The loss was announced on the social network “Facebook”, on the Klaipėda Jewish community’s account. He was 77 years old.
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“Benhardas Calzonas 1948-2026
We lost the composer and community member Benhardas Calzonas – a creator whose music resonated for many years in Lithuanian pop and theaters. Born and raised in Šiauliai, the artist connected his life with Klaipėda and the Klaipėda Drama Theatre. He composed music for plays, songs, and collaborated with well-known Lithuanian performers – Stasys Povilaitis, Simonas Donskovas, Birutė Petrikytė, Edmundas Kučinskas, and others. Colleagues and friends will remember him as a warm-humored, creative person close to theater people, who left a vivid mark on Lithuanian cultural life. We express our sincere condolences to the relatives, friends, and all who knew
Benhardas.
Passing from this world on Shabbat is a special sign. It is associated with a special spiritual merit or God’s favor.
Baruch dayan emet!”, – it is written on the account.
It is also announced here when and where the farewell with the well-known man will take place.
“The farewell will take place on Friday from 3 PM until Saturday 1 PM, Priestočio St. 7, large hall, please no wreaths or baskets,” – it is written in the Klaipėda Jewish community’s comment.
The artist was also honored In Memoriam by Klaipėda public figure and politician Vytautas Grubliauskas.
“In Memoriam
Benhardas Calzonas (1948 – 2026)
A painful loss has shaken Lithuanian culture and the Jewish community – at the age of 78, we lost the talented composer, master of melodic pop, and an exceptional personality Benhardas Calzonas. His passing from this world on Shabbat is accepted in the community tradition as a special sign – a testimony of spiritual merit, soul light, and God’s favor.
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Benhardas was born and raised in Šiauliai. Here, surrounded by the remnants of the interwar intelligentsia spirit, he took his first musical steps, and laid serious creative foundations studying at the Šiauliai Higher Music School. Having early felt a calling for melody, he did not limit himself to one genre: his heart beat for both theater and the large pop stage.
Klaipėda became the true harbor of the artist, where he spent the most mature years of his life. With his characteristic subtle humor, calling himself an “independent composer,” B. Calzonas became an inseparable part of the Klaipėda Drama Theatre. His music for plays (including the legendary director Povilas Gaidys’s play “Oscar and Mrs. Rose,” which created a sensitive musical atmosphere) gave stage works additional depth, sensitivity, and emotional power.
In the history of Lithuanian pop, B. Calzonas’s name is written in golden letters. He was the creator whose melodies resonated in the hearts of thousands of listeners, and the brightest stage stars entrusted performing them. The composer’s original songs, such as “Santaka,” “Gyvenimas,” “Jūra mums ošia,” or “Basi ant asfalto,” preserved in LRT archives and original albums “Nuo… Iki,” became classics. They were sung by Stasys Povilaitis, Simonas Donskovas, Birutė Petrikytė, Edmundas Kučinskas, Viktoras Malinauskas, and the group “Studija.” These works stood out with a romantic bossa nova spirit, elegance, and impeccable melodic taste.
Friends, colleagues, and theater people will remember Benhardas not only as a demanding creator but also as an incredibly warm, noble, lively soul of the community, whose witty word and bright humor instantly warmed any environment. He left a deep, indelible mark on our culture, and his created music will remain a living witness to the spiritual wealth he so generously shared.
We express sincere and deep condolences to the family, relatives, friends, colleagues, and the entire community,” wrote V. Grubliauskas.
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