Festival history

One of the most significant cultural events in Lithuania, the Pažaislis Music Festival has been held every year since 1996. The main purpose of the festival is to popularise classical music, to enrich the cultural life of Kaunas in the summer, to present the best ensembles, soloists and conductors from Lithuania and other countries, and to promote the international dialogue and cultural collaboration. Since 2006, the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, has been the Patron of the festival.

For residents and visitors to Kaunas, the Pažaislis Music Festival has become a traditional event, without which the summer in the city cannot be imagined. Many free concerts take place in churches, so the events are affordable to everyone. Alongside the best Lithuanian ensembles and soloists, the festival features performers from all over the world. Well known far beyond Europe’s borders, the festival has been acknowledged as one of the most famous European festivals by such illustrious musicians as Yehudi Menuhin, Justus Frantz, Yuri Bashmet, Eric Ericson, Roy Goodman and Krzysztof Penderecki.

Over the 15 years of its existence, the Pažaislis Music Festival has put on more then 500 concerts featuring 79 conductors, 46 symphony and chamber orchestras, 20 choirs, 12 opera productions and 14 Lithuanian plays on historical themes.

The main organiser of the festival is the Pažaislis Music Festival Public Institution, and its partners are the Kaunas State Philharmonic Society and the Music Festivals Support Foundation.