Meet your Master! 2015
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at more than 170 locations across the land master craftspeople from every imaginable sector of the folk arts will bring their workshops to the public. Potential apprentices wishing to learn directly from the masters are welcome to meet with the musicians, instrument-makers, singers, storytellers, whittlers, potters and ritual-keepers who will be available at town and county libraries, museums, culture centers, educational establishments and at their own homes and workshops.
For those stuck in the city, the Meet your Master activities will also take place at the Bergu Bazārs shopping center as part of the traditional crafts and farmers’ market on Saturday from noon to 16:00. Get ready for Easter egg decorating with the master class there at 14:00 (bring your own eggs!).
The entire program and map of event locations can be viewed HERE.
Piano solo, choir concert, pop-lyricist’s birthday all-star show
Friday night’s offering of music is three-pronged: while the masses may flock to the cavalcade of pop-stars paying tribute to song lyricist and music mogul Guntars Račs on his birthday at Arena Riga, at the Great Guild Hall pianist Georgijs Osokins makes his solo debut, while the chamber choirs Muklājs, Vivat and Konvents will preview part of the program from this year’s 8th Nordic and Baltic Song Festival at the Ave Sol concert hall.
Blue butterflies and bizarre binocular boogie lessons
On Saturday the University of Latvia’s Botanical Gardens in Riga will host a reconstruction of Dr. Enesars’ Binocular Dance Lessons, a performance created by the late avant-garde multimedia artist Hardijs Lediņš, who is being remembered this year for his pioneering freewheeling underground pop-art. Creative workshops for adults and kids alike will culminate in four dance lessons and a video performance. While you’re there, make sure you visit the Gardens’ Tropical Butterfly House, where the fluttering of the dreamy blue morphids is an annual attraction.
Bach music marathon
The first-ever Bach Marathon will take place all day Saturday during the international Back Chamber Music festival in the main hall of the Academy of Music. Organist Vita Kalnciema will kick off the parade of performers, followed by violinist Eva Bidere, pianists Sergejs and Andrejs Osokins, harpsichordist Ieva Saliete and many others, including esteemed foreign guest conductor J.P.Weigl.
On Sunday Bach’s music will fill the Baltais flīģelis concert hall at 18:00 in Sigulda, where Switzerland-based Saliete will play an Easter program of his works for harpsichord and featuring an exhibit of historic Swiss winter resort posters.
See the Titanic on Pussy-willow Sunday
Latvians have their own version of Palm Sunday – when they spank each other with budding pussy-willow branches in good fun to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what to do afterwards? For the hefty family admission price of €45 (single adults €14), one gains entry to a unique exhibit of authentic objects from the actual deck of the Titanic, with reconstructions of various onboard locations on the doomed ocean liner headed for the great land of opportunity across the Atlantic.
After contemplating the tragic fate of the perished passengers, one can head out to Cēsis where at 19:00 in the St.John’s Church the orthodox choir Logos will sing a program dedicated to the pre-Easter fasting period of Lent.
