March 5–23, 2025, the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania invites Vilnius residents and visitors to the 11th edition of the International Marco Scacchi Early Music Festival, named after the composer of the first operas staged in Lithuania in the 17th century.
This year's festival is organized with the support of the Embassies of the Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Polish Institute in Vilnius, the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the shopping center Europa.
The Early Music Festival provides an opportunity to explore the musical culture and traditions of Lithuania's historical lands and Western Europe. Six concerts from this year’s rich program are free of charge!
About Marco Scacchi
The renowned Italian composer and theorist Marco Scacchi worked in the court chapel of King Władysław IV Vasa, who was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania, in the first half of the 17th century. He initially played the violin and was later appointed as the chapel’s director. Scacchi composed masses, madrigals, and concertos but is most famous as the composer of the first operas performed in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania since 1636.
Festival director Vytautas Gailevičius states: "This is a fact that every Lithuanian can be proud of, especially knowing that opera was staged in Vilnius earlier than in London or Paris. Unfortunately, most of Marco Scacchi’s works have been lost, and it is our duty to encourage music scholars to continue their research."
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