Baltic Choirs

[ardcarp]

We probably all know of the importance of choral singing in this region, though sadly (and I'm to blame as much as anyone) we don't discuss it often here. In the current edition of Choir & Organ there is very good article about it.

Here are some dates, in case anyone fancies a trip North and East:

ESTONIA Europa Cantat 27th July to August 5th 2018 (events across Estonia). Next Song Festival 4-7 July 2019 in Tallinn
LATVIA Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Festival 30th June - 8th July 2018 in Riga
LITHUANIA The World Lithuanian Song Festival 30th June - 7th July 2018 in Vilnius

Apparently in all these events there are hundreds of participants and thousands of 'spectators'....all on a much larger scale than any equivalents in Western Europe.

Will the BBC be at any of them?

[greenilex]

When I visited Riga many years ago we heard a fantastic children’s choir. I know choral music is a Latvian speciality.

[Gabriel Jackson]

We probably all know of the importance of choral singing in this region, though sadly (and I'm to blame as much as anyone) we don't discuss it often here. In the current edition of Choir & Organ there is very good article about it.

Here are some dates, in case anyone fancies a trip North and East:

ESTONIA Europa Cantat 27th July to August 5th 2018 (events across Estonia). Next Song Festival 4-7 July 2019 in Tallinn
LATVIA Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Festival 30th June - 8th July 2018 in Riga
LITHUANIA The World Lithuanian Song Festival 30th June - 7th July 2018 in Vilnius

Apparently in all these events there are hundreds of participants and thousands of 'spectators'....all on a much larger scale than any equivalents in Western Europe.

Will the BBC be at any of them?

Europa Cantat is something quite different from the Baltic song festivals - a three-yearly get-together for choirs from all over Europe which happens to be in Estonia this year.

There aren't hundreds of participants in the Baltic song festivals, there are thousands; just in the final concert of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, for example, there are thousands of singers singing together. I was at Mežaparks for the final concert of the last Latvian festival - the performance lasted about five hours in all. Here's Pūt, vējiņi from that festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ido3HgdiIzU

I believe all the tickets for this year's Latvian festival sold out in March. I don't know if there are tickets left for the Lithuanian festival.

[Oldcrofter]

The Grand Prix at the Montreux Choral Festival in early April this year was won by the Latvian girls' choir Spigo (last year's Eurovision Choir of the Year)

The two highest ranking UK choirs in the world top 1000 are Barnsley Youth Choir (22nd) and Cantamus Girls' Choir (24th)

hhttps://www.interkultur.com/world-rankings/

Cantamus are 6th in the world rankings for youth choirs. It's their 50th anniversary this October and have represented this country all over the world in international choral competitions, winning a multitude of 1st places, Grands Prix and gold medals.

ttps://www.interkultur.com/it/world-rankings/ranking-details/?tx_amranking_pi1%5Blist_id%5D=2&cHash=3832ae6549c 0608d49bae77027bfbaa5