Summer is perhaps the best time to visit Latvia not only to enjoy the wonders of nature and the sea but also indulge in the diverse and vibrant music scene. We have selected the crème de la crème of the classical, classical-contemporary and jazz music festivals that you won’t regret to visit.
RIGA OPERA FESTIVAL (June 5 – June 16)
This year, the Riga Opera Festival will celebrate its 22nd anniversary. Over the years, the festival has become a much anticipated tradition, widely praised by the Latvian audience as well as foreign visitors. Each year, the Riga Opera Festival features the brightest productions of this and past seasons, as well as the opportunity to meet talented Latvian singers and illustrious foreign soloists.
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RĪGAS RITMI FESTIVAL (July 2- July 6)
RRF is the most attended and loved impro, jazz and world music festival in Latvia. The festival’s stages at different locations in Riga feature both – world-famous and award-winning, as well as young and undiscovered musical talents. Rigas Ritmi Festival is one of the main music festivals in the Baltic States, as well as is recognized in Europe and elsewhere around the world.
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THE INTERNATIONAL EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL (July 10 – July 13)
The International Early Music Festival is the most charming, posh and smartest cultural event in Latvia. The concerts are homed by Rīga churches and concert halls, as well as by the Rundāle Palace – the most outstanding Baroque palace in Latvia. The Rundāle Palace was built by Italian designer Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1736–1768 as a summer residence for Ernst-Johann Karl Oskar, Prince of Courland. The Rundāle Palace has just been restored (the restoration took 50 years, 1972–2014); Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli had also designed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
The festival is reviving the masterpieces by Percel, Vivaldi, Telemann, Gluck, Handel et als Baroque masters. There are gorgeous garments, authentic instruments and the Baroque architecture and interiors present. The closing concert at the Rundāle Palace Park has been always attended by thousands – and there has always been the fragrance of the rosario there.
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RIGA JURMALA MUSIC FESTIVAL (July 19 – August 1)
In summer 2019, a new world-class symphonic orchestra festival, RĪGA JŪRMALA, will take place in Latvia, during which world-famous orchestras and conductors such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Mariss Jansons, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta, the London Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda, and the Russian National Orchestra and Mikhail Pletnev, as well as many other excellent soloists, will perform in Latvia. The festival also plans on these orchestras returning next year.
The RJMF will take place over four weekends at the Latvian National Opera, the Great Guild, and the Great and Small Halls of the Dzintari Concert Hall. At the centre of each weekend will be two symphony orchestra concerts, solo concerts and morning concerts featuring rising musical stars.
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SUMMERTIME – Inessa Galante & Friends (August 5- August 11)
One of the most famous international music festivals in Latvia. Summertime will mark its 15th anniversary this summer. It will bring the brightest latino, jazz, rock-n-roll, funk, Balkan and classical music stars to Dzintari Concert Hall. Traditionally, the legendary festival, inspired by the world-famous opera diva Inese Galante, has become the culmination of the summer concert season in Jurmala.
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ALTERNATIVE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL SANSUSI (August 9 – August 11)
A runner-up, but with panache!
If you are a true connoisseur of classical-contemporary music and enjoy the local flair, this festival is a must for you! Sansusi combines academic music with a rock festival ambiance in a bucolic environment. Everyone can enjoy and discover musical program in a laid-back setting without the posh ambience which is normally typical for academic music events. Music is joined by theatre, contemporary circus, dance, performance and installation art.
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