This Friday, an exceptional concert dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Lithuanian composer, painter and visionary Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis took place at the Auditorium Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines in Toulouse.
The event was initiated by the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in France in collaboration with choir conductor and long-standing choral pedagogue in France, Rolandas Muleika, and was partly funded by the Lithuanian Culture Institute.

A large audience gathered for this significant evening, filling every seat of the modernised hall located in this historic venue.
“The most famous Lithuanian composer and artist of all time, M. K. Čiurlionis, unfortunately, never visited France, yet tonight he is here with us in Toulouse — brought to life through Rolandas Muleika’s initiative and through the joint efforts of French and Lithuanian artists.
This is the finest example of cultural diplomacy, uniting our nations and our hearts,” the Ambassador said in his opening remarks.

The concert programme showcased the breadth of Čiurlionis’s work — piano preludes, sacred compositions and arrangements of Lithuanian folk songs.
The evening also featured a subtle musical dialogue between works by M. K. Čiurlionis and Claude Debussy, revealing the harmony between two poetic “seas” – the worlds of the two creators.

The visual concept for the evening was created by artist Akvilė Anglickaitė, while one of the programme’s highlights was the first performance in France of composer Nijolė Sinkevičiūtė’s cycle Seven Reflections, based on poems by the Lithuanian-born French poet and diplomat Oscar Miłosz.

Performers included pianists Sonata and Rokas Zubovas, the vocal ensemble Antiphona conducted by Rolandas Muleika, and a joint choir composed of singers from the ensemble Nota Bene and the Toulouse Conservatoire.
The professional mastery of the performers, along with a sensitive and powerful programme, earned the audience’s standing ovation.

During the concert, Lithuania’s Ambassador to France, Arnoldas Pranckevičius, on behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs Kęstutis Budrys, presented Rolandas Muleika with the Medal “For the Merits of Lithuanians Living Abroad to Lithuania”.
The award recognised the conductor’s long-standing contribution to nurturing Lithuanian musical traditions in France and enhancing Lithuania’s international cultural visibility.

At the beginning of the concert, Toulouse Deputy Mayor Nicole Yardeni emphasised the scale and significance of R. Muleika’s work for the city’s cultural life, calling him “the best ambassador of Lithuania in Toulouse”.
Last year, during the Lithuanian Season in France, R. Muleika organised an impressive Lithuanian Song Festival in the city, bringing together 700 singers from 21 French choirs and Lithuania’s Ąžuoliukas Boys’ Choir, with more than 3,000 spectators in attendance.

The Embassy of Lithuania in France extends its gratitude to all performers, partners and audience members for an inspiring and meaningful evening, which not only honoured the legacy of M. K. Čiurlionis but also reaffirmed that Lithuanian culture in France is vibrant, visible and held in high regard.