In the summer of 2011 Royal Spa Brass will be travelling to the Baltic State of Latvia to play a series of concerts in the capital city of Riga. Situated on the River Daugava, Riga is sometimes called the 'little Paris of the North' with a wealth of Art Nouveau architecture and pleasant parks throughout the city. We are in the early stages of planning the tour and more information about this exciting venture will be available here as detailed plans are developed.

We can be sure of appreciative audiences as music has always been a way of life for the Latvian people. They like to call themselves the Singing Nation and take great pride in their musical traditions and particularly their folk songs. Of national importance is the Song and Dance Festival which takes place in Riga every five years and brings together thousands of the best singers, dancers and musicians from all over Latvia. The choir of 2008 featured over 13,000 singers dressed in national costume. The next Festival will take place in 2013.

During the summer months Riga is alive with musical performances, buskers and concerts, many of which are held in the Dome Cathedral, shown in the picture below. The Cathedral is an important centre of concert life with its excellent acoustics and it is famous for its magnificent Dome Organ which, when built in 1884, was the largest church organ in the world. We hope that the climax to our tour of Riga will be a concert performance in the Cathedral. Watch this space!