The 2021 is the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust which is being commemorated worldwide. To mark this painful anniversary, one of the most promising composers of the younger generation in Lithuania, Jievaras Jasinskis, and shofarist Tadas Daujotas have presented a bespoke music project “Symphony from Jerusalem of the North”. The premiere of which took place on 23 September, on the occasion of the Lithuanian Jewish Genocide Day, in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.

This contemporary symphony is unique and one of its kind. The classical music intertwines with Lithuanian and Hebrew folklore motifs, Middle Eastern melodies, and jazz elements. The album was recorded by world-renowned sound engineer Vilius Keras. and performed by the Vilnius City Municipality St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra (chief conductor and artistic director Modestas Barkauskas) and 14 guest classical, jazz, and folk musicians from Lithuania and Israel.
 
The album is given a special colour by the ancient Hebrew Shofar horns, the delicate sounds of the kanklės and the birbynė and the melodies of archaic Middle Eastern instruments such as the Persian tar, saz, and Hurdy-Gurdy. These instruments were brought to Lithuania by Yaron Cherniak, a multi-instrumentalist from Israel, who visited our country in autumn 2021, bringing exotic flavours to the sound of the album. According to music experts, the interweaving of Middle Eastern music with classical music, Lithuanian folklore, elements of klezmer and jazz is a unique and, perhaps for the first time in history, a world music experiment.