarė Bukauskas – [email protected] | 347-415-6379
Presented by the Lithuanian American Community, New York Chapter, and the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York.

SEATTLE, WA
Friday, November 7 – 7:30 PM
Nickerson Studios, Seattle Pacific University
340 W. Nickerson Street, Seattle, WA
Admission free
Info: [email protected]

PORTLAND, OR
Sunday, November 9 – 5:00 PM
Lincoln Recital Hall, Portland State University
1620 SW Park Ave, Room 75, Portland, OR 97201
Tickets: https://portlandstate.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3324&fbclid=IwY2xjawNjWeRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5c1l1UTZyQXJJa3RYOEJmAR71vjT65-QEzVjA650q43UG4PTNeR7KQk4khP8B0_lwe2dyzmyTkkSTe9oHCQ_aem_vD_oThENCLxCb2P1B-wCug

10/20/2025

Tomas Vengris’ Film Featured at the EU Film Fest in Chicago!

Lithuanian-American filmmaker Tomas Vengris’ romantic drama Five and a Half Love Stories in an Apartment in Vilnius (2023) will be screened as part of the European Union Film Festival, presented by the Consulate General of Lithuania in Chicago and EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture).

Saturday, November 8 at 5:00 PM
FACETS Cinema, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago

In this tender and imaginative film, five guests experience the joys and heartbreaks of love in a Vilnius Airbnb—unaware of the stories that have already unfolded within the same walls. The cleaning lady, Jolanta, arrives to erase each trace of passion and pain, while her own quiet love story takes shape.

Tickets: :https://facets.org/programs/eunic-european-film-screenings-2025/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExdWZHa3d3MEViVnJ3N2RFVQEeet6gjo1_mK5doKcJyYgIz0f8gFCntsUNkjbGJhX1W2eI9UgWO3oZYlfkglk_aem_VEXthBeLyvDGgb4slFdRSg

Tomas Vengris is a Lithuanian/American filmmaker. He received his M.F.A. in directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, CA. His directorial debut MOTHERLAND, won the EUROPEAN AUDIENCE AWARD in the ArteKino Film Festival. FIVE & A HALF LOVE STORIES IN AN APARTMENT IN VILNIUS, LITHUANIA, is Tomas’ second feature film.

10/20/2025

Gabrielius Alekna Piano Recital Tour 2025
“Visionaries and Trailblazers: From Čiurlionis to Messiaen”

Renowned pianist Gabrielius Alekna is bringing his inspired program to four U.S. cities this fall — Chicago, New York, Seattle, and Portland! Experience music that bridges mysticism and modernity — from Lithuania’s visionary M.K. Čiurlionis to the cosmic colors of Olivier Messiaen.

Read our Draugas News interview with the artist here: https://www.draugas.org/news/when-music-turns-cosmic/

TOUR SCHEDULE:
CHICAGO, IL
Sunday, October 26 – 2:00 PM
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
Presented by the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture
More info: balzekasmuseum.org
Ticekts: https://alekna.eventbrite.com

NEW YORK, NY
Wednesday, October 29 – 7:00–8:30 PM
Mary Flagler Cary Hall, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Tickets: pianistalekna.eventbrite.com ($35)
Reserve or pay at door: Gintarė Bukauskas – [email protected] | 347-415-6379
Presented by the Lithuanian American Community, New York Chapter, and the Consulate General of Lithuania in New York.

SEATTLE, WA
Friday, November 7 – 7:30 PM
Nickerson Studios, Seattle Pacific University
340 W. Nickerson Street, Seattle, WA
Admission free
Info: [email protected]

PORTLAND, OR
Sunday, November 9 – 5:00 PM
Lincoln Recital Hall, Portland State University
1620 SW Park Ave, Room 75, Portland, OR 97201
Tickets: https://portlandstate.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3324

Photo: ELTA

10/17/2025

The Yale Baltic Studies Program invites you to the Yale campus to celebrate with us M. K. Čiurlionis’s 150th anniversary and to explore the work of this complex early twentieth-century Baltic artist.

Check the comment section for the full programme.