Folk costumes and flower crowns, which are a common thing in Latvia around Midsummer and Carols, stand out especially against the background of people dressed in costumes and suits at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. And it turns out that the road to it was not “strewn with roses” – both literally and figuratively.
Velga, the singer of the family choir “Staro” from Germany, admits that it is not easy to get these magnificent crowns while living abroad. “Yesterday I went to pick flowers for the wreath, and my husband and I went together. He is a Swiss citizen, and he tells me – I will go 100 meters further when you break those oak branches, I am ashamed that you break branches and pick flowers along ditch banks,” says Velga.
The Diaspora choir prepares for the song festival in a different rhythm than the choirs in Latvia. Rehearsals take place here once a month, singers from Germany, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland come to Strasbourg for them, while conductor Lāsma Pommere comes from Latvia every month.
“Sometimes we rehearse for two days, because we really try to make the most of the time she has with us,” says Anette, singer of the family choir “Staro” from France.
Latvian diaspora choir “Staro”
Photo: Ilze Nagla
Latvian diaspora choir “Staro”
Photo: Ilze Nagla
Latvian diaspora choir “Staro”
Photo: Ilze Nagla
Latvian diaspora choir “Staro”
Photo: Ilze Nagla
Latvian diaspora choir “Staro”
Photo: Ilze Nagla
Latvian diaspora choir “Staro”
Photo: Ilze Nagla
Here he admits that it was not easy to learn the repertoire of Dziesmusvetki in such a rhythm, but the string of Latvianness vibrates stronger.
“Those songs are the ones that touch the soul. And living away from Latvia, we actually feel it even more,” emphasizes Lāsma, singer of the family choir “Staro” from France.
Anete adds that, in her opinion, “Dziesmusvätki is such a wonderful example to show Latvian culture to our non-Latvian family members as well. My husband is always excited about how organized we are, how we prepare. Also when we we participated in the song festival in Esslingen, he couldn’t believe it – he had never seen so many people singing together.”
Patrik Lanin, the singer of the “Staro” choir from Luxembourg, admits: “It feels like you are singing with everyone else, as if you were one part of one big, cool, beautiful organism, part of one big family. Although I I’m not Latvian, I’m from England, but I learned to speak and sing Latvian.”
But Agrita, a choir singer from France, thinks that “we feel all this much more deeply, because we don’t live in Latvia every day, and when we leave, we are fully inside Latvia with our heart and soul”.
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2023-06-27 17:27:38
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