Before the ceremony, Dalia Grybauskaitė attended the Santa Cecilia orchestra concert conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. The 500-year-old orchestra has been conducted by some of the world’s major musical figures, including Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Johann Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, and many others. The same evening, an exhibition of Lithuanian media artist Deimantas Narkevičius was opened in Rome. These events are the first in line at the art festival held to celebrate the centennial of Lithuania’s restored statehood in Italy.
According to the President, one hundred years ago Lithuania fast-started to build a modern state. And even though hostile forces had wanted to stop us on this path for long decades, we knew that we are part of Europe and belong here. Therefore, the entire family of free nations of the Old Continent are celebrating the centennial of Lithuania together with us.
Dalia Grybauskaitė underlined that Lithuania can be truly proud of its achievements, artists and creators. In the days ahead, Italy will get to know a dynamic, modern and optimistic Lithuania.
The art festival “Flux” is the first major presentation of the Lithuanian artistic scene in Italy. The ten-day festival will present to the public more than 80 masters of visual and performing arts, including globally recognized filmmaker Jonas Mekas, avant-garde artist Jurgis Mačiūnas and stage director Eimuntas Nekrošius.
