State Choir LATVIJA

The State Choir LATVIJA is the largest professional choir in the Baltic States, and it is in regular demand for performances with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors. The choir’s artists are renowned for their musical intelligence and vocal skill, making this choir a unique instrument capable of performing everything from subtle a cappella works to dramatic vocal-symphonic masterworks.

With Māris Sirmais as Artistic Director and Māris Ošlejs as General Manager since 1997, the choir has collaborated with world-renowned symphony orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, The Cadaqués Orchestra, The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and others. The State Choir LATVIJA has performed with such outstanding conductors as Mariss Jansons, Andris Nelsons, Zubin Mehta, Neeme Järvi, Jaap van Zweden, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, David Zinman, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Simone Young, Tõnu Kaljuste, and others. These have included performances in such prestigious venues as the Elbphilharmonie, KKL Luzern, The Royal Concertgebouw, The National Music Auditorium Madrid, The Lincoln Centre, Shanghai Concert Hall, The Esplanade Singapore, and many others.

The State Choir LATVIJA is internationally acclaimed both for its academic excellence as well as its innovative projects. The choir has participated in recordings produced by Naxos, Warner Brothers, Harmonia Mundi, Wergo and Ondine, as well as numerous recording projects by both Latvian and foreign music publishers.

2022 will be the State Choir’s LATVIJA 80th Anniversary year, while the International Sacred Music Festival, established by Māris Sirmais and Māris Ošlejs, will be held for the 25th year. The festival has gained international recognition for the long-lasting tradition of premiering new compositions by contemporary composers as well as collaborating with the world renowned composers, such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Arvo Pärt, Giya Kancheli, John Taverner, Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentyn Silvestrov and John Rutter.