The female vocal ensemble “Mona” of Mārsnēnu Tautas nama celebrated its 25th anniversary with a heartfelt concert.
The leader of the ensemble, Juris Krüze, says: “We sang a lot. I am glad that those who no longer sing in the ensemble came to the concert. If there were all of them, then there would be 36 ladies in the team. It should be added here that none of the singers who were part of the collective at the beginning are actively singing anymore. The ensemble now has eight members, and two female students joined as well.”
The ensemble was formed thanks to Santa Kalniņa, the head of the club at the time, who came up with the idea of its necessity, says Juris Krūze and adds: “It is a wonderful opportunity to get out of work and home, to get together, to feel a friendly shoulder next to you.”
In the repertoire, the collective likes to stick to classical values, the golden repertoire always includes one of the first songs sung by the ensemble – “Uz bērza tāss” by composer Uldas Lapsiņas. Rehearsals take place once or twice a week, the ensemble gladly participates in local events and travels to perform elsewhere.
One of the members of the ensemble, Inita Ķerpe, has been singing in “Mona” for the fifth year: “I came because I wanted the ensemble to continue to exist, but there were few members at that time. Manager Juris is our magnet, he holds everyone together, I don’t know another manager so nice. Yuri has a great sense of humor and sincerity. Despite the fact that he himself is very busy, as he leads several other collectives and works as a concert master, he will always find time for us. The holiday event was also very nice. We already know where Juris is, the event was a success there, so we are glad that the event was well attended. Both the audience and the guest ensembles liked it. Also, one participant’s husband is a DJ, so there was nice danceable music throughout the evening, and everyone was glad they came, despite the dusty roads.”
Both the leader and the participants are concerned about the future. The head of the Mārsnēni Culture House is leaving from March, after the county reform, you also have to think about transport and costs if you want to perform outside the county territory. However, the singers are determined to continue the activity, this year they bought new outfits at their own expense to please the audience.
The anniversary concert was also attended by the creative association “Simply joy” from Grundzāle, the women’s vocal ensemble “Anemones” from Launkalne, the women’s vocal ensemble “Iedvesma” from Smiltene, the men’s vocal ensemble from Gaujiena, the women’s vocal ensemble “Uguntiņa” from Liepa, the women’s vocal ensemble ” Listen” and men’s vocal ensemble “Herakleum” from Blome.
