The Vilnius City Municipality St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra (artistic director and conductor – Donatas Katkus) is a collective widely known for its universality, professionalism, and artistic imagination. The orchestra is an eagerly awaited guest not just in prestigious concert halls in Lithuania and abroad, such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Harpa in Reikjavik, the Berwaldhallen in Stockholm, at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, or the Royal Palace in Warsaw, St Petersburg’s M. Glinka Hall, or Moscow’s P. Tchaikovsky’s Conservatory, but also in less predictable places like outdoor stages or even sand quarries…

The orchestra was formed in 1994 by the initiative of Prof. Donatas Katkus, its artistic director and conductor, who at first envisaged creating a baroque orchestra. At the time there were few ensembles in Lithuania who were dedicated to performing music of this era, and the director was guided by the principles of the Russian romantic school for its interpretation. Talented, young Vilnius musicians from various orchestras in Vilnius gathered at the first rehearsals of this new collective and held their first concerts in February of that same year. In 1995 they took the name of St. Christopher – the patron saint of Vilnius and travellers; Mons. Kazimieras Vasiliauskas blessed the orchestra at the Vilnius Archcathedral. That same year, D. Katkus started the Christopher Summer Festival, in which the orchestra’s programmes featured prominently. At first playing music by Italians A. Corelli, A. Vivaldi, T. Albinoni and other baroque composers, the orchestra soon took to interpreting the music of contemporary Lithuanian composers. In 1995 the orchestra prepared the mammoth cycle by B. Kutavičius “Gates of Jerusalem”, and the following year during its first tour to Poland, at the festival Wratislavia Cantans, alongside Vivaldi’s “Gloria” they performed not only Kutavičius’ cycle, but also premiered “Requiem in memoriam Stasys Lozoraitis” by O. Balakauskas. K. Pendereckis who attended the concert made an excellent appraisal of not just Lithuanian music, but was left immensely impressed by the young orchestra’s masterfullness as well. The collective also received words of praise from the American conductor D. Russell Davis, who conducted the orchestra during its first year at a concert in Vilnius. It wasn’t long before the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra received an invitation to record three CDs for America’s Fleur de Son. There, under the baton of the Israeli and American conductor Arie Lipsky the orchestra recorded all of F. Schubert’s overtures, compositions by the contemporary composer R. Sierra, and M. Bruch’s concertos, played by Canadian violinist Jacques Israelievitch (in this particular recording we can also hear the last viola solo to have been played by the orchestra’s director, D. Katkus).

Many have noted that the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra stands out from other collectives in Lithuania for its special stylistic universality. Having earned the reputation of a “baroque orchestra” and the reviver of rare partitures, musicologists have termed the orchestra “an excellent base for all of Lithuania’s composers’ conceptions”. Today its repertoire boasts over thirty opuses by Lithuanian authors: from early music to works by students from the Lithuanian Academy of Music. The orchestra has performed almost all of the string pieces F. Bajoras, B. Kutavičius and O. Balakauskas. It gives no less attention to the music of contemporary foreign composers, playing works by P. Vasks, E.-S. Tüür, J. McCabe, Shin, A. Ruoff, R. Sierra and other composers.

From its very inception, the intensive work schedule of the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra has led to its wide recognition as much in Lithuania as abroad. The collective has successfully represented Lithuania at international events, such as the festivals Strefa Ciszy, Ogrody Muzyczne, Probaltica and Wratislavia Cantans (Poland), Tubin (Finland), Pärnu (Estonia), Europäisches Musikfest Münsterland, Kaskados, Mystik und Maschine, Berlin Jazz, Hermann Hesse (Germany), Berlioz (France), Reykholt (Iceland), and elsewhere.

The orchestra regularly collaborates with well-known Lithuanian and foreign collectives and soloists. Among the latter we can mention the singers Kerstin Avemo (soprano), Charles Castronovo (tenor), Violeta Urmana (soprano), Alfredo Nigro (tenor), Virgilijus Noreika (tenor), the violinists Maksim Vengerov, Alexander Rybak, Anton Barakhovsky, Jacques Israelievitch, Moti Shmidt, the pianists Maria João Pires, Leonid Chizhik, Konstantin Lifschitz, Tamami Honma, Petras Geniušas, Julian Joseph, the cellists David Geringas, Dominique de Williencourt, Marko Ylönen and Maria Kliegel, as well as Camilla Hoitenga (flute), Petras Vyšniauskas (saxophone), Linda Maxey (marimba), Martynas Levickis (accordion), plus many others.

“The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra’s flexibility in contemporary music performance is one of the collective’s stand-out features. This has been noted not just by Lithuanian composers, but by artists and audiences from other countries as well. This collective presents original programmes probably more often than any other group”.

“Literatūra ir Menas”, R. Gaidamavičiūtė, January 10, 2014

“But the most eye-catching event was last Friday‘s, when Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires appeared with Russian virtuoso violinist Maxim Vengerov, alongside the youthful and very impressive St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius”.

Ivan Hewett, “The Daily Telegraph”  July 11, 2011

“This concert of original compositions was initiated by D. Katkus, who fosters strong ties with the work of O. Balakauskas, and under whose baton the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra has played many of the composer’s works. Not to mention the works of many other of our composers – from diploma compositions of students of the Academy of Music and Theatre to Lithuanian classics. I would say this orchestra is the most prominent representative of Lithuanian contemporary music – and this is a sign that academic culture has not yet totally been uprooted from society’s everyday life… ”

“7 meno dienos”, L. Ligeikaitė, May 15, 2009

“Strings of purest gold: B. Britten’s performance of “Simple Symphony” proved the extraordinance of our guests from Vilnius. ”

“Westfalische Nachrichten”, October 24, 2008

“They play magically!” (after the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra’s performance at the Grudziądz city museum).

Music critic Janas Popis, May 10, 2006

“…what the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of Donatas Katkus, can do with contemporary works demands nerves of steel. The Orchestra mastered very difficult works and performed them wonderfully, with great expressiveness”.
“… that evening, which brought a tingling sensation over the whole audience, resulted in the longest ever round of ovations for the deserving performers”.

“Münsterische Zeitung”, May 23, 2005

“…the still young St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, directed by Donatas Katkus, performed as a quality, prized, virtuoso collective – suited perfectly to precisely this type of music”.

“Nordwest-Zeitung”, May 21, 2005

Osvaldas Balakauskas (composer): “The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra is indeed a friend of Lithuanian composers! It is a collective that gladly plays music by Lithuanian authors in Lithuania and abroad, including it in programmes alongside the most famous world-wide classics”.

Bjorn W. Stalne, Rikskonserter (Stockholm) director: “The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra and its director Donatas Katkus – simply the finest chamber orchestra in the world”.

“Lietuvos žinios”, February 20, 2004

“The St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra’s concert is one of the leading events in the Dalarna Year of Music. Professional! Sublime! Brimming with virtuosity!”

FIC, July 4, 2003

“Already in the very beginning the orchestra demonstrated its high class level. This collective of musicians (most of them quite young) played compactly and precisely, paying great attention to the smallest details”

“Gefle Dagblad”, July 4, 2003

“The orchestra belongs among the absolute Lithuanian musical elite”.

“What a pair! Lithuanian conductor Donatas Katkus and Swedish soprano Kerstin Avemo are united by a profound musical mutual understanding”.

“Vestman lands tidning”, July 4, 2003

“Together here with the excellent St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra from Lithuania, led by Donatas Katkus, Kerstin Avemo made the audience at the premiere rise up and stamp their feet crying out in praise”.

“Boguslanningen med Dals Dagbald”, July 1, 2003

“Sensational – and that’s no overstatement. This is how we could describe the concert in Grippsholm Castle that featured soprano Kerstin Avemo and the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra from Lithuania, directed by the dynamic maestro Donatas Katkus”.

“Eskilstuna Kuriren”, June 30, 2003

“We were captivated by the technical equilibrium of the orchestra’s members, playing, singing and whispering together… freely, with a twist of jazz”.

“Lietuvos rytas”, August 1, 2000

“When a chamber orchestra can do swing, it leaves an impression. Especially in a work of such acrobatic rhythms as T. Kutavičius’ suite “In Jazz”. An especially when they play, scat and sing together with such masterful ease and bravura”.

“7 meno dienos”, July 28, 2000

“Interpreting the work “Memories of Florence”, the chamber orchestra revealed their best sides. The performance was stylistically precise, detailed and tasteful. We were beguiled by the harmonious sound and expressive dialogues among the orchestra groups”.

“7 meno dienos”, July 21, 2000

“The interpretation of P. Tchaikovsky’s “Memories of Florence” brought out the orchestra’s strong points – dynamic and technical nimbleness…, the desire to subtly convey the syntax and logic of the melodic lines…, and to sustain an optimal balance among the seperate orchestra groups”.

“Lietuvos rytas”, July 18, 2000

“Very distinct passages where the orchestra measures each and every tone, a determined manner of playing stringed instruments which followed an exciting pizzicato, and then a gentle, mesmerizing conclusion”.

“Hessische neueste Anzeiger” (Germany), September 28, 1999

“the orchestra appeared mobile; perfectly, dynamically, precisely and very colourfully reacting to D. Katkus’ conducting”.

“Ruhr Nachrichten” (Germany), August 24, 1999

“the gentleness of the sound, yet not overly rich, and without a doubt harmoniously in tune with one another – chamber music of the highest quality”.

 “Westfalische Nachrichten” (Germany), June 24, 1996