A Night at the Opera
A Concert by the Lithuanian Opera Chorus, Chicago, from the Aleksandras Plenys Collection
at the Balzekas Museum
Put on your finery, pour some champagne, and join us for
A Night at the Opera
Starting on Friday, Nov. 27, 2021 at 7PM Central Time, the Balzekas Museum will host “A Night at the Opera”, an online preview of select, newly digitized Chicago Lithuanian Opera productions and concerts recorded by videographer Aleksandras Plenys from the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture video and music archives.
The season opens with a lively Zoom concert recorded in November, 1993, during “Operos balius”–the Lithuanian Opera Ball–an annual event which for many years was a highlight of the Chicago Lithuanian social calendar.
Concert Admission:
Minimum $10 donation
Bonus:
Watch live commentary by former members of the Chicago Lithuanian Opera Company chorus.
The Balzekas of Lithuanian Culture has embarked on an important project to digitize an extensive collection of videos originally filmed by videographer Aleksandras Plenys. The collection is comprised of several hundred VHS recordings documenting events, concerts, operas, plays, and masses held over several decades in Lithuanian communities in the United States and Canada. The Museum is committed to digitize the Plenys collection to ensure that the original VHS recordings do not further deteriorate and has partnered for this special project with the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library in Vilnius, Lithuania. Digitized copies of the Plenys videos will be preserved on the Library’s globally accessible data bank, Epaveldas – the data bank of digital heritage content of libraries, museums and archives, as well as on the Balzekas Museum’s website.
The Balzekas Museum is proud to announce that the digitization and presentation of the Plenys video collection of the Chicago Lithuanian Opera Company productions has been selected for the Chicago Department of Culture and Special Events “Music in the Key of Chicago”. Begun in 2020, this yearlong celebration of Chicago music has now bben extended through 2021! Read more here>>>
Thank You – Ačiū!
This program is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Humanities, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), CityArts, the Lithuanian Foundation, and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, as well as contributions from Museum members and private donors. The Balzekas Museum gratefully acknowledges these contributors for their generous support.
Coming Soon:
An exhibit of Lithuanian Opera Company posters designed by artist Ada Sutkus
Vytauto Klovos’ “Pilėnai” a production by the Lithuanian Opera Company, Chicago. Poster by Ada Sutkus, from the collection of Opera posters and programs at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture