9th International Baltic Sea Choir Competition Opening Concert

The 9th International Baltic Sea Choir Competition will take place from 18 to 20 September at the Dzintari Concert Hall, featuring high-level amateur choirs from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Ukraine, Georgia and the Philippines.

The competition, which has been taking place in Jurmala since 2024, is one of the six official stages of the prestigious European Grand Prix for Choral Singing (EGP), ranking it among the world's most highly regarded amateur choir competitions.

The following will compete for the title of Grand Prix winner of the 9th International Baltic Sea Choir Competition and the opportunity to enter the EGP final: Riga Dome Choir School Gospel Choir (Latvia), Youth Choir KIVI (Lithuania), Men's Choir HOMME (Estonia), E STuudio Chamber Choir (Estonia), Women's Choir KYN (Finland), Women's Choir EMBLA (Norway), Children's Choir LASTIVKA (Ukraine), Men's Choir The New Bana Choir (Georgia) and Manila Chamber Choir (Philippines).

The participants' performances will traditionally be evaluated by an international jury consisting of five professionals: Jurģis Cābulis (Latvia), Vilija Mažintaitė (Lithuania), Valter Soosalu (Estonia), Rahela Durič (Slovenia) and Leon Shiu Wai Tong (Macau, chairman of the jury).

In order to promote the performance of Latvian original music in the international choral music environment, a new work by a Latvian composer is commissioned for the competition every year. This year's compulsory piece "When I Was Born" is composed by Raimonds Tiguls.

The three choirs with the highest scores will receive cash prizes. The Grand Prix or 1st place winner will receive the Grand Prize - 3,500 euros, the Jurmala City Cup designed by artist Ginta Grūbe, as well as a ticket to the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing final in Arezzo, Italy, in August 2027.

Competition program:

September 18, 19:00 Opening concert at Dubulti Evangelical Lutheran Church;

September 19, 11:00 Semi-final of the compulsory program competition at Dzintari Concert Hall;

September 19, 16:00 Semi-final of the optional program competition at Dzintari Concert Hall;

September 20, 11:00 Grand Prix Final, Closing Concert and Awarding of the Competition Winners at the Dzintari Concert Hall. Special guests: Valters Pūce and Dainis Tenis.

Tickets are available at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office and online.

You can follow the competition on TV24 and on the website www.balticchoir.com.

The main partner of the competition: Jūrmala City Municipality. Supported by: State Culture Capital Foundation, Dzintari Concert Hall, Dienas mediji, TV24, restaurant 36. līnija, Musica Baltica publishing house, TV Jūrmala.

The International Baltic Sea Choir Competition (IBSCC) is an annual international choral music event that has been taking place in Jūrmala since 2016. Every year in the second half of September, several hundred amateur choir singers and supporters of choral music from different countries of the world gather at the Dzintari Concert Hall. Participants compete in the semi-finals of the compulsory and optional programs, as well as in the Grand Prix final.