Dzintari concert hall

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Dzintari Concert Hall is one of Latvia’s most important concert venues and one of Jūrmala’s most recognisable cultural and architectural landmarks. Its distinctive character is shaped by a high-quality music programme, its proximity to the sea and pine park, and the architectural layers of several periods: the 1930s wooden concert hall, the post-war modernist summer auditorium and the 21st-century additions. The venue hosts classical, jazz and popular music concerts, festivals, competitions and other major international cultural events.

From the Edinburgh Concert Garden to Dzintari Concert Hall

Concert life at this location began in the late 19th century, when the Edinburgh Concert Garden occupied the site of the present-day concert hall. At the time, Jūrmala was developing rapidly as a resort, and summer recreation became increasingly intertwined with concerts, dances and social life.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Edinburgh had become one of Jūrmala’s leading centres of musical life. Orchestras from Berlin, St Petersburg and Warsaw performed here, and the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra was established. During the 1930s, the Latvian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arvīds Pārups, played an important role in the programme. Its concerts were also broadcast live on the radio, strengthening Dzintari’s place in Latvia’s musical life.

Architecture Across Three Eras

In 1936, an enclosed concert hall with approximately 690 seats was built to a design by architects Aleksandrs Birzenieks and Viktors Mellenbergs. The building is a notable example of interwar resort architecture, combining elements of Neo-Eclecticism, National Romanticism and Art Deco. Today it is known as the Small Hall of Dzintari Concert Hall and hosts concerts throughout the year.

In 1960, a new covered summer auditorium for approximately 2,000 spectators was opened alongside the historic building. It was designed by architect Modris Ģelzis in collaboration with engineer Andris Bite and acoustician Alberts Vecsīlis. The open-air hall is one of Latvia’s most striking examples of post-war modernist architecture. Its light roof structure, slender metal supports and openness towards the surrounding pine park create a space in which architecture, landscape and sound merge into a unified experience.

In the 21st century, the concert hall complex was expanded with a glazed entrance pavilion, enlarged public areas, underground facilities, artists’ rooms and a landscaped park. Designed by the architectural practice Jaunromāns and Ābele, the new additions respect both the historic wooden hall and Modris Ģelzis’s modernist architecture.

Ansis Cīrulis’s Wall Paintings

The foyer of the historic concert hall contains the preserved wall paintings Lielupe, Sea and Latvia by the Jūrmala-born artist Ansis Cīrulis, created when the building was completed in 1936. They reflect the artist’s characteristic use of Latvian ornament, motifs inspired by nature and the sea, and the aesthetics of the Latvian national style.

The paintings were overpainted in the 1960s, but were restored in 2016 and can once again be viewed in the concert hall’s interior. They are an important example of Latvian monumental art and an integral part of the cultural and historical value of Dzintari Concert Hall.

Part of Latvian and International Musical Life

For decades, Dzintari Concert Hall has been one of Latvia’s most important music stages. Leading Latvian soloists, conductors and ensembles perform here regularly, while the venue’s international reputation has been shaped by world-renowned artists and orchestras.

The stage has welcomed the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as conductors Riccardo Muti, John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Harding and Zubin Mehta. Internationally acclaimed soloists who have performed here include Elīna Garanča, Renée Fleming, Joshua Bell, Yuja Wang, András Schiff, Jan Lisiecki, Mischa Maisky and Chris Botti.

Festivals and Traditions

Festivals, competitions and annual concert traditions form an important part of the identity of Dzintari Concert Hall. Since 2015, the venue has hosted the Jūrmala Festival, bringing together Latvian and international artists in programmes of symphonic music, chamber music and special events held both in the city and by the sea.

The concert hall also regularly hosts the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, the International Baltic Sea Choir Competition, jazz concerts, ballet programmes and Maestro Raimonds Pauls’s annual concerts. These traditions demonstrate that Dzintari Concert Hall is not only a historic landmark but also a vibrant and internationally active cultural institution.

Part of the Latvian Cultural Canon

Dzintari Concert Hall is included in the Latvian Cultural Canon in the field of architecture and design. Its value lies in the unique combination of architectural layers from different periods: 1930s wooden architecture, post-war modernism and contemporary 21st-century additions.

Dzintari Concert Hall is not only one of Latvia’s most significant examples of public architecture but also an integral part of Jūrmala’s cultural landscape and the history of music in Latvia.