From 13 September to 7 October 2026, the Lithuanian capital will host the 3rd international Jewish music and culture festival, Vilnius Shalom Festival, one of the most significant events dedicated to Jewish music and culture in the Baltic region.
The festival’s nearly month-long programme will feature classical music, klezmer and jazz concerts, educational events, as well as the Shofar March – a unique symbolic procession of unity, peace and remembrance with no equivalent elsewhere in the region. Dedicated to the beginning of the Hebrew New Year, Rosh Hashanah, the Shofar March will bring together hundreds of participants from Lithuania and abroad for the third consecutive year.
The festival will welcome renowned Israeli French horn player and shofar virtuoso Bar Zemach, Polish ensemble YAEL, the Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra, conducted by Israeli guest conductor Micha David, and the St Christopher Chamber Orchestra, alongside performers from Israel, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Armenia, Italy, Argentina, the United States and Lithuania.
On 23 September, marking the National Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews, the Samuel Bak Museum will host a special programme dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The concert will feature Lithuanian Jewish tenor Rafailas Karpis, soprano Diana Harutyunyan (Armenia), and a chamber ensemble.
The festival will culminate on 7 October with a closing concert at the LVSO Concert Hall, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks.
For this special occasion, the international October Jazz Ensemble has been brought together, bringing musicians and composers from different countries to Vilnius. The programme will feature jazz interpretations of well-known Jewish songs as well as world premieres specially commissioned for the concert. These will include Swiss composer Emanuel Schmidt’s “Rhapsody for the Bibas Family”, Lithuanian composer Leonardas Pilkauskas’s “Jazz Suite in Memory of October 7”, as well as several other new works created especially for the concert by composers and arrangers from Lithuania, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
“Every year, we strive to ensure that the festival is not only a cultural event of the highest artistic quality, but also a space for meaningful dialogue. Music has a unique power to bring people closer together, help us understand one another, and remind us that even the most painful chapters of history can become an invitation to build a more peaceful future. We believe that culture is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against hatred, stereotypes and antisemitism,” says Tadas Daujotas, founder and director of the festival.
Festival producer Elina Daujotė emphasises that one of the festival’s most important values is openness and accessibility.
“We want every person to feel welcome. That is why the majority of the festival’s events are free of charge. We believe that discovering Jewish music, culture and traditions can become an excellent way to reduce distance, encourage curiosity and create open-mindedness.”
According to the festival organisers, Vilnius Shalom Festival aims not only to present the rich heritage of Jewish music and culture, but also to strengthen Vilnius’s identity as the Jerusalem of the North on the international cultural map, preserve historical memory, and promote intercultural dialogue.
This year’s festival programme will consist of ten events, eight of which will be free of charge. The organisers expect the festival to once again attract a large audience from Lithuania and abroad.
The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, Good Will Foundation, Vilnius City Municipality, Israel-Lithuania Chamber of Commerce, Embassy of Israel in Lithuania, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Lithuania, Polish Institute in Vilnius, Department of National Minorities under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Wix.com, Knygos.lt, Park Inn by Radisson Vilnius Airport, Association LATGA and private sponsors.
Project partners: the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community, the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History, and the Vilnius Jewish Public Library, Crescendo International.
Media partner: LRT Plius
Tickets available: https://www.bilietai.lt/series/4SCE65LKYO/vilnius-shalom-festival
The full festival programme, registration for free events, and further information are available at www.shalom.lt
