Each year the Lithuanian Film and TV makers are nominated for Silver Crane Awards. The nominations are received in the categories of the best feature, TV, short, documentary films, animation and student work. Silver Crane Awards are given for the best director, screen writer, cinematographer, actor, actress, support actor and composer. There is also a Golden Crane Award for a distinguished filmmaker for his/her live time achievements in Lithuanian film making. Hot Dog (directed by Allan van O.T. Andersen) has been nominated for Composer's Silver Crane Award. The music has been composed by Titas Petrikis.

Just in one year The Collectress (directed by Kristina Buozyte) visited Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), Kinoshock (Russia), Arsenals (Latvia), Cinesfest Miskolc (Hungary), Pusan IFF (Korea), San Paulo IFF (Brazil), Valencia IFF (Spain), Lubeck, Mannheim-Heidelberg, Cottbus (Germany), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Cairo IFF, (Egypt).

The film returns back to Europe. This time it comes to the DAYS OF EUROPEAN FILM, Czech Republic. What makes it unique about the film is that it raises a fundamental issue for nowadays society. In the abundance of media, people can not escape virtual reality, which bombards them with fake emotions on screen. We generate cyber relationships, and they sometimes become more important than our family members and friends living close to us.

Hot Dog is a short film about young man Adam, who is given an extra chance to change his destiny. Adam is late for his girlfriend's birthday dinner and that spoils his relationship with her. On his way into the lonely city, God arrives as a salesman of hot dogs. He gives Adam three wishes, but in return the young man has to eat three hot dogs. Will he escape his destiny and be able to return his girlfriend back?

The film is directed by Allan van O.T. Andersen (a Danish filmmaker, currently living in Vilnius, Lithuania). Titas composed the music, which was produced by Tadas Sileika.
"When Tadas heard the music in a computer version, he insisted we should definitely go for a live recording. I said we were really short in time with post-production and probably barely could plan the live recording. But I was amazed how promptly Tadas managed to gather all these musicians, find a place to record and get the process going", says Titas. There were 10 musicians playing at the recording session.

Vilnius Orchestra (conductor Tadas Sileika, director Dalia Sileikiene) will hold a concert dedicated to the Independence Day of Lithuania. The concert will take place at Bernardinai church (http://www.bernardinai.lt/parapija/) after the service on February 16, 2009. The evening service starts at 5pm, shortly after that (around 6pm) the concert begins. The program will consist of the compositions in various genres by Lithuanian and foreign composers. A special guest soprano singer Rasa Juzukonyte (www.juzukonyte.com) will perform several songs.
Titas has composed three compositions (arranged by Tadas Sileika), which will be premiered at the concert as well.
Everyone is invited to come and join the celebration.

Titas congratulates Vilnius Orchestra, which celebrates 10 years of its rebirth. This orchestra conducted by Tadas Sileika and managed by Dalia Sileikiene achieved an established status in the cultural life of Lithuania. Known for performing the music, which is rarely performed by other commercial orchestras, Vilnius Orchestra usually attracts abundant audiences to their concerts.

Titas composed a dedicated composition named "The Nocturne". It was performed as the final piece of their Anniversary performance at Vilnius University. Tadas Sileika besides bringing this joyful and romantic music to live, also did the full arrangement score.

The concert took place at the Theater Aula of Vilnius University, December 16, 2008.

New York City (October 18-19, 2008) gathered almost twenty film composers from the entire world to improve their skills in orchestration. The composers from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, England, Taiwan and the United States came to a workshop held by Steven Scott Smalley, who is an established musician and orchestrator in Hollywood. A two-day session provides composers not only with great handy tools of making their orchestra sound better. It inspires to create music with those new skills in mind. Scott is a great teacher and he manages to tell important details to each of the composers, no matter what experience they may have.

When introduced that I come from Lithuania, Scott was excited that I am his first Lithuanian student on the long list of over two thousand American and international students.

Lithuania hosted 10th International Congress on Musical Signification (ICMS 10) October 21-25, 2008. A four-day event focused on various aspects of musicology, including film music. The Congress is organized since 1986 and has venues every two or three years. The scholars and speakers from Europe and the United States come to share the newest developments of musicology as well as discuss the new trends in music. The organizers of Vilnius Congress decided to invite the scholars to discuss the matters under the main theme of Before and After Music. It is also new for this event to expand the session on film music. One of the organizers of ICMS 10, Darius Kucinskas (PhD), invited Titas Petrikis to make a report on contemporary changes in treating film sound and music. The report covered how film sound technologies from historical perspective allowed filmmakers to improve their capabilities in dealing with film sound and music. New digital technologies allow filmmakers to have precise sound and music manipulation tools. The report discussed how this technological advancement may improve film soundtrack.

The Picture Gallery of M.K.Ciurlionis Museum opens its door to the fifth annual show "Art + Art to Communicate". This year the organizers put emphasis on the implementation of the sound in arts. The usage of the sonic elements in modern art installations is recent. The artists often employ sound to create unusual art environments or form a particular emotion of their installations.

Titas was invited to compose sound for two installations. Egle Bernatonyte's umbrellas under the roof required the sound of storm and rain. Monika Stasiulionyte was aiming to scare small children while they are searching for a yellow ball hidden under the dozen of small toy-buckets.

For the third year Film Music Magazine presents an exclusive national conference for film composers. The event sums up the trends in film and game music industry. The panel presentations made by established composers discussed interesting topics: the art and craft of composing for indie films, composer business issues, music libraries and digital distribution of music, and many others..

Most of the speakers agreed that digital age brings new opportunities and challenges for composer. New technology helps to ease the process of composing, nevertheless music performed and recorded by real musicians has better quality in it. The directors and producers seldom feel the difference between real performance and computer generated sound. Part of the composer's job is to communicate the importance of live sound.

The Lithuanian televisions start autumn by announcing new shows and programs. The filmmakers are busy with either shooting the films or developing new stories. It looks like everybody is busy and working. But where is FUN? The fun is around the corner, I would say. It is fun when today is somehow different from yesterday. When I learn the new things which make me to remember a particular day - this is an interesting life!

Tadas Sileika (Vilnius Orchestral Music Fans) invited me to the opening of their new orchestra season. Each orchestra player makes a stop in their casual jobs and comes to the beautiful nature camp near the lakes of Trakai. The camp, located in Daugirdiskes, usually attracts wedding parties, but last week (Aug 18-21) the sound of orchestral music was well heard in the vicinities. The Vilnius Orchestral Music Fans gathered to have a good time together: playing music or basketball.