From wind to rain: Šiauliai was enchanted by the magic of the three-day speech and music festival "And the lake has ears"

In 2024 In Šiauliai, the three-day speech and music festival "And the lake has ears" was held for the fourth time. The magic of the festival enveloped three different spaces of the city - Lakes Rėkyva, Talkša and Prūdels pond, where not only music spread, but also poetry, theater and other arts. Each of these places had its own character and beauty, as if reflecting the entire diversity of the lakes of the Šiauliai region, and on the last day of the festival, the patience of the spectators was tested by an unexpected downpour. The organizers hope that not only the lakes, but also the festival itself became a source of inspiration for the artists, and gave the audience a cozy atmosphere.
The organizer is the Šiauliai Cultural Center. Financed by the Lithuanian Culture Council and Šiauliai City Municipality. Friends - Hotel-Restaurant "Žvejų užeiga" and "Šiauliai Deaf Center". Image of Eglė Narbutaitė.

The organizers of the festival chose three different lakes for the event - Rękyva, Talkša and Prudelis ponds - like three different scenes, revealing various shades of music and poetry. The first day of the festival started at Lake Rękyva, where on a windy day the listeners were captivated by the project "Waters" by the contemporary electronic music artist "nim" and the unique performance "Jonvabalii sonatas" by three creators - actress Lina Jankauskaitė-Peleckienė, saxophonist Ned Laton and cellist Ilona Butkutė-Gasickienė .

The second day of the festival moved to Lake Talkša, where actor and dramatist Raimondas Klezys gave a one-man play "Aries" on stage, music performer and creator Remis Rančys invited to listen to the "Green Concert".

The closing of the festival took place at the cozy Prudel pond. Here, the evening started with the group "Kopanugaris", which ignited not only the audience, but also nature - the unexpected rain tested the audience's patience. Undaunted by the rain, the festival's hardiest spectators enjoyed the culmination of the evening - the solo post-electro-flamenco music and dance performance "Human, Lost & Found" by the French artist Phil Von. Both performances impressed the audience with their virtuosity, sensuality and energy.

The festival program was enriched by the open-air poetry exhibition "Mintys bangose", which was open for all three days of the festival, where the works of young authors were exhibited, including poems by the Šiauliai Deaf Center community. Each poem is like a separate world, full of feelings, thoughts and experiences: some invited you to explore the depths of love, others to indulge in philosophical reflections, and others to simply enjoy the sound and imagery of the language.

The organizers of the event would like to thank the translators of the Šiauliai Regional Department of Lithuanian Sign Language Assessment, who gave everyone the opportunity to enjoy the festival.

The word and music festival "And the lake has ears" once again proved that Šiauliai is a living and pulsating cultural city. The event brought together representatives of various art fields and brought together a large audience who enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and creative performances.

The information is provided by cultural event organizer Erika Novikovė of the Šiauliai Cultural Center Event Organization Department, mobile. +370 678 46 145, e-mail erika.novikove@siauliukc.lt.

Liubov Yarmoshenko's photo.