7th Nordic - Baltic Choral festival will be held from 22 - 26 August, 2010 in Helsinki, Finland. 

Information: www.nbchoir.net

State Agency of Intangible Cultural Heritage invites to the II Forum of the Baltic States wind orchestra conductors and ensemble leaders on October 16 - 17, 2010 at Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music.

The program of the Forum as same as in the previous year, will contain master classes of ensemble leaders and wind orchestra conductors, concerts and exhibition. There also will be meetings with musicians from USA, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Application form

Programme

Invitation

6th Nordic - Baltic Choral festival will be held from 17 - 22 August, 2010 in Reykjavik, Iceland. 67 choirs containing 1800 choristers from Nordic and Baltic States will participate. Latvia will be represented by mixed choir „Ogre”, Riga Latvian Society Female Choir „Ausma”, mixed choir „Valmiera”, mixed choir „Uz Augšu”, Food and Veterinary Service Mixed Choir, mixed choir "Tikko" and Moscow Latvian Choir „Tālava”.

Web page: http://choral.iii.is/

In addition: Festival information

On the eve of Whitsunday – May 22 – in the International Exhibition Centre Ķīpsala will take place the first Latvian stage dance concert-grand „Dance and don`t hunch” . The sweet smell of the spring and love for dance will call to Riga approx. 2500 young dancers.

Latvian folk dance with deep roots in traditions continue to develop and improve. Creative dance competitions which annually take place in Valmiera provide oportunity to watch 50 – 70 new dances, but long life is guaranteed for those only which are favourite with the dancers. The proof will be concert-grand in Riga. The programme of the concert includes both Latvian dance classic and new choreography and will be interesting both for participants and the audience which attend dance concerts only during the Dance Festivals.

Festival director Valdis Lūriņš about the coming event: „Dances will be about self, life and lively living. About trusting and loving. Without verbiage, because such is the language of dance. Let`s join in the concert-grand „Dance and don`t hunch” – dancing, breathing, living !

Evening managers: Dita Lūriņa and Mārcis Manjakovs

Artistic director: Jānis Ērglis

Festival director: Valdis Lūriņš

Concert-grand is realized by the State Agency of Intangible Cultural Heritage and supported by the International Exhibition Organizing Committee and Riga City Council.

Tickets in box offices of „Biļešu paradīze”, price from LVL 3,00 to LVL 6,50.

Detailed information: Maruta Alpa, tel. 67228985, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last autumn Intangible Cultural Heritage State Agency launched a unique Project Traditional skills school which had to support and develop inheritance and promotion of the folk traditional skills in Latvia. In order to deepen and expand knowledge about traditional culture of the historical regions of Latvia, this year Traditional skills school was organized in separate historical regions. Four consecutive Saturdays in spring in frames of Traditional skills school 2010 – from March 27 till April 17 – their skills demonstrated craftsmen in Selija (region called also Augšzeme /Highland/, Augškurzeme /High Kurzeme/, Augšgals, Sēla, Sēlene) and Zemgale. In twelve towns and villages of those ethnographic regions craftsmen offered to master ancient skills. Those workshops were intended for all interested persons free of charge. Skills and crafts in frames of the project were mastered by 745 apprentices.

Venues of Traditional skills school 2010:

 Bēne – Weaving of Zemgale cape;

Dobele - Embroydery, sewing of Zemgale shirt;

Jelgava – Knotting;

Staļģene – Weaving of straw wall blanket;

Daugmale – Apiculture;

Jaunjelgava - Woodcarving, spoon carving;

Sēlpils - Sēlpils and Vārnava dressing songs;

Jēkabpils – Wax candle making, forging skills;

Zasa - Sēļi pottery and ornament;

Nereta - Highland skirt weaving;

Ilūkste - Sēļi ornament in mittens and socks;

Aknīste - Sēļi flat-bread and rye-bread baking.

Students of the Latvian Academy of Culture documented (described, photographed, and shot films) craftsmen activities.

 Craftsmen and their apprentices gathered in the closing event on April 24 in Jēkabpils, in Kruspils castle, for the demonstration of the crafts and concert and showing respect to the craftsmen. Closing event in Jēkabpils was attended also by the President Valdis Zatlers who expressed his acknowledgement to the craftsmen.

Next Traditional skills school is scheduled for the coming autumn in Latgale.