This is the biggest surprise of this year’s competition. The Orchestra was formed on the initiative of Arnas Mikalkėnas, the founder of Kaunas Jazz Academy, and Kęstutis Sova, the leader of the Klaipėda Jazz Orchestra, for the Broma Jazz festival, which took place in August this year. However, the project continues to pursue its aspirations. The Orchestra has already performed at the Ariogala Jazz Festival and has now independently prepared compositions for the VJYP competition.

Ten musicians play in this ensemble. These are students of Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) Academy of Music, Klaipėda Stasys Šimkus Conservatoire and the LAMT as well as pupils of Saulė Gymnasium in Kaunas and the School of Arts in Skuodas. Most of them come from the region of Western Lithuania, where they have graduated from art and music schools.

The core of the Orchestra consists of members of the Klaipėda Jazz Orchestra and students of Kaunas Jazz Academy. Many members of the Orchestra are active on jazz scene with other ensembles.

For the final round of the VJYP competition, the Lithuanian Youth Jazz Orchestra presents a collective composition Bon Bon Paris. The preparation process was supervised by Austėja Marija Kimbartaitė, the Orchestra’s pianist, this time appearing on the VJYP stage in a role of a conductor.

After graduating from Šakiai district art school, Austėja Marija Kimbartaitė studied conducting at Juozas Gruodis Conservatoire in Kaunas. Currently, she studies jazz vocals at the Vytautas Magnus University Academy of Music and jazz piano at the Jazz Academy, as well as works at the Kaunas State Musical Theatre, and leads active performing career.