Vilnius University Organ Studio to Present Concert at St. John’s Church

On May 30 at 6 p.m., the Vilnius University organ studio “Unda Maris” will present the concert “Mesmerising Sounds” at St. John’s Church. The performance will feature members of the Vilnius University community representing a wide range of professions, alongside professional organists and the studio’s artistic directors, Dr Vidas Pinkevičius and Dr Aušra Motūzaitė-Pinkevičienė. 

Programming, mathematics, and organ music may seem like unlikely companions at first glance – but not for Dominyka Juchnevičiūtė. She studies software systems and spends her evenings in the balcony of St. John’s Church, playing the largest organ in Lithuania. The student from the VU Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics says that learning the organ has long been a dream of hers: 

“The organ is an instrument capable not only of creating an indescribable atmosphere, but also of producing a sound comparable to that of an entire orchestra. Playing the organ has been my dream for a long time, and the opportunity to perform in a concert fills me with excitement and joy.”  

The Little Prelude in C Major (BWV 553), attributed to the circle of Johann Sebastian Bach, reveals the subtleties of Baroque music and allows listeners to experience the grandeur of the era. “This piece enriches my experience as a performer,” says the student, inviting audiences to immerse themselves in the harmonious musical world of the composer. 

Among the concert participants will also be Dr Vytautas Jonkus, a lecturer at the Faculty of Physics researching electrodynamics; Regina Dainytė, a long-time software systems specialist at the university; and Kotryna Jančauskaitė, communication specialist at the VU Culture Centre and a VU alumna. 

The concert “Mesmerising Sounds” will feature music from different eras and styles – from Baroque and Romanticism to contemporary compositions. Audiences will hear works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens, Léon Raffy, Johann Philipp Kirnberger, Francisco Miquel, Giovanni Battista Martini, Samuel Wesley and Markku Hakanpää. 

The VU organ studio “Unda Maris” is led by its founder, organist and pedagogue Dr V. Pinkevičius, together with organist Dr A. Motūzaitė-Pinkevičienė. Established in 2011, the studio brings together members of the Vilnius University community – students, lecturers, staff, and alumni – united by their love of organ music and a desire to explore the instrument more deeply. The name “Unda Maris” (Latin for “wave of the sea”) comes from one of the organ stops at St. John’s Church, known for its soft, undulating sound. 

“Unda Maris” is part of the VU Culture Centre, which brings together 16 artistic ensembles and creative studios, inviting both the university community and the wider public to experience a broad range of cultural activities.