Fourth
1971 Chicago
Author: Kazys Skaisgirys
English translation: Rita Giedraitis
The fourth Lithuanian Song Festival took place on July 4, 1971 in the International Amphitheater in Chicago, Ill. The organizing committee for this festival was: Dr. Gediminas Balukas – chairman, Antanas Rėklaitis, Petras Armonas, Stanley Balzekas, Jr., Jonas Paštukas, Vincas Grėbliūnas, Kostas Dočkus, Jonas Jurkūnas, Jonas Vaičiūnas, Jonas Kubilius, SJ, and a representative from the Lithuanian Canadian Community. Members of the repertoire committee were: Petras Armonas – chairman, Aleksandras Aleksis, Mykolas Cibas, Vytautas Gutauskas, Bronius Jurkšas, and Vincas Mamaitis. As in prior Lithuanian Song Festivals, the organizing committee was assisted by various subcommittees.
The National Anthems and Naujalis’s composition “Malda už Tėvynę” (“Prayer for the Homeland”) were conducted by Vincas Mamaitis, though the Song Festival’s program publication did not specify that he was the Honorary Conductor. Other conductors included Algirdas Kačanauskas, Bronius Jonušas, Vaclovas Verikaitis, Petras Armonas, Stasys Sližys, Faustas Strolia, and Bronius Budriūnas. The adult choirs were accompanied by pianists Raimonda Apeikytė and Manigirdas Motekaitis. The closing speech was given by Vytautas Volertas, president of the board of directors of the Lithuanian American Community. Stasys Barzdukas, chairman of the Lithuanian World Community, Inc., wrote in his congratulatory remarks, “We now have two centers for Lithuanian Song Festivals outside of Lithuania –- Australia and United States/Canada. Festivals in both places are organized under the auspices of the Lithuanian World Community, Inc.” From these two sentences, one can conclude that the fourth Lithuanian Song Festival in Chicago was sponsored by the Lithuanian World Community organization. The program publication for this Song Festival also included photographs of the conductors, soloists, and accompanists, short biographies and photographs of the participating choirs, and the names of each choir member. The editors of this Song Festival’s publication were Stasys Daunys and Jonas Vačiūnas, with Vladas Vijeikis serving as the technical advisor.
The fourth Lithuanian Song Festival was reviewed for the journal “Aidai” by composer Vladas Jakubėnas. The following excerpt from his article should help paint a clearer picture of this Festival.
The adult choir participants totalled about 800 (though other reviewers put the number closer to 950). These choirs sang their designated repertoire songs in unison, with no noticeable intonation or rhythm issues. However, the performances seemed lackluster, short on musical nuances and enthusiasm. This mood persisted throughout most of the first half of the program. The audience, though well behaved, reacted with less than enthusiastic applause. In the second half, the performance of B. Budriūnas’s cantata brought about a noticeable change. The joint adult choirs sounded livelier, the mood became more upbeat, and the music flowed beautifully with energy and purpose. The cantata, "Lietuvos Šviesos Keliu" ("Along Lithuania's Shining Road"), composed by B. Budriūnas to the words of Bernardas Brazdžionis, effectively balanced choir and soloists’ parts. Especially notable was the role of the bass singer, clearly and passionately performed by Jonas Vaznelis, through which an ancient priest recalls important events in Lithuania's history. Soprano soloist Prudencija Bičkienė performed admirably as well, especially during the cantata's finale, which required her to hold many high notes. The performance of the cantata was rewarded with loud, enthusiastic applause from the audience that resulted in a repeat of the cantata's last movement. The composer of the cantata, B. Budriūnas, was also its conductor. The children's choirs performed in the middle part of the Festival's program. Approximately 600 children participated, and the size of the choir, as well as their overall performance, were impressive. However, the general consensus was that the children's choirs performances during the third Lithuanian Song Festival were better than the performances during this fourth Lithuanian Song Festival. Many felt that the children's choirs' performances were the pinnacle of the entire third Lithuanian Song Festival. Generally speaking, the fourth Lithuanian Song Festival was a success. Approximately 10,000 people were in the audience. Musical performance goals were met. The Festival was well organized with no obvious mishaps. Nevertheless, the second Lithuanian Song Festival remains the strongest and most impressive. Even the third Lithuanian Song Festival, despite some problems, was more interesting than the fourth Lithuanian Song Festival. That said, A. Valeškas’s decorations during the latter Festival, with Lithuanian willows in red hues, were original and thus noteworthy.