The festival 'Baltic Music Days 2026. We Live In Different Times' begins today with an opening event at the Riga Central Station

Today marks the beginning of the contemporary music festival “Baltic Music Days” with the motto “We Live In Different Times”. Today, the festival will open at 5:30 p.m. with a pop-up concert “Prelude to Different Times” at the Riga Central Railway Station with the choir “Juventus”, “Mignon” and “Dziesmuvara” singers under the direction of conductor Valdis Tomsons, who will introduce the audience to the festival, performing a work by the Finnish composer Tytti Arola “phōnḗ” for voices and tin can telephones. From April 10 to April 12, the festival will move to the Liepāja concert hall "Great Amber", but from April 13 to April 17, listeners are welcome to join the concerts at the Latvian Radio 1st Studio, the Ģertrūdes Street Theater, the VEF Culture Palace, and the Spīķeri Concert Hall.

The festival “Baltic Music Days 2026. We Live In Different Times” is the central contemporary music event in the Baltic States, annually rotating between Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. This year, the Baltic Music Days begins close cooperation with the Nordic Music Days and the composers' unions of Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Scotland and the Faroe Islands, therefore we will hear the most interesting works of not only Baltic but also Nordic composers, allowing us to appreciate and better understand our closest neighbors.

Festival tickets available here: ej.uz/bmd-tickets 

"Today we are pressing the start button. This is an incredibly big event for our small association. Krists Auznieks has created a universal, but very beautiful concept," says Rolands Kronlaks, the festival producer and newly elected Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Composers' Union.

The festival program:

April 9: Prelude to Different Times. Juventus, Minjona, Dziesmuvara – Riga Central Station

April 10: Kairos/Chronos. Liepāja Symphony Orchestra – “Great Amber” concert hall, Liepāja

April 11: Phantom Streams. Alexander Tillegreen – “Great Amber” concert hall, Liepāja

April 11: Letters to a Young Poet. Latvian Radio Choir – “Great Amber” concert hall, Liepāja

April 12: Turning the Time. Ensemble for New Music Tallinn – “Great Amber” concert hall, Liepāja

April 13: The Arrow of Time. Twenty Fingers Duo – Latvijas Radio 3 “Klasika”, live broadcast

April 14: Active Access: Opening Music-Making Through Technology. Workshop by a Scottish composer Ben Lunn – JVLMA, Riga

April 14: Time to Rise. Qullaq – Ģertrūdes Street Theatre, Riga

April 15: Two Northern Times. Aud the Deep Minded and HAV Duo – Ģertrūdes Street Theatre, Riga

April 16: Timeless Origin. Orchestra Riga – VEF Culture Palace, Riga

April 17: River of Time. Reinis Zariņš – Spīķeri Concert Hall, Riga

The festival is possible thanks to the Latvian State Culture Capital foundation, Riga City Council, Liepāja concert hall “Great Amber”, Liepāja City Municipality, Nordic Music Days, Nordic Culture Fund, Nordic Council of Ministers, Culture Action Europe and Statens Kunstfond; the festival’s informational support is done by Latvijas Radio 3 “Klasika” and shopping centre “Origo”.