The Chamber Choir of the University of Tartu is happy to participate at the closing concert of the 8th Nordic-Baltic Choir Festival in Riga on the Grand Open-Air Stage (Lielā Estrāde) of Mežaparks. This is a place where all Latvian song festivals, a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO), is held. Concert will gather around 6,500 singers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. The programme of the concert consists of choral music from all participated countries in their mother tongue. Retrospective view is also taken on former choir festivals – from every former festival one song is picked. In addition to all that selected parts from world-famous Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” will be heard. Estonian choral music is represented by Cyrillus Kreek’s “Ma kõndisin vainul” and Ülo Vinter’s “Põhjamaa”, conducted by Triin Koch and Heli Jürgenson.
The Chamber Choir of the University of Tartu takes part in the 8th Nordic-Baltic Choir Festival in Latvia, giving independent concerts, presentations about Estonian choral music and singing at the closing concert in Mežaparks, Riga, where all Latvian song celebrations are held. The chamber choir also gives a special concerti in Cēsis St John’s Church. The Chamber Choir of the University of Tartu is an Estonian representative choir at the 8th Nordic-Baltic Choir Festival and its conductor Triin Koch is a member of the artistic board of the festival.
Nordic-Baltic song festival tradition was initiated in 1995 by Latvian conductor Imants Kokars, who invited more than 6,000 singers to perform in Riga, Latvia. During the next 20 years the festival has been held in six different Baltic and Scandinavian country, including Tartu, Estonia. Being held in Riga, Latvia for the second time, more than 6,500 singers are expected to take part, along with guest choirs coming from Italy and Luxembourg.
