EuroLiszt Festival | “Gypsy or Franciscan?”

October 17–18 brings a very special occasion to Paliesius Manor! We are proud to host the inaugural EuroLiszt Festival, an international piano music festival. This year’s theme is “Gypsy or Franciscan?”, with Mūza Rubackytė serving as the festival’s artistic director.

The festival is dedicated to Franz Liszt—one of the most brilliant creators and personalities in the history of European music. Throughout the festival, Liszt will be revealed as a European humanist, a modernist, and a mediator of cultures—not merely a composer or piano icon, but a figure who devoted his life to uniting disparate cultures, nations, artistic movements, and spiritual ideals.

The festival’s artistic director is world-renowned pianist Mūza Rubackytė, who for over three decades has consistently cultivated international projects that connect Lithuania with the European musical tradition. The paramount goal of her work is to build a bridge between Lithuania and Europe through the art of music.

Paliesius Manor was chosen for this festival with thoughtful intent. In the 19th century, European musical culture lived within salons, manors, and aristocratic spaces—not merely as a concert performance, but as a rich social and spiritual experience. It was precisely in such settings that Liszt performed during the “Glanzperiode” of his touring years, playing for monarchs, high society, and the intellectual centers of Europe. Paliesius Manor allows us to revive this tradition: the close bond between performer and listener, the intimacy of the experience, and the true spirit of chamber music. Through live, world-class, international artistry, the festival also seeks to breathe life back into historic manors as sites of cultural heritage, reclaiming a tradition that was lost during the Soviet era.

Mūza Rubackytė is a Lithuanian pianist, born in Lithuania and currently residing in Paris, Vilnius, and Geneva. She made her debut at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic at the age of seven, graduated from the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, and studied at the Lithuanian Conservatory (now the LMTA). After becoming a laureate of the All-Union Competition and winning the prestigious Liszt-Bartók Piano Competition in Budapest (1981), she became the first Lithuanian pianist to achieve international recognition after a long hiatus. Having lost the trust of the Soviet authorities, she was stripped of her passport and the right to perform abroad for seven years; however, immediately after the restoration of independence, she furthered her studies in Paris, earning a diploma from the École Normale de Musique de Paris and becoming a laureate of the Les Grands Maîtres Français international competition.

Today, she performs across all continents, appearing in such prestigious venues as London’s Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, Rio de Janeiro’s Teatro Municipal, and Tokyo’s Casals Hall, as well as in destinations like Morocco, Malaysia, Singapore, Mozambique, and Puerto Rico. She collaborates with renowned orchestras in Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia. M. Rubackytė performs with many top-tier US orchestras and has worked with the symphonic ensembles of Santiago’s Teatro Municipal, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Lausanne, alongside various French collectives. She also receives significant attention from prominent radio stations, such as Radio Suisse Romande and Radio France.

At exclusive festivals, she has performed F. Liszt’s complete “Years of Pilgrimage” cycle and his “Transcendental Études”, and at the Montpellier Festival, she performed D. Shostakovich’s “24 Preludes and Fugues”. Composer K. Penderecki regularly invited the pianist to perform his piano concerto “Resurrection”, dedicated to the memory of the victims of September 11.

Her repertoire includes more than 40 programs, and her discography features over 30 CDs, which have earned international awards (the Grand Prix from the Hungarian Liszt Society, the Diapason d’Or, and recognition from BBC Music Magazine).

M. Rubackytė is a distinguished pedagogue, a longtime professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, a leader of international masterclasses, and a jury member for prestigious competitions. In 2022, she chaired the jury for the Eurovision Young Musicians competition, and in 2024, she was a resident artist for The Gilmore Foundation.

M. Rubackytė is the founder and artistic director of the biennial Vilnius Piano Festival, established in 2009, which enjoys astounding international success, hosts winners of prestigious competitions, and features world premieres. In 2017, the national “Lisztofonija” competition was established on her initiative, encouraging pianists to deepen their knowledge of Liszt. She is also the president of the Liszt association “LISZTuania” in Lithuania. Her contributions as an ambassador have been significant for events such as the 150th anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis’s birth (2025), the Lithuanian Season in France (2024), the Centenary of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania (2018), and Vilnius – European Capital of Culture (2009).

The pianist is a laureate of the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts (2006) and has been awarded state orders and medals. She has been honored with the “LT Identity” award (2006) and the title of “Lithuanian Woman of the Year” (2014), and was the first to receive the Lithuanian National Philharmonic’s award—the “I Serve Music” badge of honor (2021). In 2012, she was presented with the Pro Hungarica prize by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture, and in 2024, she received the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary for her contributions to Hungarian culture.

In 2020, her autobiographical book “Née sous un piano” (Born Under a Piano) was published, and in 2024, the creative documentary film “Mūza” was released, earning nominations in three categories at the Silver Crane (Sidabrinė Gervė) awards.

Thomas Kelly is a British pianist distinguished by his mature interpretations of Franz Liszt and Romantic piano music. He studied at the Purcell School for Young Musicians and the Royal College of Music in London. At the latter, he is a Benjamin Britten Fellow, holding one of the institution’s highest honors.

He actively performs in the United Kingdom and across Europe, participating in international competitions and festivals. In 2026, he became a finalist (one of three) at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Utrecht. He also reached the finals of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2021, won second prize at the Hastings International Piano Competition in 2022, and has been a laureate of competitions such as Pianale International, Kharkiv Assemblies, Lucca Virtuoso e Bel Canto, and the Theodor Leschetizky Competition. In 2024, he received the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Rose Bowl award.

Attila Szaniszló is a Hungarian pianist noted for his mature interpretations of the works of Franz Liszt. Born in 2005 in Karcag (Hungary), he grew up in Romania, and since the age of thirteen has been studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s studies under professors Kálmán Dáfai and Gábor Farkas, and has further honed his skills in masterclasses with Yoheved Kaplinsky and William Grant Naboré.

He performs actively in Hungary and abroad, participating in international festivals and competitions. In 2026, at the PianoTexas International Festival & Academy, he won the Young Artists Concerto Competition and performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, playing Franz Liszt’s First Piano Concerto. Among his most prominent achievements are the Grand Prix and first place at the International Franz Liszt Competition for Young Pianists (2024), first place at the Orbetello International Piano Competition (2022), the Junior Prima award (2025), and other international accolades. He is currently preparing for the 2026 International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Budapest.

Simonas Miknius is a young-generation Lithuanian pianist and the winner of the “Lisztofonija V” competition. He began playing the piano at the age of seven. Having graduated from the Kaunas J. Gruodis Conservatory, he is continuing his studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. He has performed with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra, the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, the Vytautas Magnus University Chamber Orchestra, and other ensembles. His repertoire encompasses Baroque, Romantic, and contemporary piano music, with a special focus on the works of Franz Liszt.

He has won second place and a special prize at the International F. Chopin Youth Competition in Poland, the Grand Prix at the “Music Without Borders” competition in Lithuania, third place at the César Franck International Piano Competition in Brussels, and first place at “La Note Céleste” in Paris.

VU Joint Choir is a combined ensemble composed of singers from three Vilnius University (VU) choirs: Gaudeamus, Virgo, and Pro musica.

The VU choirs are renowned both for their individual achievements and for their collaborative programs and projects, such as KLASIKA VISIEMS (Classics for All), where they present large-scale works alongside orchestras and soloists. All three VU choirs have earned laureate titles in numerous international competitions and are recognized among the strongest choirs in Lithuania. They participate in festivals worldwide, perform in famous European concert halls, and have sung for audiences in the US, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Japan. In France, the joint VU Choir performed F. Liszt’s “Via crucis” with Mūza Rubackytė—a concert that was met with immense success.

The VU Joint Choir is led by conductor Rasa Gelgotienė, the artistic director and chief conductor of the Vilnius University choir Pro musica. While still a student, R. Gelgotienė worked as a concertmaster at the Lithuanian State Conservatory, and later served as the choirmaster of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Children’s Choir.

She currently also directs the other two Vilnius University choirs: the Virgo girls’ choir and the Gaudeamus academic choir.

With these three choirs, R. Gelgotienė has achieved great success—winning top prizes in over 30 international and national competitions and participating in more than 50 international festivals. The choirs she directs have been heard by audiences in over 25 European countries, as well as in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, and Japan.

R. Gelgotienė is also a presidium member of the Lithuanian Choral Union, a member of the creative groups for the Lithuanian Song Festivals, a conductor for the World Lithuanian Song Festivals and the Gaudeamus Baltic Students’ Song Festivals, and an expert-consultant for choirs in the Alytus County.