Event Guide

ESTONIA

October 05-07, International Authors’ Song Festival, Tartu

International authors’ song festival is a real treat for the listeners and performers of the authors’ song genre. The festival holds a solid place among similar festivals of the world. Well-known and talented bards with a long and successful career in the genre perform at the “Fall of the Leaf Music” (“Lehesaju Muusika”) festival. Also, performers from faraway countries and different places of the world will come to the festival. The festival’s full info is available at www.mellnovfest.com , you can also email [email protected] or call (+372) 556 90081 to learn more.

Open till October 06,
Exhibition “Kata & Laurentsius. Anatomic Affects” by Lauri Sillak and Katrin Piile, Haus Gallery, Tallinn

The painter Laurentsius, who’s real name is Lauri Sillak, has already previously performed in the arts scene by pairing up with another artist, doing so in the shadow of his solemn sounding pseudonym. His former student, Katrin Piile, has, on the other hand, never felt the need to be known by her diminutive nickname. Nevertheless, Kata is exactly the one who is known as one of the inhabitants of Metropol, the mecca of the modern art underground. In this exhibition both of them are performing under their real names, changing their alter egos to exhibits as if switching the places of subject and object. Such objectification reaches the organs, deep inside to the guts, blood vessels, and bones. Lauri Sillak’s business card – photorealism finished in an academic way – is manifested in the form of restricted skulls and paper-thin plastic hearts; Katrin Pille’s trickster type of hyper-realism goes, in turn, even further by notionally invading the brain directly through the spine and the aorta. If we add a sliver of their recent joint work, i.e. kitschy roses set into a Baroque style frame, we get the end result of an aesthetic experience which evokes awe and proves that mastery in painting is still highly valued. The exhibition will remain open at Haus Gallery until October 6. To learn more please go to www.haus.ee 

October 09-14, Viljandi Guitar Festival, various venues in Viljandi

The Viljandi Guitar Festival is an international festival for both domestic and foreign artists. The festival concerts take place in Viljandi, at the traditional music center Pärimusmuusika Ait, the Puppet Theatre, the Old Water Tower, St. John’s Church, and in the jazz club’s cafe Fellin.

The festival aims to promote improvisational guitar play which includes elements from different genres, as well as to offer the audience an opportunity to participate in entertaining concerts. The goal is to bring something completely new and unique to the program every year. The festival’s program can be found at www.viljandiguitar.ee/en/program 

October 12-14, International Early Music Festival “Orient et Occident”, various venues in Tartu

The festival “Orient et Occident” has reached its 23rd year, which will present the 2018 audiences with joyful recognition as well as interesting novelties. For the first time, the festival program includes Native American music from the Andes, performed by the groups LosEstAndinos (Estonia) and Chakana (Peru/Chile/Finland) that can be enjoyed at the opening concert. The festival focuses on the Oriental culture and its relations with early European, primarily medieval culture. The goal is to create an artistic whole in which the topics are handled in depth from different viewpoints. A typical feature of this festival is the format of a double concert, with an ensemble from Europe playing during the first part and an ensemble from Asia during the second part, concluded with a final joint improvisation with both ensembles. The concerts take place in different locations in Tartu. For more information please go to the event web page www.festivitas.ee 

October 17-20, Tallinn Fashion Week, Tallinn

Twice a year – in March and October – Tallinn Fashion Week presents the works of Estonia’s best and most promising fashion designers. In autumn, the Golden Needle Award will be given at the Tallinn Fashion Week. Please go to www.estonianfashion.eu for all official information.

October 25-27, Tallinn FoodFest 2018, Estonian Fair Center, Tallinn

On October 25-27, Tallinn FoodFest will open its doors. Representatives of the Estonian food industry, catering, hotel industry, vendors, and intermediaries will fill in the Estonian Fair Center – a total of more than 6,000 food industry leaders, decision-makers, and initiators. There will also be food professionals from neighbouring countries. The first two days are open for businesses only. On Saturday, food lovers, home cooks who are interested in good food, the latest trends, and the best cooking techniques, as well as amateur confectioners and bakers, hobbyist baristas and beer masters are all welcome. Over 3,000 ordinary visitors are expected who want to discover kitchen secrets, expand their horizons and tastes. The competition program for cooks, waiters, bakers, confectioners that comes into life in co-operation with a wide range of partners will offer excitement for the audiences. New specialist knowledge and experience are shared by food industry professionals, caterers, experts in the field of packaging. More info can be found at www.profexpo.ee/foodfest/ 

October 27 – November 02, 17th International Modern Music Festival ‘Afekt’, Tartu and Tallinn

Afekt is a sequel to the Estonian Composers' Festival that has been held in Tartu for the past 15 years and has also expanded to Tallinn in previous years. The aim of the festival is to bring a contemporary European musical environment to the Estonian audience and the name change has been brought about firstly due to the gradual expansion of the festival into an international musical event. Find out more at www.festivalafekt.ee 

LATVIA

October 06, Jubilee Concert by Ksenija Sidorova, Great Guild, Riga

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London and the winner of several internationally renowned competitions, Ksenija Sidorova, is known as the “princess of the accordion” and as a keen promoter of her instrument. Her repertoire includes new pieces created in collaboration with such composers as Karl Jenkins, Hans Abrahams, Stefano Gervasoni, Nirmali Fenn, Patrick Nunn, Samantha Fernando and many others, as well as compositions inspired by jazz and folk music, thus, offering the audience a truly wide stylistic amplitude. The concert’s program and tickets are available at www.bilesuparadize.lv 

October 08-14, Autumn Riga Restaurant Week, different restaurants in Riga

During this special week, Riga’s restaurants will open their doors to all gourmands willing to treat themselves to an array of delicious tastes for an affordable price of 15-20 euros for a three-course meal. For the entire week, all the city’s residents and guests have the chance to enjoy the season’s best foods prepared by experienced and innovative chefs who give each meal a modern and sophisticated twist. You can find the list with restaurant offers here: www.liveriga.com/en/7981-autumn-riga-restaurant-week  

October 12-13, Sound Forest 2018, Daile Music Hall, Riga

Sound Forest is a festival for adventurous (innovative, experimental, avant-garde, etc.) music. It has been held in Riga since 2003. Seeing as all forms of modern music have an experimental dimension, there is always a wide variety of musical genres represented at the festival – from electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, contemporary composition and noise to interesting shifts in dance music, hip-hop and rock or metal. Please check the festival homepage for full programme: www.skanumezs.lv/en/2018/full-program-of-skanu-mezs-2018/ 

Open till October 14, Exhibition “From Abel to Cain” by Juris Bergins, Porcelain Museum, Riga

Juris Bergins is one of the outstanding Latvian ceramicists whose character is brightly visible in Latvian and European art. The artist is currently living and working in Lithuania. Juris Bergins is known for his extravagant style – bright works, full of symbols that wittily refer to artifacts of the time. The exhibition displays original pieces that the artist has made in the past years. To learn more please visit www.porcelanamuzejs.riga.lv/en/ 

October 17, Opening Concert of Riga A Capella Festival by VOCES8, Great Guild, Riga

VOCES8 is one of the best known and magnificent British vocal ensembles. It actively performs in the most prestigious concert halls of the world. The ensemble has won recognition with its excellent sound and broad repertoire. At the opening concert of the Riga A Cappella Festival VOCES8 will offer a program from renaissance polyphony to contemporary music and popular hits. The tickets can be purchased online via www.bilesuserviss.lv 

October 18-31, Riga International Film Festival, Splendid Palace, Riga

The Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF) this year will offer more than 150 feature films, documentaries and short films from across the world. Besides the broad film program, the festival will also offer educational and entertaining events that will gather several hundreds of international film professionals. In addition to the usual programs, there will also be three new film programs – BERLINALE 2018 RIGA, demonstrating the favorite films of the Berlin International Film Festival; architecture film program ARCHITECT’S CUT, and INGMAR BERGMAN 100 – a program dedicated to the film legend Ingmar Bergman. RIGA IFF screenings and events will be held in the movie theatres “Splendid Palace”, “KSuns”, “Kino Bize”, the Latvian National Library and Kanepe Culture Centre. Full RIGA IFF program and tickets are available on the festival’s homepage www.rigaiff.lv  

October 23-27, Riga Fashion Week, Radisson Blu Latvija Conference & Spa Hotel, Riga

Within the coming Fashion week the spring-summer 2019 pret-a-porter collections by the best Latvian and foreign designers will be presented. Riga Fashion Week has indefeasibly contributed to the development of the Latvian fashion industry, providing local couturiers with a platform to present their collections, and discovering new names of talented local designers each season. As the scope of Riga Fashion Week has grown, the trendy brands of designer clothes from Latvia have also been gaining more and more importance in the international market, positioning Latvia as a country with big creative potential and extensive possibilities in the area of fashion. More information is available at www.rfw.lv

Open till October 30, Photography Exhibtion “Song and Dance – in Australia and Latvia”, VEF Culture Palace, Riga

In cooperation with the local photography association of Riga’s sister city in Australia – Cairns, the photo studio RIGA of VEF Palace of Cultures and RVR are organizing a joint exhibition featuring 60 photographs which show various aspects of song and dance around the world. The entrance is free. 

LITHUANIA 

October 04-28, Documentary Film Festival “Inconvenient Films”, cinema theatres in Vilnius

Inconvenient Films is an international competitive human rights documentary film festival, taking place in various cities and towns across Lithuania. Established in 2007 as an annual film event, it is currently the biggest documentary film festival in the country and the only film festival of this kind in the Baltic sates region. The festival invites filmmakers, experts, activists and festival audiences to appreciate and discuss the role of documentaries in reflecting and shaping our understanding of reality. The mission of this festival is to use award-winning author driven films in raising awareness about human rights issues around the world, encouraging public debate on ways to address them. The Festival’s International Competition is dedicated to films by new filmmakers – their first or second feature documentary. Films are selected considering artistic value, film-making skills and revelations of a relevant human rights topic. The Best Film is selected and awarded by international jury. All films screened during the Inconvenient Films festival are eligible to win the Audience Choice award. The winner of the award is chosen directly by viewers. Full program details and other information is available at www.nepatoguskinas.lt/2018/ 

Open till October 09, Andrius Erminas’ Exhibition “Human Factor. Bodies”, AV17 Gallery, Vilnius

“Human Factor. Bodies” is a theme that the artist Andrius Erminas has been working on for more than seven years now. An important role at the “Human Factor” plays the artist as an individual living in our contemporary society. The theme also describes human characteristics that influence the psychological, cultural, social, technical or natural processes of life. At the exhibition the artist presents his newest works with the main theme of body that serves as a link with other works. In this exhibition, body is perceived as matter, which has an associative connection with sub-conscious experiences. For full information on the exhibition please visit the gallery’s web page www.av17gallery.com 

October 11-14, Vilnius Jazz 2018, various venues in Vilnius

Founded in 1987, Vilnius Jazz is the oldest annual jazz festival held in Vilnius. It is an exceptional event in Lithuania, providing a broad perspective on contemporary trends in jazz from all over the world. Over the years Vilnius Jazz has earned the reputation of being a radical avant-garde festival oriented towards novelty and limit-stretching creativity. The stylistic boundaries of jazz and free improvised music are often crossed and expanded here by offering joint projects with musicians from academic, ethnic, rock and industrial music backgrounds. Recognized as one of the most important signposts in Eastern Europe, Vilnius Jazz remains devoted to nurturing and promoting the living tradition of improvised music in Lithuania. For official information on the festival please go to www.vilniusjazz.lt 

Ongoing till October 14, St. James Sacred Music Festival, Church of St. Phillip and St. Jacob, Vilnius

The State Concert Choir Vilnius and brothers Dominicans have been organizing the Saint James Sacred Choral Music Festival since 2011. The aim of the festival is to foster an educational and cultural mission by popularizing sacred choral music. It should be noted that the festival is becoming an attractive and inseparable part of the local cultural life and is attracting more and more art lovers and cultural promoters from around the world every year. The entrance to festival events is free. The program is available at www.chorasvilnius.lt 

October 17-21, International Singers’ and Songwriters’ Festival “This Is Me”, various venues in Vilnius

Since 2003, the International Singers’ and Songwriters’ Festival This Is Me has been annually held by the center of culture and education Vilnius Teachers’ House. It is the only international event of this genre in Eastern Europe. Participants from Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Portugal, Bulgaria, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, the USA and, of course, Lithuania have appeared during these events. One of the most unique traits of the festival in the international context is the fact that the participants perform songs in their mother-tongue. In this way, the listeners are introduced not only to the genre of a specific country, but also to a part of its culture in a broader sense. Find out more at www.tai-as.lt