Enduring Love for National Art: 75th Anniversary of KTU Ensemble “Nemunas”

“Nemunas” celebrates its 75^th anniversary

This year KTU Folk Art Ensemble “Nemunas” celebrates its 75th anniversary. Traditionally, “Nemunas” organises a series of anniversary concerts on the occasion of the jubilee. The first anniversary concert will take place on 17 November at 12:00 at the St. Michael the Archangel’s (Garrison) Church. The Mass and the sacred music concert “The Past Will Be Reborn in The Heart” will be dedicated to honouring and remembering the deceased members and leaders of the ensemble. The final concert, which will bring together several generations of “Nemunas” members, will take place on 30 November at 16:00 at Kaunas Sports Hall. After a 10-year break, the voices of the members of “Nemunas” will be reunited, eyes will shine with tears of happiness and longing, sweet laughter and music will flow, and hearts will open up to the ensemble’s community.

“At the Centenary Song Festival “May the Green Forest Grow” we sang our history, present and future. The great feeling of communion made us consider how important it is for us to have closeness, warmth and realisation that we – rejoicing, dancing, singing – are Lithuania! We should be grateful to our ancestors for preserving the Homeland and it is our duty to realise that in such a rapidly changing and unpredictable world, we need to cherish, protect and preserve it for future generations. This motif will also be heard in the anniversary programme,” – said Margarita Tomkevičiūtė, Director of “Nemunas”.

KTU Museum congratulates KTU Folk Art Ensemble on its anniversary and dedicates a 3-part virtual exhibition “Undying Love for Folk Art. 75th Anniversary of KTU Ensemble “Nemunas” (the author is Dr. Audronė Veilentienė, Head of KTU Museum). The exhibition features photographs, publications, awards, concert programmes from KTU Museum collections, KTU Photo Archive, private individuals and “Nemunas” archives.

Successful beginning and achievements

KTU Folk Art Ensemble began in 1944 as a folk dance club at Kaunas State Vytautas Magnus University, alongside which a folk instrument orchestra and a vocal group began to form. In 1949, these genres were merged into one song and dance ensemble. Aloyzas Čižas, the concertmaster of Kaunas State Drama Theatre, was invited to be the first leader of the ensemble and was officially employed at the Faculty of Chemical Technology as a senior laboratory assistant. The first concert of the ensemble took place in the Third Chamber of the University on 22 April 1950, and in the summer of the same year, the ensemble took part in the Song Festival in Vilnius. At the end of 1950, the University was reorganised into the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute and its Faculty of Medicine into the Kaunas Medical Institute. The reorganisation affected half of the members of the ensemble. However, despite these difficulties, KPI ensemble participated in the USSR Amateur Art Contest at the end of 1951, where it was awarded the first prize. In 1955, the ensemble won the title of the absolute best ensemble of the Lithuanian SSR and participated in the 5th World and Youth Festival in Warsaw in the summer of the same year. At the end of 1958, it was awarded the title of the Most Meritorious Collective of the Lithuanian SSR, and in 1963, KPI Folk Song and Dance Ensemble was named “Nemunas”. Since 1963, “Nemunas” has given annual concerts abroad. The trip to Canada in 1967, where the ensemble performed at Expo’67, was of great importance in the history of the ensemble. During this trip, the song “I Stand Leaning” (“Stoviu aš parimus“), adopted from the Lithuanian Canadian ensemble, became the anthem of “Nemunas”, sung only on the most significant occasions. It turns out that the lyrics of the song were written in 1942 by a student Vanda Panavaitė-Stankienė, who read them at a literary evening. Later, people turned the poem into a song that Lithuanian partisans loved to sing. In 1969, the ensemble celebrated its 20^th anniversary with its 1000th concert. In 1978, “Nemunas” was the first Lithuanian folk art ensemble to produce a whole concert programme “The Song of Nemunas”, which was a great artistic achievement at the time. In 1989, just before the ensemble’s 40^th anniversary, the ensemble prepared a programme “For Reborn Lithuania”, which was used during their tour in the country. A. Buzys, L. Gadliauskas, A. Balčiūnas, A. Bartusevičius, P. Jurkonis and V. Švedas also were art directors during the Soviet occupation.

After Lithuania Regained Its Independence

Since Lithuania regained its independence, “Nemunas” has travelled extensively throughout Europe with its concert programmes, participated in the World Lithuanian and Student Song Festivals, various festivals, and recently has been increasingly cooperating with other student organisations and taking part in public activities. After the restoration of the state, the artistic directors of “Nemunas” were P. Jurkonis, J. Urbonas, H. Ganusauskas, and since 2003, the ensemble has been led by Margarita Tomkevičiūtė. Traditionally, “Nemunas” participates in Song Festivals, Baltic Student Song and Dance Festival “Gaudeamus” and other events. In 2001, the ensemble was awarded the Golden Bird, the highest award of the Lithuanian Folk Culture Centre; in 2020, it was again awarded the Golden Bird in the nomination “Best Folk Music Ensemble and Director”. The ensemble is also the winner of the “Kadagys” (2001) and “Klumpakojis” (2006) competitions, and in 2010, the ensemble came second in the “Klumpakojis” competition and won first place in the “Kadagys” competition. “Nemunas” has visited Finland, Poland, Germany, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Great Britain, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Turkey, Greece, Belarus, Ukraine, Croatia, Macedonia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Canada, USA, China, Japan, Montenegro and United Arab Emirates.

“Nemunas” has the groups of 4 distinct genres: dancers, mixed choir, folk music orchestra and folk music band. Dancers are the ensemble’s largest and oldest genre. The leader of the dance group, senior ballet master M. Tomkevičiūtė, the leader of the dance group Vilma Tiškevičienė, and the concertmaster Tadas Kviklys. Mixed choir is the most colourful genre of the ensemble, bringing together people with different musical backgrounds. The choir is directed by conductor Roma Paulauskienė with choirmaster Gediminas Micka. The folk music orchestra plays traditional Lithuanian instruments kanklės, birbynės, lumzdelis and skrabalai. The leader of the folk instruments orchestra is Raimundas Kukanauskas, the leader of the kanklės group is Asta Jonkutė-Bogdanienė. Folk music band is the youngest genre of the ensemble, bringing together people who play classical instruments. The leader of the band is Romualdas Sadzevičius, the concertmaster is Tadas Kviklys.

Traditions Passed Down from Generation to Generation

The ensemble cherishes deep traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation and creates new traditions. The members of “Nemunas” celebrate 7 traditional festivals: the most official event is the reporting meeting, where a new board is elected; new members are introduced during the “Cementukas”; the new board introduces themselves at the “Lapkritinės” (in December of February), which started in 1975; a Christmas Party is for cosiness and time together; followed by the Guitar Night (beginning in 1991); the desire of the “newbies” to be true members of “Nemunas” is tested in the spring with the Christening; and those who have been in the ensemble for at least five years are honoured at the Graduate Celebration. There are also celebrations of the Girls’ Day and Guys’ Day. “Nemunas” also has informal events: in late summer or early autumn, it invites its members to the “Cepelinai Party” that started in 1994; in January – to the Games Night; in February/March – to the “Nemunas” Bowling Tournament; in summer – to the “Nemunas Kayaks” and the Summer Games. It also organises winter or summer hikes depending on the season.

“Nemunas”, with its traditions handed down from one generation to the next and its enduring love of folk art, develops personalities, strengthens the interconnection between the members, promotes community and unity, and fosters pride in Lithuanian nation and state.