Last night, the city of Riga welcomed the international choral world with open arms and open hearts: The Opening Concert of RIGA SINGS 2025 officially marked the start of a festival that unites voices across borders and cultures—through the universal language of music.

Set in the Culture Palace "Ziemeļblāzma" this event unfolded like a musical appetizer for the rich choral experiences awaiting in the days to come.

The evening began with a beautiful performance by Riga Chamber Choir AVE SOL (Latvia), led by Andris Veismanis, who also serves on the international jury. The singers delivered a powerful opening set of Latvian Folk songs. Their performance was followed by a welcome by the event's Artistic Director Romans Vanags, who greeted all participants on behalf of INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch and Vice President Wang Qin. He extended thanks to the City of Riga and the Culture Association of Northern Riga, recognizing their longstanding support for music and the arts in Latvia.

Adding a very personal touch, Edvards Ratnieks, Vice Mayor of Riga addressed the audience by sharing his own journey as a choir singer since third grade. “There is a language that everyone understands—music,” he said, capturing the spirit of the festival in a single sentence. As a special surprise, he even offered a short vocal performance of a Latvian piece, to the audience’s great delight. 

After the official welcome, the concert part of the evening featured five choirs whose performances reflected the artistic diversity of this year’s festival: 

Torun Music School Youth Choir “Semper Iuvenes” (Poland), under Renata Szerafin-Wójtowicz, impressed with two modern Polish works. Turku YMCA Male Choir Naskalit (Finland), conducted by Niklas Taanila, offered a beautifully contrasted program, from the Nordic melancholy of Iltapilviä by Toivo Kuula to Saint-Saëns’ gentle Sérénade d’hiver. The choir Gospel Unlimited (Denmark), conducted by Kristine Bjørnbak, electrified the room with a joyful Gospel Medley, including arrangements by Kirk Franklin, Richard Smallwood, and Beyoncé Knowles—delivering rhythm, joy, and contagious energy.

Finally, the Latvian University Mixed Choir “Aura”, conducted by Edgars Vītols, closed the concert with luminous performances of his own composition Saules dziesma and the folk arrangement Deviņi dēli by Jānis Ozols—anchoring the evening in Latvia’s choral soul.

Watch here a recording of the Opening Concert's livestream and enjoy the choirs' performances again:

What Comes Next?

With this opening celebration, the stage is set for a weekend filled with choral excellence. Over the next days, international choirs will compete in various categories before an expert jury, striving not only for Golden, Silver and Bronze Diplomas—but for connection, growth, and musical storytelling.

The highlight awaits on Sunday: The Grand Prize Competition for the prestigious Imants Kokars Choral Award will feature the top ensembles of the festival, followed by the Awards Ceremony, the emotional hightlight of the event, where all choirs learn the results from their competition performances. 

Until then, Riga is singing—and everyone is invited to listen! 

If you can't join on-site but want to follow more live streams within the next days, see here: 

RIGA SINGS 2025 livestreams