Students Bring Baltic Sounds to Joslyn Castle in Free UNO Piano Concert

April 14th, 2026

A free concert at Joslyn Castle on April 21st will feature music from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, performed by students who have spent the semester fully immersed in the repertoire.

Most piano recitals happen in a concert hall, in front of an audience that already loves classical music. The University of Nebraska at Omaha School of Music piano studio takes a different approach.

This semester, students have performed at a shopping mall, a museum, a retirement home, and a community hall in Lincoln. They have played on keyboards in libraries when no piano was available. On Tuesday, April 21st, they will bring that same spirit to Joslyn Castle in a free concert open to anyone who wants to attend.

Why Baltic Music

The concert, titled From Baltic Light to American Horizons, focuses on music from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, three countries whose classical traditions are rarely featured in Nebraska concert halls.

The timing carries special meaning. This year marks the 30th anniversary of Omaha’s Sister City relationship with Kaunas, Lithuania. Dr. Christine Yonina-Taylor, director of the piano studio, has a personal connection. Her former classmate, Lithuanian pianist Ramantas Vingras, whose family helped establish that Sister City partnership, visited Omaha this spring to perform for her students. His visit brought a new sense of purpose to the project.

More Than Just Performing

What sets this studio apart is how students prepare for performance. Each semester, they choose a theme together. Every student selects a piece, researches the composer, and explores the history and culture behind the music before ever stepping on stage.

For this project, that meant diving into twentieth century composers from the Baltic states, alongside American voices like Samuel Barber and a lesser known side of Aaron Copland. The goal is not just to learn the notes, but to understand the story behind them.

Support Behind the Scenes

The work extends beyond the practice room, and it would not happen without support. UNO Service Learning Academy has helped coordinate transportation, meals, and venues for the studio’s outreach performances.

Just last week, the program helped bring nearly one hundred high school students from three schools to campus to hear the pianists perform.

Roman Constantino, a graduate assistant with the Academy, has been instrumental in connecting the studio with venues across the city. For him, the most meaningful part is seeing the interaction between performers and audiences.

“The connection between musicians and audience is something that really means a lot to me,” he said. “I get to see that from an objective perspective, and it is something special.”

Why It Matters

Dr. Taylor believes live performance offers something irreplaceable. Pianists deal with real world challenges such as stuck pedals, out of tune keys, or even broken strings. There is no switching instruments in the middle of a piece. They adapt, and they keep going.

“It is a really important part of just humanity,” she said. “Being a musician and celebrating that art with other people. We all know the value. We just have to get out there and show it.”

The concert is free and open to the public. Doors at Joslyn Castle open at 6 p.m., and the music begins at 7 p.m.