The Panevėžys Jewish Community received honored guests April 20, the family of Dr. Charles Borowsky from the USA.

Members of the Panevėžys city council, deputy mayor Petras Luomanas and Alfonsas Petrauskas received the guests over tea. Borowsky spoke about his family, the beginnings of his musical career, his travels around the world and all the famous people, politicians and scholars he’s met who are in one way or another connected with the world of music. Panevėžys Jewish Community chairman Gennady Kofman said at the meeting the Community works closely with the municipality and carry out joint projects and activities.

Deputy mayor Luomanas praised the Jewish Community for its activities. He also spoke about his family’s connection with music: his wife is a music teacher and has a small orchestra. His wife’s sister is a music teacher in Vilnius and his relatives perform in an Israeli orchestra.

The musical Borowsky family, who perform as the American Virtuosi, have won many musical, social and cultural organization awards in the USA and elsewhere. They’ve performed concerts in North and South America, Europe and Asia, have performed on radio and television and have several CDs out.

Parents Charles Borowsky and Cecylia Barczyk-Borowsky encouraged musical ability in their children. The examples set by their parents and their love of music sent these children on their musical careers. Daughter Elizabeth became a pianist, son Emmanuel a violinist, and the youngest, Frances-Grace, took up cello. All of them began performing concerts at an early age and they have all won many awards and much critical success. In 2004 they all received the Erick Friedman prize for talented young musicians and debuted at Carnegie Hall. The Rhien-Neckar Cultural Foundation has allocated a stipend to the family and the right to live and play music at the Dilsberg castle in Germany. Every summer the Borowsky family teach and perform at the International Music Institute and at the festival at St. Mary’s University in Maryland.

The Jerusalem of Lithuania ensemble, Valentinas Kaplūnas and Boris Traub, two accomplished violinists, accompanied the Borowsky family in Panevėžys.

Charles Borowsky ended the visit with the idea that music united all the people of the world.

The American Virtuosi performed the night before at the Panevėžys Music Theater, attended by about 250 people.