Latvia to celebrate Jānis Streičs' 90th birthday with concerts in Preiļi and Riga
Two concert performances in Preiļi and Riga in September will mark what would have been filmmaker Jānis Streičs' 90th birthday. The events will feature actors and musicians connected to his work, with proceeds going to the new Jānis Streičs Cultural Foundation.
Two concert performances dedicated to the 90th birthday of Jānis Streičs, the Latvian film director, writer and public figure who died on 5 March at the age of 89, will take place in September. The show, titled 'My Friend Jānis Streičs', is scheduled for 18:00 on 19 September at the Preiļi Park stage and for 19:00 on 26 September at the Splendid Palace cinema in Riga.
According to the show's director Viktorija Streiča, the events are not intended as mournful memorials but as a celebration of life, art and Latvian cinema, in line with the wishes of the director himself for his jubilee year. The stage will bring together actors associated with Streičs' films, including Gundars Āboliņš, Artūrs Skrastiņš, Jānis Paukštello, Olga Dreģe, Uldis Dumpis, Ivars Kalniņš and film critic Daira Āboliņa. The musical programme will feature music from Streičs' films in new arrangements performed by The Sound Poets, Citi zēni, Kautkaili and other musicians. The original film scores were created by composers such as Raimonds Pauls, Imants Kalniņš, Mārtiņš Brauns, Uģis Prauliņš and Uldis Stabulnieks, as well as folk songs.
The performance will also include key characters and figures from the director's filmography, live conversations and visual material, with the filmmaker and his works appearing on screen. Tickets are available at Biļešu paradīze box offices, and concert proceeds will support the aims of the Jānis Streičs Cultural Foundation and the preservation of the director's legacy.
The foundation was established in July of this year to preserve and promote Streičs' creative legacy, support Latvian culture, inspire young artists and encourage dialogue between generations. Its work will also focus on strengthening the cultural space of Latgale. Foundation chairwoman Viktorija Streiča said the organisation is meant not only to preserve memory but also to generate new ideas and inspiration, describing culture as a bridge between the past and the future.
