Liepāja to host choral concert honoring composers Engelmanis and Kalniņš
A choral music concert honoring Latvian composers Agris Engelmanis and Imants Kalniņš will take place in Liepāja on November 14. Ticket sales have already begun.
On November 14, the Great Hall of the Liepāja Latvian Society House will host a choral concert titled “Saknes jau vējš neizplēš…” (“The wind does not tear out the roots…”), dedicated to two prominent Latvian composers: Agris Engelmanis, who would have turned 90 this year, and Imants Kalniņš, marking his 85th anniversary. Ticket sales for the event have already opened.
According to Iveta Štelmahere, public relations and marketing project manager at the Liepāja Centre for Folk Art and Culture, the songs of both composers have long held a special place in Latvian musical culture, blending poetic lyricism with emotionally powerful choral sound that continues to resonate with singers and audiences alike.
A wide range of performers
The concert will bring together several choirs, including the Liepāja Centre for Folk Art and Culture's mixed choirs “Līva” and “Laiks,” the women's choir “Aija,” the Saldus mixed choir “Saldava,” the Jūrmala mixed choir “Vaivari,” the Nīca men's choir “Nīca,” and the girls' choir of the Liepāja Music, Art and Design Secondary School. Soloists Ieva Dreimane-Sidare and TIPA will join the choirs on stage.
Musical accompaniment will be provided by the wind instrument ensemble “Kurland Quintet” along with an instrumental group featuring keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. The concert's artistic director and conductor is Jēkabs Ozoliņš, while actors Agnese Jēkabsone and Viktors Ellers will host the program.
The concert will be presented in two parts, allowing audiences to explore the diverse choral legacy of both composers more fully. Tickets are available through “Biļešu Paradīze” outlets. The event received financial support through the Kurzeme Planning Region's “Kurzeme Culture Programme 2026,” part of the Latvian State Culture Capital Foundation's target programme for the development of Latvia's historical regions.
