Nylon Curtain. Exchanges between Lithuanian and Polish Musicians during the Cold War

The article focuses on the musical exchanges between Lithuania and Poland during the Cold War period through the analysis of vertical (centralised institutions of the USSR) and horizontal (inter-institutional cooperation) cultural relations. It identifies the role of the central Soviet institutions – the Goskoncert of the USSR (the State Concert Association) and the Union of Composers of the USSR – in controlling international musical exchanges. The synchronisation and discrepancies of political and cultural processes are revealed, and the impact and counteraction of musical exchanges and relations between the Lithuanian SSR and the People’s Republic of Poland (PRP) on the contemporary music scenes in the two neighbouring countries are discussed.