Jazz In The City | GAJA ir Vytautas Straižys

On the evening of October 24, the warm, emotional vocals of GAJA and the virtuoso piano of Vytautas Straižys will meet on the stage of Downtown Piano Lab. “Jazz in the City” is a lively and elegant jazz evening, where music is not only performed, but also born right there, in front of the audience.

GAJA is one of the most talented jazz vocalists of the young generation. Having studied jazz vocals at the Klaipėda Stasys Šimkus Conservatory, the performer is distinguished by her warm voice timbre, emotionality and courage to improvise. She won 3rd place in the vocal category of the international festival-competition of young jazz performers “Jazz Fontanas 2024”, and later appeared at one of the largest jazz stages in the country – the Klaipėda Castle Jazz Festival.

At the piano – pianist, singer and founder of Downtown Piano Lab Vytautas Straižys. A graduate of the M. K. Čiurlionis Gymnasium of the Arts, who received a master’s degree from the Royal Netherlands Conservatory and the CodArts Academy in Rotterdam, Vytautas combines the subtlety of classical harmony, the freedom of jazz and exceptional musical sensitivity in his music. His concert programs are heard both in cozy club spaces and in large Lithuanian halls.

Aistė and Vytautas have already performed together – their duet is distinguished by natural stage chemistry and the ability to sensitively respond to each other. The voice and piano become equal interlocutors here: one melody can sound fragile and intimate, the other – free, rhythmic and energetic.

The evening’s program will combine the colors of jazz, soul and R&B, time-tested melodies, unexpected interpretations and improvisations, which make each live performance unique and unrepeatable.

This is a concert for those who long for real live music, a close connection with the performers, and an evening after which you don’t want to rush home.

The choir project is partially funded by the Vilnius City Municipality.