The International Baltic Sea Choir Competition (IBSCC) is an annual choral event in Latvia, City of JŪRMALA since 2016 gathering high artistic level choirs from all over the world at the Dzintari Concert Hall. Since 2016, 56 amateur choirs from 18 world countries (Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Estonia, Chezh Republic, Sweden, France, Indonesia, Russia, Ireland, Iceland, Belorussia, Turkey, Germany and Bulgaria) has taken part at the competition, bringing the best of choir music to Latvia – a country where choral singing is one of the cornerstones defining the culture.

The competition starts with a non-competitive Opening concert at the Dubulti Evangelic Church and ends with a performance of special guests – outstanding Latvian musicians ranging from vocal groups to contemporary folk music and Latvian bagpipe and drum groups.

IBSCC was established with the aim of organizing an annual high artistic level international choir completion in Latvia providing the availability to listen to high quality choral music to the audience on local and international scale and making an event where music professionals and amateurs meet for an experience exchange.

IBSCC is hosted by th city of Jūrmala – one of the most beautiful resort cities at the gulf of the Blatic Sea, that is proud of its white send beaches, culturale heritge and wooden architecture, including the Dzintari Concert Hall – the competition venue. The Small Hall of the concert hall has an outstanding acoustincs and it is highly suierd for chamber and choir music events.

Latvia is renowned for its rich choral and classical music traditions and is a perfect  destination for those who love singing. Latvian singing is widely regarded as the nation’s greatest cultural hallmark and unifying force, as demonstrated by the “singing revolution” of the late 80s and early 90s, which saw the power of mass song events bring the Latvian population together in their quest for independence.

Choral singing has been a part of music eduacation on schools for generations, and the county has a rich treasury of national folk songs. The Nationwide Singing Festival is a tradition sinve 1873 and takes place in an open-air concert hall bringing together more than 15 thousand singers on one stage.

Latvian choirs, both professional and amateur, have gained international recognition for their endeavors.

Jūrmala is the biggest resort city on the shores of the Baltic Sea in a comfortable geographical location – just twenty kilometres from the capital of Latvia, Riga, and in several hours ride in a car from Tallinn and Vilnius. The presence of the sea, the 24 kilometres  long beach and the romantic wooden architecture ensure the unique ambience of the city. The city is approximately two hundred years old and was founded around the time Europe learned about the healing properties of the sea and the first resorts appeared. In our day wild nature, modern spa hotels, cultural heritage and a contemporary city for entrepreneurship and holidays coexist in Jūrmala.

Venues

International Baltic Sea Choir Competition is hosted by the biggest resort city of the shores of the Baltic Sea – the city of Jurmala and the Dzintari Concert Hall –a pearl of wooden architechture and the most significant concert venue in Jurmala since the end of 19th century. The Small Hall of the concert hall has an outstanding acoustics and it is highly suited for chamber and choir music, and it is the main venue of the International Baltic Sea Choir Competition.

International Baltic Sea Choir Competition gives the great opportunity to perform at the unique concert hall!

The venue: Dzintari Concert Hall