On July 24th, in celebration of the festival’s anniversary, audiences will witness a spectacular opera evening featuring one of Lithuania’s most renowned tenors, Edgaras Montvidas, the Ukrainian baritone already familiar to Lithuanian audiences, Andrei Bondarenko, and the exceptional Australian soprano, Lauren Fagan.
The evening’s program will showcase grand and festive opera and operetta arias and duets, creating an extraordinary musical celebration. “Opera Under the Stars” is a unique experience that is worth witnessing at least once in a lifetime. Opera enthusiasts travel hundreds of kilometers each year to hear outstanding performances in unique settings. The “Midsummer Vilnius” festival offers this opportunity right in the heart of Vilnius – beneath the open midsummer sky.
Lauren Fagan Australian soprano Lauren Fagan is an outstanding opera soloist, praised by critics for her “shimmering, powerful voice” and “impressive dramatic intensity.” She was a member of the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artists Program.
Fagan’s repertoire spans both lyric and dramatic roles, from Countess Almaviva (“The Marriage of Figaro”) to Margarita Xirgu (“Ainadamar”), Giulietta (“The Tales of Hoffmann”), and Gutrune (“Götterdämmerung”). She debuted at the Paris Opera and Bavarian State Opera with Marina Abramović’s performance “7 Deaths of Maria Callas” and has graced major stages, including Covent Garden, Zurich Opera, the Canadian Opera Theatre, and the Glyndebourne Festival.
On the concert stage, she has collaborated with conductors such as Sir Antonio Pappano, Kirill Petrenko, Simone Young, and Gustavo Gimeno, performing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Handel’s “Messiah,” Verdi’s “Requiem,” and Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs.”
In the international opera world, Fagan is renowned not only for her expressive vocals but also for her compelling stage presence, seamlessly combining technical mastery with deep emotional expression.
Andrei Bondarenko Ukrainian baritone Andrei Bondarenko, described by Financial Times as a “compelling central force,” has successfully built an international career and is one of the most prominent opera performers of his generation. He has taken on leading roles in prestigious productions such as “Eugene Onegin” (Deutsche Oper Berlin, The Dallas Opera, Glyndebourne Festival), “Don Giovanni” (Glyndebourne Festival, Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro Verdi di Padova), “Le nozze di Figaro” (Teatro Real, Opera Australia, Bolshoi Theatre), “La Bohème” (Opernhaus Zürich, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), and “Così fan tutte” (Opernhaus Zürich, Oper Köln, Glyndebourne Festival).
A frequent guest at the world’s most esteemed opera houses, Bondarenko has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Ivor Bolton, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Teodor Currentzis. His career also includes notable recordings, such as “Le nozze di Figaro” (as Conte) with Sony Classics, Rachmaninoff’s songs with Iain Burnside for Delphian Records, and more.
Born in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, Bondarenko was a member of the Mariinsky Young Singers Academy and won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize in 2011, as well as first place in the international vocal competition “Art in the 21st Century” in Vorzel, Ukraine. He currently resides in Vienna with his family.
Opera under the stars
Edgaras Montvidas Having completed his studies at LMTA under the tutelage of Professor Virgilijus Noreika, Edgaras Montvidas is one of Lithuania’s most acclaimed opera soloists in both the country and Europe. He undertook an internship at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
His international career gained momentum in 2003 when he replaced an ill tenor in the role of Alfredo in “La Traviata” at Covent Garden. Today, Edgaras is invited to perform in prestigious opera houses such as Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Hamburg, Berlin State Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Lyon, Santa Fe (USA), Copenhagen, Paris’ Opéra-Comique and Champs-Élysées, Amsterdam, Vienna’s MusikTheater an der Wien, and many others.
He has also performed at distinguished opera festivals, including Aix-en-Provence, Glyndebourne, and Vienna’s Festwochen. His repertoire is extensive, spanning from Monteverdi to Berg, from Mozart to Stravinsky. Montvidas has embodied more than 50 roles, including Werther, Des Grieux (“Manon”), Alfredo, The Duke, Titus (“La Clemenza di Tito”), Erik (“The Flying Dutchman”), Tom Rakewell (Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress”), Don José, Alwa (Berg’s “Lulu”), and many others.
Edgaras has performed in nearly all major concert halls across Europe, the USA, and Japan alongside world-renowned conductors and orchestras, including Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Antonio Pappano, Charles Dutoit, Pierre Boulez, François-Xavier Roth, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Thomas Adès, and more. His discography includes numerous CD and DVD recordings.
He regularly collaborates with leading Lithuanian theaters and orchestras and performs his own recitals. For his contributions to Lithuanian culture, Montvidas has been awarded the Order “For Merits to Lithuania,” the Ministry of Culture’s honorary badge “Carry Your Light and Believe,” and the Kaunas City Municipality’s award – the Kaunas Mayor Vileišis Medal. He received the Golden Stage Cross in 2009 for his role as Werther in “Werther” (VCO) and again in 2020 for his role as Alfredo in “La Traviata” (LNOBT). In 2023, he was honored with the Lithuanian National Prize for Culture and Arts.
Edgaras Montvidas also serves as the artistic director of the Pažaislis Music Festival and is a visiting professor at LMTA.
