This week Rigas Ritmi Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary and from 1st till 4th of July 2015 audiences will have the chance to hear a versatile and broad musical programme, stretching from legendary jazz classics and standards to new gypsy-jazz. Rigas Ritmi, a member of the Europe Jazz Network, is a major event for jazz in Latvia, happening each year in spring, summer and winter, with summer being the main event.
Come the first week of July and, as every year, Rigas Ritmi Festival fills Latvia’s capital with colorful rhythms and new sounds.The festival will feature over 20 performances, a number of master’s workshops and the Rigas Ritmi Showcase programme, presenting the best Latvian jazz talent to foreign music experts.
Rigas Ritmi Festival 2015 opening concert on 1st of July takes place on “Origo Summer Stage”, at the Riga Central Railway Station square – performances by “Bunch of Gentlemen” and project “Riga Jazz Presents”. The concert is free-of-charge.
The three headlining double bills of the Festival, as usual, will take place at the Riga Congress Centre.
2nd of July
- Ester Rada (Israel)
- Bugge ‘N’ Friends: Bugge Wesseltoft, Eric Truffaz, Ilhan Ersahin (NO, FR, TUR, USA)
3rd of July
- Raul Midon (USA)
- Daniele Di Bonaventura & Paolo Fresu (IT)
4th of July
- Ramon Valle (Cuba)
- Allan Harris and Latvian Radio Big Band – “A Tribute to Nat King Cole” (USA, LV)
Each double-bill begins at 19.00 pm, at the Riga Congress Centre. Tickets are available at “Bilesu serviss” box offices and on-line - www.bilesuserviss.lv
Other venues:
- Free-of-charge concerts this year will also take place at the open-air leisure park “Egle” in Old-town Riga.
- This year, the festival also continues “OlainFarm Jazz Nights” concert series at the scenic roof-top “Daugavas” Concert Hall in Old-town Riga, on the embankments of the river Daugava.
- We are also glad to welcome the very popular “Kanepes Kulturas centrs” arts and music centre as one of festivals venues.
Master’s workshops will take place from 1st till 4th of July, at Latvian Radio Studio 1, hosted by Allan Harris, Ester Rada, Raul Midon, Ramon Valle and Cyrille Aimée, and others. Master’s workshops are among the cornerstones of the festival and aim to educate young musicians.
Rigas Ritmi Showcase programme will take place on 2nd and 3rd of July at the New Auditorium of the Riga Congress Centre and other venues in Riga. The festival will present best jazz, improvisation and world music talent in Latvia, including “Bunch of Gentlemen”, “The Presence of Janis Rungis”, Daumants Kalniņš, “Da Gamba”, Laima Jansone and Raimonds Tiguls and others to producers, journalists and festival organizers from other countries. This year the group includes experts from Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, USA and other countries.
Rigas Ritmi Festival was founded in 2001 and since has hosted over 520 artists, reaching a fan base and audiences of over 165 thousand.
Website: www.rigasritmi.lv
Facebook: facebook.com/RigasRitmiFestival
Twitter: twitter.com/rigas_ritmi
Instagram: instagram.com/rigas_ritmi
Tickets at “Biļešu serviss” box offices and on-line, at www.bilesuserviss.lv
