Country: Lithuania
Director: Darius Daknys
The folk ensemble “Salduvė” at Šiauliai City Culture Centre “Laiptų galerija” was founded in 1986. The ensemble was named after a historical medieval hill-fort called Salduvė Hill located on the eastern outskirts of Šiauliai city. Šiauliai is the center of the county whose territory embraces two bordering Lithuanian ethnic areas: Aukštaitija (Higher Lithuania) and Žemaitija (Samogitia).
Therefore, the repertoire of “Salduvė” consists mainly of songs, dances, instrumental music, games and story-telling originating from these two regions, as well as calendar songs, romances from other Lithuanian ethnographic regions, and contemporary folklore interpretations.
More than 20 participants play music, dance, and sing in the ensemble. Members of the “Salduvė” instrumental group play various Lithuanian folk instruments: violins, bandoneon, basedla (three-stringed folk double-bass), diatonic button accordion, goathorn, lamzdelis (a type of recorder), skudučiai (multi-pipes whistles), daudytės , ragai (wooden trumpets), birbynė (reed-pipe), drum, etc. Members of the folklore ensemble wear national costumes of the ethnographic regions of Aukštaitija and Žemaitija, which are replicas of 19th century clothes preserved in museums.
“Salduvė” delivers many concerts, cherishes and disseminates Lithuanian folk music, choreography and narrative folklore not only in Šiauliai, but also all throughout Lithuania.
The folklore ensemble successfully performed abroad: in Latvia (1993, 2005, 2008, 2013), Czech Republic (1997), Hungary (1998, 2007), Great Britain (1998, 2004), Estonia (1999, 2003, 2010), Denmark (2000, 2013), Portugal (2002, 2009), Spain (2009), Slovakia (2003), Greece (2006), Turkey (2008), Germany (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018), Poland (2016).
“Salduvė” has released 6 music albums and repeatedly participated in Lithuanian radios and television programs.
In 2008, the ensemble “Salduvė” was awarded the nomination as the best Lithuanian city folk ensemble for its excellent creative achievements and received the “Golden Bird” prize.
The ensemble contributes to the organization of the international folk contest-festival “The Flower of the Sun” (“Saulės žiedas”).
Media channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/folkSalduve
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Dz6amvxJ9FY32kcdfBEGa?si=xEMqCbWgSR2VFiWoBbktug
Participation in the Solo/Couple category
