Culture

16 Culture

In 2018, celebrating Latvia’s centenary, RTU Culture Center organized a hundred events as a birthday greeting to the country.

YEARBOOK 2018

Centennial Song and Dance Celebration

Members of eight RTU artistic groups joined the family of participants of XXVI Song and XVI Dance Celebration. From June 30 to July 8 2018 RTU groups women’s choir “Delta”, mixed choir “Vivere”, men’s choir “Gaudeamus”, vocal ensemble “Jauna nianse”, folk dance ensemble “Vector”, brass band “SPO”, student theatre “Kamertonis”, and post-folk group “Daba San” took part in a variety of Song and Dance Celebration events.

Prior to that, in spring 2018, ringing in the Song and Dance Celebration, RTU folk art groups participated in the shows and competitions, achieving excellent results and obtaining the evaluation of the highest category.

Latvian Centenary Celebration

May 4 On May 4, Latvia’s Independence Restoration Day, RTU women’s choir “Delta” (conductor Inta Eizenberga-Cērmane) continued the tradition of White Tablecloth Celebration and invited everyone to participate in the concert dedicated to the Independence Day. Tartu Academic Male Choir also took part in the concert.

November 18 • Ahead of the public holidays, on November 15

RTU artistic groups celebrated the country’s centenary at the concert “Uzgavilēsim Latvijai” in the Great Hall of RTU. Choirs “Delta”, “Gaudeamus”,

“Vivere”, the choir of RTU Engineering High

School, RTU student brass band “SPO”, and RTU

Big Band took part in the concert. • On November 18, RTU male choir “Gaudeamus” (conductor Ivars Cinkuss) performed Latvian poem “Daugava” written by Rainis and Mārtiņš

Brauns at Riga St. Peter’s Church. • On November 18, RTU mixed choir “Vivere” participated in the solemn event “18.11” – the multimedial story of freedom – near the

Freedom Monument. • On November 18, choir “Gaudeamus” together with other men’s choirs under the lead of conductor Ivars Cinkuss performed people’s favorite and popular Latvian songs at the concert “Daugav’ abas malas” on the

November 11 Embankment.

CULTURE 75

The Greatest Concerts

As a tradition, in spring RTU post-folk group “Daba San” (conductor Inese Neimane) organized Latvian post-folklore festival “Gaviles”. In honor of Latvia’s centenary, choirs honored and sang the praise of the sun during the festival. An honorary guest of the event, a folklore researcher, the author of the book “Saules dainas” (“Latvian Sun Songs”), and ex-President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga sent the introductory greeting to the festival “Gaviles”. RTU mixed choir “Vivere” (conductor Gints Ceplenieks) during the concert dedicated to the country’s centenary sang “Mazas un lielas dziesmas Latvijai”. In December, RTU men’s choir “Gaudeamus” (conductor Ivars Cinkus) took part in the 57th Australian Latvian Arts Festival, which took place in Australian cities of Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

Achievements

Folk dance ensemble “Vector” received a laureate diploma in the contest “Riga Spring” by performing a new production – dance “Salniņa” led by the head of the artistic group, choreographer Dagmāra Bārbale. Folk dance ensemble “Vector” won the First Place and the Gold Medal in the International Dance Festival in Albania.

Premieres

In 2018, RTU student theatre “Spēle” (Game) showed two premieres. • At the beginning of the year, in February, the viewers were welcome to enjoy the performance

“Pašu audzināts” (Self-Raised) that was dedicated to the 170th birthday of the father of Latvian theatre Ādolfs Alunāns. Director – Kristīne Logina. • Whereas in March, theatre “Spēle” for the first time staged “Īsa pamācība mīlēšanā” (Short Textbook on Love) by Rūdolfs Blaumanis, which became the introduction to Latvia Student Theatre Days that traditionally take place in March at RTU. In 2018, seven Latvian student and youth amateur theatres took part in the event.

Students Sing and Dance

In June, artistic groups of RTU participated in the traditional XVIII Baltic Students’ Song and Dance Festival “Gaudeamus”, which in 2018 took place in Estonia, Tartu.