MUSIC YEAR ROUND

Riga, one of the Baltic's three major cultural destinations, has emerged as a world-class destination for jazz aficionados. This year's auxiliary Spring Concert Series and the Rigas Ritmi Festival, the main event in July, attracted renowned artists from the world over, representing the countries of Argentina, USA, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the hosting country Latvia itself. After completing the spring and summer seasons, 2012 will close out with an auxiliary Winter Concert Series, December 1-9. Past and future artists include Christian McBride, Lizz Wright, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Marc Ducret, Hiromi, Sawadu, Victor Bailey, Antonio Ciacca, Nils Wogram, Buika, Youn Sun Nah, Kurt Elling, and urban tango group Astillero, among others.

PANEL OF AUTHORITIES

As evidence that Riga has become a meeting place for discoverers of new talent, this year's distinguished panel of authorities, representing 7 different nations, will convene for a showcase featuring local artists. Their evaluations set the stage for elevating Riga and its musicians to international prominence.

EDUCATION

A major focus of the summer festival centers on jazz education. Rigas Ritmi's mission is to educate and cultivate the next generation of jazz musicians and audiences. This is achieved through workshops and master classes. Festival artists Victor Bailey, Nils Wogram, Antonio Ciacca, Dominique Eade and the Astillero group will lead such workshops. Latvia's famed radio station provides the setting.


Rigas Ritmi Festival
www.rigasritmi.lv

Video on Riga
http://tinyurl.com/WhyRiga