The choir of the charity organization “Tavi draugi” invites you to a charity concert in December

The mixed Latvian-Ukrainian choir of the charity “Tavi draugi,” together with their friends, invites you to a charity concert on December 10th at 7:00 PM at St. Peter’s Church in Riga. The concert will feature works by Latvian, Ukrainian, and other foreign composers, with all proceeds going to the charity project “Christmas Express Latvia – Ukraine,” which provides gifts for children in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine.

The “Tavi draugi” mixed choir was born from the collaboration of two nations, with a desire to explore each other’s cultures and feel the energy and strength that emerges from singing together. The choir’s conductor and artistic director is Emīlija Marta Paidere, a student at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in the choral conducting department, whose heart beats not only for Latvian but also for Ukrainian music. The choir is made up of employees and volunteers from the “Tavi draugi” organization.

“Latvians unite in difficult times and draw strength from singing together—this is part of our essence. We have introduced Latvian choral singing traditions to Ukrainians living in Latvia—they have become active and proud choristers, bringing their energetic and unique sound to the “Tavi draugi” choir. Our common goal is to unite people and, through music, do good for the support of Ukraine and Latvia,” says conductor Emīlija Marta Paidere.

The concert will feature works by Latvian composers Ādolf Ābele, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Imants Kalniņš, Jānis Lūsēns, Emīls Dārziņš, Ēriks Miežs, as well as international composers Robert Schumann, Astor Piazzolla, Enrique Granados, and emotionally rich Ukrainian folk melodies.

The concert will feature: the mixed choir “Tavi draugi,” conductor and artistic director Emīlija Marta Paidere; the trio “Subito” (Aleksandrs Komka, Dārta Pāvulēna, Alise Petrone), “Trio Tresensus” (Aigars Raumanis, Līga Griķe, Uģis Upenieks), the ensemble “Mezzo” (Emīlija Marta Paidere, Maija Beatrise Punka, Veronika Snapkova, Nora Voiska, Roberta Kumsāre, Anete Grabčika, Paula Osemļjaka, Mikuss Grīnbergs, Egīls Niklāvs Siliņš, Ainārs Kiserovskis, Rūdolfs Beļickis), Ilona Dzērve, Laura Līcīte, Viktorija Prituļaka, and special guest – Andrejs Osokins. The evening will be hosted by Kristīne Garklāva and Tomass Pildegovičs, with concert director Laura Čaupale.

Entry: donation of 15 EUR (tickets available in advance at Bezrindas.lv); on the day of the concert, at the venue: donation starting from 20 EUR. All funds raised during the concert will be directed to the “Tavi draugi” charity project “Christmas Express Latvia – Ukraine.”

As part of this project, “Tavi draugi” invites everyone to become a Christmas elf and help provide gifts for Ukrainian children from the Novobykiv school and the Khmelnitsky crisis center, where children from active conflict zones in Ukraine find refuge. More than 240 children have written their letters to Santa Claus. The gifts collected as part of the initiative will bring joy to many other Ukrainian children. The “Christmas Express” will depart for Ukraine in early January 2025.