The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding on 5 September, though its centenary celebrations have been underway since 6 August with an ambitious series of concert programmes. The celebrations opened on 6 August at the Cēsis Concert Hall with a concert performance of Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, launching a special and diverse series of events that will continue through the end of October. At the same time, the LNSO has announced its 101st autumn–winter season, continuing to offer audiences a rich programme of symphonic, vocal-symphonic and chamber music. This year also marks the third consecutive presentation of the LNSO Foundation Excellence Award, which has been awarded this time to LNSO principal double bassist Oskars Bokanovs.

Tonight, 28 August, the LNSO centenary concert series continues at the Riga Congress Hall, offering audiences the opportunity to hear Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, performed by outstanding violinist Hans Christian Aavik, alongside Gustav Mahler’s rarely performed Symphony No. 7. From 29 to 30 August, the celebrations will move to the Latgale Embassy GORS, where the annual LNSO Summer Festival will present a diverse programme.

The centenary concert series will continue throughout September. On 25 September at the Riga Congress Hall and 26 September at the Cēsis Concert Hall, the programme will feature Ilona Breģe’s symphonic toccata Up-Time, Sofia Gubaidulina’s Violin Concerto No. 3, Dialogue: Me and You, performed by Baiba Skride, as well as Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, Titan. Kristiina Poska, the LNSO Principal Guest Conductor, will return to the podium for these concerts. On 8 October at the Riga Congress Hall and 10 October at the Latgale Embassy GORS, organist Iveta Apkalna will perform Francis Poulenc’s Organ Concerto under the baton of much-loved maestro Jean-Claude Casadesus. The programme will also include works by Berlioz and Saint-Saëns. On 15 October at the Riga Congress Hall, audiences are invited to a chamber music concert featuring works by Benjamin Britten and Frank Bridge. The centenary celebrations will culminate on 25 October with a performance of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, featuring acclaimed soloists Elīna Garanča and Liene Kinča. The special concert will be conducted by Karel Mark Chichon, former Artistic Director of the LNSO.

“As we approach our 100th birthday on 5 September, the LNSO began celebrating already in early August, offering our audiences a rich and varied range of concert programmes. This time, the beginning of our 101st season will be somewhat different. There will be no separate season-opening concert, as the centenary concert series has already seamlessly ushered us into the new season. Audiences can look forward to exciting new artists, long-awaited reunions and a repertoire full of surprises. Have you ever heard symphonic fado? If not, your first encounter with this unusual musical fusion may come at the LNSO New Year’s Eve concerts, when Portuguese conductor Rui Miguel Marques will be joined by acclaimed fado singer Gisela João. Explore the programme of our 101st season and choose your concerts. We look forward to seeing you at LNSO concerts!” says Indra Lūkina, Director and Board Member of the LNSO.

On 6 November at the Riga Congress Hall, conductor Michele Gamba will lead the concert “LNSO, Ibert, Bartók and the Italians.” The programme will feature Jacques Ibert’s Flute Concerto, Ottorino Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances, and Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. The soloist will be flautist Tommaso Pratola. The programme will also be performed the following day, 7 November, at the Latvija Concert Hall in Ventspils.

On 11 December at the Riga Congress Hall, conductor Christian Reif will lead the concert “LNSO, Mozart and Dvořák.” The programme will include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, as well as Antonín Dvořák’s The Hero’s Song and Cello Concerto. The soloist will be cellist Edgar Moreau.

On 16 December at 7 p.m. at the Riga Congress Hall, Kristīne Prauliņa and the brass ensemble Latvian Brass will create a festive Christmas atmosphere. The concert will feature music specially arranged for this ensemble, allowing beloved Christmas melodies to shine in the brilliant and energetic sound of brass instruments. Kristīne Prauliņa (vocals) will be joined on stage by Mārtiņš Zujs and Kristians Kalva (trumpet), Māris Evelons (French horn), Artūrs Hrustalovs (trombone) and Raivis Māgurs (tuba).

The festive season will continue with the spectacular “LNSO New Year’s Eve Concert. Symphonic Fado”, taking place on 28 and 30 December at the Riga Congress Hall and on 29 December at the Cēsis Concert Hall. Under the baton of conductor Rui Miguel Marques, audiences will welcome the New Year in a carnival atmosphere filled with fiery southern rhythms and the soulful sounds of fado. The programme will include Antonín Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, two suites from Manuel de Falla’s ballet The Three-Cornered Hat, Franz Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody, and traditional fado. The soloists will be acclaimed Portuguese fado singer Gisela João and internationally renowned Latvian pianist Aurelia Shimkus. This special New Year’s celebration offers an emotionally rich musical journey, providing a vibrant farewell to the old year and a memorable welcome to the new.

On 7 and 8 January at the Riga Congress Hall, conductor Tarmo Peltokoski will lead the concert “LNSO and Tarmo Peltokoski.” The programme will feature Pēteris Vasks’ Violin Concerto Distant Light and Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5. The soloist will be violinist Daniel Lozakovich. The following day, 9 January, the programme will travel to Rēzekne, where it will be performed at the Latgale Embassy GORS.

On 5 February at the Riga Congress Hall, conductor Guntis Kuzma will lead the concert “LNSO and Kristine Balanas.” The programme will include Ilona Breģe’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, Haffner, and Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra. The soloist will be violinist Kristine Balanas.

On 12 February at the Riga Congress Hall, conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius and the LNSO will invite audiences to the concert “LNSO and Maestro Rinkevičius.” The programme will feature Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ In the Forest, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Onutė Gražinytė, and Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration. The concert will take place as part of the 2027 cultural programme of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

On 26 February at the Riga Congress Hall, the LNSO, conducted by Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa, will present the concert “LNSO, Mozart and Stravinsky.” The programme will include Takashi Yoshimatsu’s And Birds Are Still, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for winds, and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring Suite. The soloists will be Egils Upatnieks (oboe), Mārtiņš Circenis (clarinet), Jānis Semjonovs (bassoon) and Artūrs Šults (French horn).

On 5 March at the Riga Congress Hall, the LNSO, together with conductor Normunds Šnē, will explore three distinct musical eras and aesthetics. The programme, “LNSO, Daniils Bulajevs and Normunds Šnē,” will feature Robert Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Op. 52, and Pēteris Plakidis’ Dziedājums, alongside Alberto Ginastera’s Violin Concerto, with Daniils Bulajevs as soloist.

On 19 March at the Riga Congress Hall, the LNSO programme will bring together the energy of 20th-century American music and the refined sound world of Maurice Ravel. In the concert “LNSO, Iveta Apkalna and Maurice Ravel,” conducted by Jean-Christophe Spinosi, the programme will include Samuel Barber’s Toccata festiva, Aaron Copland’s Symphony for Organ and Fanfare for the Common Man, as well as Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales and Boléro. Iveta Apkalna will be featured as organ soloist. The programme will also be presented on 20 March at the Latvija Concert Hall in Ventspils.

On 2 April at the Riga Congress Hall, the LNSO will invite audiences to a special evening featuring the world premiere of Ilona Breģe’s new work Gloria. The second half of the concert will feature one of the monumental symphonies of the Romantic era, Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8. Andris Poga will conduct, with the vocal parts performed by soprano Katrīna Paula Felsberga and mezzo-soprano Emma Sventeliusa, joined by the State Academic Choir Latvija.

On 16 April at the Riga Congress Hall, audiences will encounter three contrasting works that bring together contemporary music, 20th-century modernism and Beethoven’s monumental symphonic language. In the concert “LNSO, Vestards Šimkus and Beethoven’s Third,” conducted by Roberto Forés Veses, the programme will feature Christian Mason’s Eternity in an Hour, Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand and Orchestra, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Eroica. The piano solo will be performed by Vestards Šimkus.

On 23 April at the Riga Congress Hall, the LNSO will perform a programme under the baton of its Principal Guest Conductor Kristiina Poska, featuring Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür’s Oboe Concerto alongside Franz Schubert’s monumental Symphony No. 9. The soloist in Tüür’s concerto will be Estonian oboist Kalev Kuljus.

Each season, the LNSO also presents a carefully curated chamber music programme, offering audiences an opportunity to experience the versatility of the orchestra’s musicians up close, while discovering the richness of different musical eras and composers’ individual styles. This season’s chamber music series will feature three distinctive programmes, with a special focus on the music of Latvian composers alongside works from the international classical and contemporary repertoire.

On 18 February at the Riga Congress Hall, audiences are invited to the concert “Apkalna. Organ. Chamber Music,” in which the organ will meet strings, wind instruments and percussion. Alongside works by Tommaso Antonio Vitali, Pēteris Vasks and Camille Saint-Saëns, the programme will include Maija Einfelde’s Benedictus, a new work by Ilona Breģe, and Harald Feller’s Danse macabre. The performers will include organist Iveta Apkalna, violinist Daniils Bulajevs, cellist Diana Ozoliņa, flautist Maija Zandberga, and percussionists Elīna Endzele and Mikus Bāliņš.

On 24 March, the chamber music series will continue with the concert “LNSO Chamber Music. A Touch of the Century.” Works by composers from different generations will reveal the musical diversity of the 20th century, from Pēteris Plakidis’ Romantic Music to Paul Hindemith’s Clarinet Quintet, Paul Schoenfield’s Trio and Aaron Copland’s Sextet. The programme will be performed by Alise Gavare (clarinet), Aleksejs Bahirs (violin), Konstantīns Paturskis (violin), Pēteris Trasuns (viola), Dace Zālīte-Zilberte (cello) and Rihards Plešanovs (piano).

Meanwhile, on 6 May, the chamber music concert “LNSO Chamber Music. To the New World” will take audiences across the ocean, bringing together music by European and American composers. Gernot Wolfgang’s New York Moments, Édouard Destenay’s Trio, Daniel Kessner’s Undercurrent/current and William Toutant’s 3 peccadilloes will be performed by Egils Upatnieks (oboe), Mārtiņš Circenis (clarinet), Guna Šnē (cello) and Agnese Egliņa (piano).

This year, the LNSO will once again continue its educational concert series for young audiences, “Symphonic Hit with Goran Gora.” The concerts will take place on 22 January and 12 March 2027 at the Riga Congress Hall. The youngest listeners will be invited on musical adventures by the puppet Lenesons and his friends in the “Lenesons” concert series, taking place at the Riga Congress Hall on 14 November 2026, 20 February 2027 and 10 April 2027.

Photo: Jānis Porietis