Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

celebratingmidsummer nightAt various festivals in Sigulda, Rīgaand throughout Latvia, Christian traditionspeacefully co-exist with centuries-oldtraditional festivities. Themost widely celebrated solstice takesplace during summer’s shortest night– Midsummer. This promotes tolerancefor various traditions, unifying peopleon summer’s shortest night.Over the years, summer solstice celebrationsat Turaida historic grounds havecaptured the interest of many people. Incooperation with the organization Mārasloks and Turaida Museum Reserve, whichhas been accomplished up until now atteststo the fact that society has a growinginterest in understanding and preservingopera music festivalThe favourite festival of high level operamusic performers and spectatorstakes place on the stage of Siguldacastle ruins, surrounded by 13 th centurycastle walls. The Sigulda OperaMusic Festival has featured notableLatvian and also foreign opera musicstars, for example: Katya Angeloni,Sissela Kirkebu, Janice Dickson,Mihela Shamir, Michael Dean, AlfredoDaza, Ahmed Agadi and many others.Under the initiative of surgeon DainisKalns, the Festival has taken place annuallysince 1993.Today, in addition to the world renownedopera music performers concert and operaperformance, the Festival has a newancient cultural heritage as a living tradition– accessible and open to all who areinterested.Along with the annual event – celebrationof the traditional solstice, in 2014, informationwill be gathered about those placesin Latvia and the world, where solstice iscelebrated on June 21 st – the shortest nightof the year. Additionally, there will be an exchangeof impressions about festivities. Awebsite has already been created, whereone can both get acquainted with maps ofsolstice celebration sites, as well as addnew venues.The traditions of Midsummer celebrationsinclude cheese making, songs devotedespecially to this holiday, dances, games,hilltop fire pole etc. This is a celebration,that gives each of us the opportunity torealize our place on earth and our connectionwith life’s cycle.challenge – to create performances specificallyfor young opera artists in order todraw in young opera music listeners. Thesecond event is a wide ranging opera musicconcert – professional artists are invitedto collaborate in its creation – the LatvianNational Symphony Orchestra, opera soloists,choir performers and Latvia’s amateurchoirs’ singers.What: Festival.Where: Sigulda Concert Hall Baltais flīģelis,Sigulda Lutheran Church, Cultural Center,Sigulda Castle ruin stage.When: Third week of July.Concept author: Dainis Kalns.Organisers: Sigulda Opera Music Festival,Sigulda District Board.What: Summer solstice celebration.Where: Turaida Museum Reserve territory– Jāņu Hill, Dziesmu Garden, SkandiniekuSpring, Dainu Hill, Sigulda District hills.When: June 21 st .Concept authors: Jolanta Borīte, AndaSkuja, Agnija Saprovska.Organisers: Sigulda District Board, TuraidaMuseum Reserve, Organization Mārasloks, Latvian Folklore Association,Latvian Trade Chamber, State Agencyfor Non-material Cultural Heritage,www.saulesloks.org,www.worldsuncircle.org,www.sigulda.lv, www.tmc.gov.lv.Cooperation Partners: Latvian folkloregroups, mens’ choirs, bagpipers,craftsmen, Dance club, any and allwilling to participate.summer of theatresSigulda has become the home for theLatvian theaters’ summer gathering– hosting performances for all tastesand audiences. In 2008, Sigulda tookover the initiative to host the DaileTheatre Summer Festival, which invitesnot only its own, bet all of Latvia’sprofessional theatre actors, to leavethe city walls and come closer to theiraudience.Daile Theatre is the largest professionalreperatory theatre in Latvia. The Theatrefeatures grand contemporary perfomances,both in form and content, that includea wide spectrum of productions: classicworld literature, period drama, musicaland children’s shows. The Daile TheatreSummer Festival takes place every twoyears. The last Festival proved that the aimof bringing the event to a level of nationalimportance was completely justified.wind dancesIn the air, without a rope or parachute –that is what flying is all about. The ancientstory of Ikarus has become a realitythese days. In Sigulda, there is anastrounaut training facility Aerodium,where you can experience free-fall,flying on an air stream created by astrong Boeing propeller.The wind tunnel, set up in Sigulda, hasan air stream speed of 180-200 km/h.Aerodium is the first vertical wind tunnel inEastern Europe. The powerful air current inthe wind tunnel allows one to fly!Aerodium project consists of special trainingfor children and youth aged 8–15, afterwhich the best trick masters will be able toEvery year, a different national theatre isinvited to take on the leading theatre role,with other theatres participating in the festivalprogramme as guests. Theatre performancesare shown in traditional indoortheatres, public spaces and outdoors.The Festival organisers provide a variedprogram of entertainment. It includesthe possibility, with the aid of make-upand theatre cosutmes, to transform intovarious characters and become immortalin photographs. There are also horse rides,boat excursions, city tours, entertainmentfor children.What: Theatre festival.Where: Sigulda public space, historic sites,cultural halls, concert hall Baltais flīģelis,Sigulda Catholic church, Castle Ruinstage.When: June 2010, 2012, 2014.Concept authors: Aivars Līnis, IndraRubene, Juris Vaivods.Organiser: Daile Theatre.Cooperation Partner: Sigulda District Board.fly and perform tricks in the air. The trainingprogramme will become the basis forthe show programme in 2014, and the bestfliers will be able to particpate in the openingceremonies at the 3 rd Latvian WinterOlympics. The show will be the interactionof music, free-fall and videography.New acrobats, who will perform in showsthroughout the world, will be chosen fromthose talented youth, who have reachedthe age of 16.What: Training program, show.Where: Sigulda.When: March.Concept author: Ivars Beitāns, JolantaBorīte.Organisers: Aeroduim Latvija, “LGKGroup”.Cooperation Partners: Sigulda DistrictCouncil, Latvian Olympic Committee.148 149