Music, song, and dance have always had an important role in Latvia. Periodic mass, song, and dance festivals date back to 1873. The last festival was in 1993 and had 30,000 participants. This tradition is also followed by Latvians in the diaspora, with Song Festivals held in the US every 3 years, in Canada every 4 years, and in Europe and Australia as well. Choral music is popular in Latvia, with many choirs now performing in concert tours on stages around the globe. Latvia's National Opera and Ballet were world famous during the years of independence, with baritone Adolfs KaktinS and tenor Mariss Vetra achieving world star status.
Theatre, film, and photography are also areas where Latvian artists have made an international mark. Ten professional theatres currently exist in Latvia. The National Theatre was actually the site where Latvia's independence was proclaimed in 1918. Latvian photographers, including Janis Klavins, Viesturs Links and Peteris Jaunzems have won top awards in international photography competitions in the past few years.
The Old Town of Riga is notable for its eclectic architectural styles
- from medieval buildings, to Art Nouveau and neo-classicism of the 1930's.
Today, Riga is one of the six leading showcases of Art Nouveau in Europe.
Gunars Bikerts who was born in Latvia, but arrived in the US in 1949,
is an architect of international acclaim, having designed among other famous
buildings, the Museum of Glass in Corning New York, for which he received
a gold medal from the Architecture Institute, and the US Embassies in Finland
and Venezuela. He has also designed the new National Library of Latvia
building, the construction of which is scheduled to begin in the near future.
This site was created by MBA students at the American University in
Washington, DC.
Fall 1999
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