Veronika ChiChi – vocals
Dmitrij Golovanov – keys
Jan Maksimovič – sax

Event is free of charge

For several years now, the spring edition of “Kaunas Jazz” has traditionally concluded with a concert at Kaunas Oncology Hospital—both as a gesture of gratitude for the daily work of the medical staff and in memory of the festival’s long-time artistic director, Indrė Jučaitė-Sarneckienė.

This year, the concert will be given by three well-known Lithuanian jazz musicians, all very familiar to “Kaunas Jazz” audiences, presenting a program titled “Life Is Beautiful.”

Two of them are a couple not only on stage but also in everyday life. Singer Veronika ChiChi and pianist Dmitrijus Golovanovas have been performing together for many years, creating music full of color and unexpected turns.

Veronika is one of the most prominent jazz vocalists in Lithuania today and a member of the retro swing vocal group “The Ditties.” In 2018, she released the album “Singer Of A 1000 Faces” with her international quartet—a symbolic title, as her voice effortlessly adapts to a wide range of genres, moods, and colors. Together with Dmitrijus Golovanovas, she released the album “Dedication” in 2016, and in 2021 they presented the warmly intimate program “Jazz from Home,” created during the challenging pandemic period for audiences longing for live concerts. In 2022, her quintet released the album “Namai” (“Home”). Veronika has performed at numerous jazz festivals across Europe, as well as in the USA, and appeared in China with the contemporary opera “Good Day!”

Dmitrijus Golovanovas is one of the leading figures of contemporary Lithuanian jazz (also serving as president of the Lithuanian Jazz Federation). A virtuoso pianist with a deep understanding of the language of jazz, he has shone at the legendary Montreux Jazz Festival and in European jazz competitions. He has received the “Golden Disc” award from the Lithuanian Musicians’ Union and the Grand Prix at the Birštonas Jazz Festival for his contributions to jazz. Golovanovas is involved in numerous jazz projects and ensembles.

He also shares creative collaborations with saxophonist Janas Maksimovičius, who joins the duo for this program. The duo of Dmitrijus and Janas has existed for two decades, and their album “After Čiurlionis,” released last year—featuring improvisations inspired by the works of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis—was nominated this year for the M.A.M.A. music awards. An outstanding and expressive improviser, Janas Maksimovičius is also known as the leader of his own musical groups and has performed with many prominent Lithuanian and international jazz artists.

The program to be performed at “Kaunas Jazz” will feature original compositions sung in Lithuanian alongside world-famous jazz standards celebrating the beauty of life, its joys, and its bright emotions. It will be a gentle and uplifting step from the festival into the approaching summer—guided by a trio of Lithuania’s jazz stars.