Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. It is also the second largest city in the three Baltic states after Vilnius and is home to one tenth of the three Baltic states' combined population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers 307.17 km2 (118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3.3–32.8 ft) above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
The Norwegian Student Choral Society is a Norwegian male voice choir, founded in 1845 by Johan Diederich Behrens. It is the second oldest choir in Norway and the official choir of the University of Oslo.
Traditional Latvian music is often set to traditional poetry called dainas, featuring pre-Christian themes and legends, drone vocal styles and Baltic psaltery.
The Nasdaq Vilnius is a stock exchange established in 1993 operating in Vilnius, Lithuania. It is owned by Nasdaq Nordic, which also operates Helsinki Stock Exchange and Stockholm Stock Exchange. OMX Vilnius (OMXVGI) is a stock market index for the Nasdaq Vilnius Exchange.
Valdemārs Ozoliņš was a Latvian composer and conductor.
The Latvian Song and Dance Festival is one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world and an important event in Latvian culture and social life.
The culture of Latvia combines traditional Latvian and Livonian heritage with influences of the country's varied historical heritage.
Nordic Students Singers' Summit – NSSS is a choral festival arranged every third year in a Nordic or Baltic country.
The 1995 Baltic Cup football competition was the 15th season of the Baltic Cup and took place from 19 to 21 May 1995 at the Daugava Stadium in Riga, Latvia. It was the fifth annual competition of the three Baltic states – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – since they regained their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Uģis Prauliņš is a Latvian composer whose choral work Missa Rigensis was recorded by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, the Riga Cathedral Boys Choir, Youth Choir BALSIS and has been performed in several locations around the world, amongst those Canada, France, England.
Lūcija Garūta was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer. She is mostly known for composing the cantata Dievs, Tava zeme deg! in 1943.
Imants Kokars was a Latvian pedagogue and conductor. His twin brother Gido Kokars was also a conductor. Imants Kokar has been chief conductor of several Latvian Song and Dance Festivals and initiated the Nordic-Baltic Choral Festival in 1995.
Northern Future Forum is an annual, informal meeting of prime ministers, policy innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders from the 9 nations of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Initially referred to as the UK Nordic Baltic Summit, the name Northern Future Forum was introduced at the second meeting in Stockholm, 2012. The group had a period of abeyance since the Stavanger meeting in 2016 was postponed following the outcome of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, and David Cameron subsequently stepping down as UK prime minister, to be succeeded by Theresa May. The summit was reconvened in October 2018 in Oslo.
Ēriks Ešenvalds is a Latvian composer. From 2011 to 2013 he was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, University of Cambridge.
Emīls Jūlijs Melngailis was a Latvian composer, folklorist, and a master of choral songs. He was an organizer and chief conductor of Latvian Song and Dance Festival several times. He wrote 53 original songs for a cappella choir, and finished numerous national folk songs.
Jānis Ozols is a Latvian choral conductor, television personality, gastronomy blogger and former member of vocal group Cosmos.
The Youth Choir BALSIS is a mixed youth choir in Riga, Latvia. The choir consists of some 50 young persons from Riga and other cities of Latvia who are permanent singers with the choir. The choir performs about 70 concerts every year in Latvian concert halls, churches and open-air venues.
Kamēr... is a Latvian mixed youth choir based in Riga, Latvia, founded in 1990 by Māris Sirmais. A winner of multiple national and international prizes and awards, including the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in 2004, 2013 and 2019, the choir performs in various events both in Latvia and worldwide, and collaborates with renowned musicians and orchestras.
Eurovision Choir 2019 was the second Eurovision Choir competition for choral singers, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Interkultur. It was held on 3 August 2019, at the Partille Arena, in Partille Municipality, Metropolitan Gothenburg, Sweden. The event, presented by Petroc Trelawny and Ella Petersson, was produced by Swedish host broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) together with an international team of EBU members, the European Choir Games and the City of Gothenburg.
