The 11th North American Lithuanian Song Festival concluded in Cleveland on June 29, marking its return after a 10-year hiatus. The event brought together 1,500 Lithuanian choir singers from the United States, Canada and other parts of the world, uniting them in song and national pride.
For several days, Cleveland was awash in the colours of the Lithuanian flag. The city’s landmark Terminal Tower was lit in yellow, green and red, and the national tricolour flew above City Hall – a vivid reminder of Lithuania’s presence both visually and acoustically.
The festival, which drew more than 2,000 attendees from North America’s Lithuanian communities, has roots dating back to the early postwar period, when displaced Lithuanians sought to preserve their cultural identity through music and tradition.
“I get chills from head to toe,” said Ramutė Kemežaitė-Kazlauskienė, a Lithuanian-American participant. “Lithuanian song lives in my heart and in my home – passed down from my mother.”
The first North American Lithuanian Song Festival was held in Chicago in 1956, modelled after the interwar-era tradition in Lithuania. It became a cultural anchor for postwar immigrants who fled Soviet occupation during World War Two.
“When the displaced people fled Lithuania, they hoped to return. They didn’t want to leave,” Kemežaitė-Kazlauskienė said. “But once they arrived in the US or Canada, preserving their Lithuanian identity became paramount.”
For many, singing remains a lifeline to their heritage.
“I was born in Kaunas just before the end of the war. My family fled, and I grew up in America,” said Sister Ignė Marijošiūtė. “When you lose a part of your cultural identity, you long for it. In the diaspora, you must choose to preserve it. Song and dance are essential.”
Conductor Darius Polikaitis of Chicago recalled being brought to his first festival as a child by his parents. He now leads choirs in these events himself.
“People scattered across North America come together at these festivals, whether for song or dance, to celebrate and reconnect,” Polikaitis said. “There’s a kind of spiritual uplift in that shared experience.”
“This is the biggest event every Lithuanian chorister waits for,” said Asta Vaičekonienė, director of the Seattle Lithuanian Choir. “We sing with deep emotion, because through song we touch the soul of Lithuania – even its very soil.”
The 11th North American Lithuanian Song Festival was held June 27–29 in Cleveland, Ohio.
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