Events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Kokari brothers will start with a concert on the Mežaparks stage / Article

On August 16 this year, the Kokari brothers will celebrate their 100th anniversary. From August 14, significant anniversary celebrations will begin, at the same time opening and chanting for the first time the restored Grand Stage in Mežaparks with a festive song evening “Brālibrāli”.

Imants and Gido Kokari are one of the brightest personalities in the history of Latvian choral music. For more than fifty years, Kokari’s main focus has been on the development of choral music and the invaluable upbringing of choral singers and choral conductors.

In the global context of the choral music industry, the Brothers are a sign of quality for the Latvian folk singing power, the organizers of the anniversary events pointed out.

On August 14, at 9 pm, a festive song evening “Brālibrāli” will take place on the Grand Stage of Mežaparks, with the participation of the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” and the Latvian Conductors Choir consisting of about 400 singers led by chief conductors. In a nearly two-hour concert, they sang compositions close to the Kokari brothers. The “Castle of Light” by Jāzeps Vītols and Ausekls, the “Prayer” by this year’s jubilee Imants Kalniņš with the words of Knut Skujenieks, and the “Riga” by Arturs Maskats and Aleksandrs Čakss Composers Arturs Maskats, Zigmars Liepiņš, Raimonds Tiguls will also take part in the concert. The creative group includes its conductor Romans Vanags, as well as Mārtiņš Klišāns and Ints Teterovskis.

The concert “Brother Brothers” will also be the starting point for the first shots of the film “Beauty Garden” about the Kokari brothers. The authors of the film will look for ways to show the imprints of Imants and Gido Kokars in Latvian choral music.

The Kokari Brothers centenary event cycle is organized by the Riga City Council, the Latvian National Cultural Center, the Association of Cultural Institutions of the Riga Municipality, the concert organization “Ave Sol”.

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