LMTA’s Culture Night Travels Across Lithuania
On the night of June 12, 2026, Vilnius will stay awake — the city will pulse with music, art, and live encounters. One of the highlights of the “Culture Night” festival will take place in Lukiškės Square, where from 8:00 PM until 1:00 AM audiences will experience the piano music marathon Black and White. The event will feature performances by the most talented pianists of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), while at midnight one of Lithuania’s most renowned pianists, Petras Geniušas, will present a special recital.
For the third consecutive year, Black and White is expanding beyond the capital and inviting the whole of Lithuania to experience music together. Alongside Vilnius, seven Lithuanian cities and towns — Dusetos, Jurbarkas, Marijampolė, Babtai, Šilalė, Varėna, and the Kaunas district — will stay awake on the evening of June 12. Residents will gather in town squares, cultural centres, public spaces, and community venues to watch a live broadcast of the piano marathon from Lukiškės Square.
This initiative has become not only a musical event, but also a symbolic cultural bridge between the capital and the regions, uniting different parts of Lithuania. For one summer night, the same music will resonate across the country, creating an atmosphere of togetherness and living culture.
“We are delighted that this year as many as seven Lithuanian cities and towns are opening their public spaces to Culture Night. The initiative, launched two years ago, attracted significant interest, so this year we will broadcast the piano music marathon from Lukiškės Square not to six, but to seven Lithuanian locations. We are eagerly awaiting this special night, preparing for it intensively, and are very happy that Culture Night together with the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre is becoming a beautiful tradition,” says Eglė Kasteckaitė, Head of the LMTA Arts Centre.
The piano music concert Black and White has existed since 2009, when LMTA professor Petras Geniušas gave a memorable recital dedicated to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven during the Culture Night festival in Lukiškės Square. Since 2011, young pianists — the most talented LMTA students and graduates — have joined the project, and their performances continue to form the core of the marathon programme.
Over more than fifteen years, Black and White has become one of the most anticipated events of Culture Night — an open stage for emerging talents and a unique experience for audiences. Every year, the project gathers crowds of music lovers in Lukiškės Square, while the sound of the piano on a summer night has become an inseparable part of Vilnius’ cultural landscape.
This year, the experience expands even further — Black and White invites not only Vilnius, but the whole of Lithuania to come together:
BABTAI / Town Square / Kauno St. 6
DUSETOS / Courtyard by the Kazimieras Būga Library / Vytauto St. 56
JURBARKAS / Cultural Centre / Dariaus ir Girėno St. 94
KAUNAS DISTRICT / Ilgakiemis Leisure Hall of Garliava Cultural Centre / Pajiesio St. 1, Ilgakiemis
MARIJAMPOLĖ / Square near “Spindulys” Cinema / Kauno St. 13
ŠILALĖ / Cultural Centre / J. Basanavičiaus St. 12
VARĖNA / Cinema and Exhibition Hall of the Cultural Centre / J. Basanavičiaus St. 17
PROGRAMME
20:00–23:30 – Piano Music Night Black and White
Performances by LMTA pianists
00:00–01:00 – Recital by pianist Petras Geniušas
Event hosts: students of the LMTA Department of Acting and Directing, actors Dita Klinkaitė and Gustas Vičkačka.
© Photo by Gabija Matkutė
© Design by Vaiva Šatkutė-Marozienė
LMTA Art Centre info
2026 05 19