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Rīga 2011

December 18, 2022 at 4:33 pm
The organisers of our annual Festival – Competition: Foundation Muzicējam kopā ar draugiem and Jāzeps Mediņš Riga's 1st music school.
During the day of June 3, the registration and repetitions of participants went on in the concert hall of school. In the evening concert and service at Old St. Gertrude church took place with teachers, students and members of jury playing.

The morning of 4th June, with traditional old-fashioned Minuet started opening ceremony of Festival – Competition. International jury, leaded by professor Gunta Sproģe from Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, together with her colleagues from France (Evan Rothstein, the chairman of European Chamber Music Teachers Association ECMTA), from Finland (Alexander Kulikov), Estonia (Anneli Kuusk) and Lithuania (Jonas Kazlauskas) as well as Evija Šukeviča, Secretary ofthe Jury, judged the performance of 46 chamber ensembles. Altogether 148 young musicians from Finland, Estonia, Russia, Lithuania and Latvia as well as their 64 teachers were applied for the event. In the evening we all were together in dinner party with rich and tasty regale and true spirit of friendship and cooperation between both – teachers and the children.
Methodical seminar for teachers took place in the morning of June 5th in which the members of jury spoke, analysing the performance of young musicians and discussing other with our work related questions causing rich debate. The chairman of ECMTA Evan Rothstein told about the aims for the association to support the traditions of chamber music among the young children. The guest from Lithuania Jonas Kazlauskas shared thoughts about this experience in his country. Meanwhile, children and their parents went on a little excursion around the Old Riga. In the noon we all were delighted by the concert in Botanical Garden which gathered a lot of listeners. In the afternoon there was the closing ceremony of the Festival, again in the concert Hall of Mediņš Music School. It was opened with the concert of laureates, after which the awards and thanks giving followed. And then, warm-hearted moments of goodbye from friends in music.
We thank for the support to our many well-wishers and helpers, whose unselfishness, warm heart and sedulous hands helped for the Festival to sound so glamorous!
We also thank to all the listeners and supporters which in such great numbers attended concerts both in Old St. Gertrude church and Botanical garden. Thanks to the congregation and its priest Rolands Eimanis for such inspiring wishes! Thanks for the people of Botanical garden who took us so kind in their kingdom of spring flowers, giving again the opportunity for the children and public to enjoy glamorous blossoming of rhododendrons, together with exciting play of young musicians. The support of listeners also helped young artists to show their best during the Competition.
We invite all the admirers of chamber music to our next, 10th (Anniversary) International Chamber Music Festival – Competition WE PLAY MUSIC WITH FRIENDS in the spring of year 2012!

Short history

The history of the International Festival – Competition of Chamber Ensembles for Young Performers “We play music with friends” began in 2003. The authors of the idea were teachers of Jazeps Medins Music School of Riga. We see that a new mowement in musical education has been started in the whole world. Children like to play music in chamber ensembles. 

The enthusiastic teachers had an intention to organize an international meeting in Latvia either. In co-operation with colleagues from Latvian and foreign music schools we have created the children’s together-playing festival. Since then it has become a nice tradition. Every festival takes place at the end of the school-year and we are impatiently waiting for the next.

Atbalsta fonds “Muzicējam kopā ar draugiem”
Fonda Valdes priekšsēdētāja Gunta Melbārde,  +371 22390939, e-pasts weplay@inbox.lv  

Jāzepa Mediņa Rīgas 1. mūzikas skola
Kronvalda bulvāris 8, Rīga, LV-1010, tel. +371 67474535, e-pasts jmr1ms@riga.lv; http://jmr1ms.lv/

2023