Riga Girls Choir

The Riga Girls Choir was founded in 1983 by chief conductor Gunta Malevica and since then has made an important contribution to Latvian culture and education. The choir gives concerts in Latvia’s most famous concert halls, such as the Latvian Philharmonic Hall and the Cathedral Church, and is a repeated winner of several local school choir competitions. With a total of more than 80 singers, the Riga Girls Choir is composed of various age-related groups. Young girls begin singing in the preparatory groups at the age of 3 to 6, then move to the primary group until the age of 10, and then to the main concert group at the age of 10 to 16. From the age of 17, the young ladies then become members of the Riga Chambers Choir. The choir’s repertoire is extensive and new music is constantly being added. An essential part are compositions of Latvian composers (S. Mence, A. Maskats and many others), but also works of classical and contemporary composers (e.g., Händel, Bach, Chilcott) complete the musical spectrum of the choir. The choir has also released CDs and recordings for Latvian Radio. Since 2020, the Riga Girls’ Choir has been directed by Irīna Švarcbaha and Aija Smiltēna.