The choir made its debut at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. Later in 2017, the State Choir LATVIJA performed in China for the first time, joining conductor Paavo Järvi in concerts of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Shanghai and Beijing.
The choir participated in a concert celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mariss Jansons.
As part of the Latvian Presidency of the European Union, the State Choir LATVIJA presented performances of Baltic choral music at Lincoln Center and the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City. The choir also made its debut at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, performing Verdi’s Requiem with conductor Andris Poga. In June, the choir joined the MDR Symphony Orchestra and conductor Paavo Järvi in a Leipzig performance of Des Jona Sendung by Rudolf Tobias.
Together with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Zubin Mehta, the State Choir LATVIJA performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in Athens, Greece.
The State Choir LATVIJA’s recording of works by British composer Gabriel Jackson, conducted by Māris Sirmais, was released on the Harmonia Mundi label. In June, the choir made its debut with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and conductor James Gaffigan in a performance of Rachmaninov’s The Bells. In November, as part of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s 125-year anniversary world tour, the choir performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with conductor Mariss Jansons in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
The choir performed with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for the first time, once again joining conductor Mariss Jansons for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8.
The choir made its debut performance with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with conductor Mariss Jansons.
The State Choir LATVIJA made its debut at the White Light Festival at Lincoln Center in three concerts, including collaborations with the Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós. The performances received positive reviews in the New York Times and in Rolling Stone.
The choir made its debut at the prestigious Lucerne Festival, as well as presenting Rodion Shchedrin’s masterwork The Sealed Angel at the Rheingau Festival in Germany. In September, the choir participated in the season opening concert of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra at the Berlin Music Festival.
In Ireland, the State Choir LATVIJA gave the world premiere of Arvo Pärt’s A Deer’s Cry. In the same concert, the choir presented the world premieres of Rihards Dubra’s Hail, Queen of Heaven and Georgs Pelēcis’ I See His Blood Upon the Rose. In 2008, the State Choir LATVIJA also made its debut in the Helsinki Music Centre, presenting the first concert performance of Rodion Shchedrin’s opera The Enchanted Wanderer.
The 10th International Sacred Music Festival, organized by the State Choir LATVIJA, was widely celebrated. Particularly notable was the Latvian premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass
As part of the Singapore Arts Festival, the State Choir LATVIJA performed Stravinsky’s Les Noces, in addition to an a cappella programme led by Artistic Director Māris Sirmais. In February, the choir celebrated the 75th birthday of Estonian composer Veljo Tormis with a concert of his works in the Riga Latvian Society House. In April, the choir presented Luciano Berio’s Coro in Tallinn with conductor Tonu Kaljuste.
The choir performed in four European capitals—Paris, Berlin, Stockholm and Tallinn—as well as many other major cities. In the 7th International Sacred Music Festival, the choir presented the works of English composer Sir John Tavener. In May, the choir traveled to Singapore for a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and conductor Lan Shui. In Ireland, the State Choir LATVIJA represented Latvia in a concert organised by the European Union in celebration of the enlargement of the EU.
Within the framework of the 6th International Sacred Music Festival, the State Choir LATVIJA organized and performed the works of the world-famous Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.
From 2000 to 2007, the State Choir LATVIJA participated in the XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII and XVIII International Bodensee Festivals.
