Firmly established as one of the leading summer destinations for music lovers, the Riga Jurmala Music Festival returns in 2021 with four weekends centred around four major international ensembles: the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with John Eliot Gardiner, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Riccardo Muti, the Concertgebouworkest with Daniel Harding and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra with Yuri Temirkanov.
The twenty performances will also feature world-renowned soloists such as pianists Yuja Wang, Víkingur Ólafsson, András Schiff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Yefim Bronfman and Arcadi Volodos, as well as cellist Truls Mørk and violinist Renaud Capuçon. The Riga Jurmala Music Festival will also present outstanding singers such as soprano Renée Fleming, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, baritone Matthias Goerne, and mezzo-soprano Alice Coote.
Afternoon concerts will include an outstanding selection of young, talented pianists, including George Li, Daumants Liepiņš, Yoav Levanon, Behzod Abduraimov, and Alexandre Kantorow, as well as violinist Daniel Lozakovich. The acclaimed British vocal ensemble, the King’s Singers, will also present a recital.
Each orchestra gives two evening concerts, with the third evening of the weekend dedicated to a concert featuring a prominent soloist. Two noon concerts of chamber music and recitals are the opportunity to discover young talent as well as established artists. The Riga Jurmala Music Festival’s dual location in Latvia’s historic capital city of Riga and the forested seaside resort of Jurmala add to the experience of visiting the Festival. Evening performances take place at the Latvian National Opera in Riga or the Dzintari Concert Hall in Jurmala, while all noon concerts take place at the Great Guild in Riga.
“Like in previous editions of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival, our 2021 programme promises to be exceptional for a number of reasons. Of course, we are extremely grateful to the many artists who were willing to reconfirm their previously announced performances and they will join a stellar artistic lineup which we have been planning since the festival’s inaugural year. We will also continue to collaborate with these exceptional artists for the Festival’s education initiative, the Riga Jurmala Academy, which was successfully transformed this summer into an online programme,” says Martin T:son Engstroem, Artistic Director of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival.
“Although the global situation remains uncertain, we are maintaining a confident and forward-looking view, and we have chosen to plan our next summer well in advance to provide support to our artists and to the classical music community. I am very grateful to our generous supporters and partners, thanks to whom we can already announce this wonderful artistic roster. We will do everything in our power to ensure that both local and international audiences will be able to enjoy a safe cultural experience of the highest quality in 2021,” says Zane Culkstena, Executive Director of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival.
In 2021 the Riga Jurmala Music Festival will continue its music education initiative, the Riga Jurmala Academy, organised in collaboration with the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, the country’s centre for excellence in classical music performance. The Riga Jurmala Academy will provide young and talented musicians from Latvia and abroad with unparalleled opportunities for artistic development and collegial interaction through masterclasses and workshops with selected soloists and orchestral musicians from the 2021 festival roster, including András Schiff and Leif Ove Andsnes, who both have already confirmed their participation.
Tickets for the 2021 Festival season will be available from 1 October at: www.riga-jurmala.com
Led by Artistic Director Martin T:son Engstroem and Associate Artistic Director Miguel Esteban, the team behind the Festival has been working tirelessly to bring the best quality music and musicians to Latvia. The team consists of industry professionals who share a dedication and passion for classical music, as well as the strongly held belief that Riga and Jurmala are the hidden gems of Northern Europe, and fast becoming two of the most exciting destinations for classical music connoisseurs.
