Vytenis Rožukas’s Jubilee Evening: Discoveries Regarding the Čiurlionis Genealogy, Symbols of Freedom, and the Sounds of Beatles Music
On October 8, 2026, the Grand Hall of the Lithuanian Writers’ Union hosted a jubilee evening marking the 75th birthday of Vytenis Rožukas—a prose writer, translator, and musician who performed in jazz and rock ensembles.
During the event, the writer read excerpts from his colorful autobiography, while writer and critic Robertas Kundrotas presented an assessment of Rožukas’s body of work. The evening also featured readings from Rožukas’s latest book, “Kraujas. Žudynės. 5 karai” (Blood. Massacres. 5 Wars). In his youth, the honoree was part of the Kaunas hippie movement and knew Romas Kalanta personally; later, on the eve of the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, he wrote extensively about rock culture, freedom, and the psychology of the creative individual. For these contributions and for fostering the memory of R. Kalanta, he was presented with a symbolic token of freedom and remembrance—the Romas Kalanta Medal—during a 2022 conference at the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.
Neringa Češkevičiūtė, Advisor to the Director of the Lithuanian State Historical Archives, attended the ceremony. She presented the results of genealogical research on the Čiurlionis and Rožukas families to the guests and, during the event, handed over archival documents confirming the family ties to the honoree, V. Rožukas.
The remarks by the participants were accompanied by live music: composer and guitarist Artūras Chalikovas played songs by the legendary band The Beatles, while journalist Laimutė Vasiliauskaitė-Rožukienė performed compositions by M. K. Čiurlionis on the piano.
You can find more information about the event and view moments captured by photographer Laura Vansevičienė in the photo album [ here ].