BALSIS Youth Choir
(1987 )
For more than thirty-five years, the BALSIS Youth Choir (founded in 1987) has been proving its enduring artistic quality and has gained respect and recognition among choirs in Latvia and abroad. The choir’s creative approach to a cappella choral music makes every concert an event, as evidenced by the twenty-five international awards it has received. BALSIS has performed Latvian choral music from Europe to China, Australia and the United States. The choir performs with equal dedication in urban as well as natural concert halls, at international choral festivals and in competitions (such as the Lund Choral Festival in Sweden, 2012; the World Choral Expo 2015 in Macau, China; the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing, 2004 and 2017; and more), and when sharing the stage with world-renowned vocal ensembles such as The King’s Singers (2008) and Voces8 (2022).
The singers’ unmistakable openness and joy of singing also motivates listeners to contribute to good causes. BALSIS has realised countless charity campaigns and social projects, with a particular focus on helping children in orphanages and people with special needs (for example, Warm Christmas, Give the World, BALSIS In Sign Language and other projects).
The energetic and charismatic conductor Ints Teterovskis (1972), who has also served as a chief conductor of the Latvian Song Festival, has led BALSIS for almost twenty-five years. Under his leadership, the choir has given about seventy concerts each year and has recorded more than a dozen albums. Teterovskis and the choir regularly encourage new works by composers, with a particular focus on the genre of the choral song cycle. Balsis enjoys engaging in experimental and contemporary projects and also performs at less-conventional venues, such as markets, railway stations, gas stations, on rivers… According to the singers, Balsis is a way of life with the motto “Many voices, one thought!”
Kristiāna Vaickovska © LMIC, 2023
photo © Lauris Vīksne