Participating in the XXV Latvian Song Celebration youth choir MASKA spent an intense time full of excitement, joy and emotions.
Being one of choirs in Latvia that reached the highest evaluation in the regional choir contest, MASKA was invited to participate in the so called “choir wars”, which took place on 29 June, gathering 23 best mixed choirs from Latvia. In the contest MASKA performed the obligatory piece „Augu Nakti” by Valts Pūce, „Rūķīši un mežavecis” by Jāzeps Vītols and „Readymade Alice” by Pertu Happanen, for which MASKA gained special prize for the best interpretation in the IV International Harald Andersen chamber choir competition in Helsinki, 2012, as well as the Grand Prix. In the competition among 23 best mixed choirs MASKA obtained the 1st place ranks among the best mixed choirs in Latvia. (See all results here.)
In the news portal diena.lv musicologist Inese Lūsiņa described the performance of MASKA as “the greatest surprise of the last Song Celebration “choir wars””, telling: “Conductor Jānis Ozols and youth choir MASKA from Babīte dared to show a surprising, unexpected and challenging performance of ballad Rūķīši un Mežavecis by Jāzeps Vītols interpreting it as a humoristic, theatricalized bilingual show.”
See the performance of choir MASKA here (starting 96:00).
MASKA was also recognized by organizers of World Choir Games, which will take place in Riga, 2014, and got the invitation to participate in the champion contest of mixed choirs.
MASKA also had the honour to give a performance at the concert dedicated to the 150 year anniversary of Jāzeps Vītols (see here starting 35:00).
Further events of Song Celebration took singers of MASKA as well as 15 000 participants to Mežaparks open-air concert place where rehearsals and the Gala concert were held.
Many thanks to all friends, fans and families for emotional support and special thanks to Biruta Grīnfelde and Babīte Municipality for inexhaustible help during all the time of Song Celebration!
We are truly happy for so many singers in Latvia and Latvians abroad used the opportunity to learn the recorded parts of repertoire of the mixed choirs from choir MASKA home page. And a special thanks to the Australia Latvian choir “Atbalsis” for their donation as a gratitude to the contribution of choir MASKA.