- A choir of 80 women and 22 men
- Principal conductors
- Soloists – Ieva Sutugova, Jolanta Strikaite, Atis Zviedris
- Vidzeme Chamber Orchestra
- Accompanying ensemble led by Jēkabs Jančevskis
- Concert hosts – Māra Mennika, Artis Jančevskis
After a decade, the Latvian Women’s and Men’s Choir Festival will once again take place in Cēsis, inviting concert participants and visitors to experience the legend of this gathering together. “Surrounded by the splendor of summer at the Cēsis Castle Park Amphitheater, we will celebrate a gathering of contemporaries, which is a rarity in today’s fast-paced world. Alongside the joy of meeting one another, we will enjoy the encounter of the human voice with nature’s musical score,” says festival director Anna Klišāne.
The concert will feature both choral classics and choral songs composed in recent years by Laura Jēkabsone, Jēkabs Jančevskis, Valts Pūce, and Juris Vaivods, as well as the works of the honoree, Maestro Raimonds Pauls. A cycle by J. Jančevskis, composed specifically for this event with lyrics from Latvian folk songs, will receive its world premiere.
The creative core of the Latvian Women’s and Men’s Choir Festival consists of: artistic director Jurģis Cābulis, director Anna Klišāne, musical director Jēkabs Jančevskis, and scriptwriter Linda Rudene. The festival’s principal conductors will be: Jēkabs Ozoliņš, Arvīds Platpers, Maruta Veļičko, Ainārs Kiserovskis, Ilze Valce, Ingus Leilands, Rudīte Tālberga, Jevgeņijs Ustinskovs, Aira Birziņa, Tālivaldis Gulbis, Jānis Mežinskis, Raimonds Gulbis, Romāns Vanags, and Andris Veismanis.
Following the concert at 9:00 p.m., there will be an open-air dance at Rožu Square, featuring the “Cēsis” brass band.
Tickets are available at Biļešu paradīze ticket offices.
About the Tradition of Latvian Women’s and Men’s Choir Festivals
The tradition of women’s and men’s choir gatherings began in the mid-20th century to strengthen and develop the activities of these types of choirs in Latvia. The voices of women’s and men’s choirs, both separately and together, have resounded at gatherings and festivals in Smiltene, Dobele, Ogre, Preiļi, Ērgļi, Cēsis, Tukums, Jelgava, Liepāja, and elsewhere. The choirs meet every five years.
The Latvian Women’s and Men’s Choir Festival is organized by the Latvian National Culture Center in collaboration with the Cēsis Municipality. It is a significant step toward the XXVIII All-Latvian Song and XVIII Dance Festival in 2028.