Great Southern Series Concert 2
Wednesday 17 July, 1pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $20-$25
Riga Cathedral Girls’ Choir TIARA
World Showcase Series Concert 2
Thursday 18 July, 7pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Tickets $25 – $35
Riga Cathedral Girls’ Choir TIARA is one of the most vivid musical ensembles in the concert life of Latvia. Since its foundation in 1997, it has grown into a concert group that gathers 97 singers, age 9-16 and is artistically led by conductor Aira Birziņa.
Creative collaboration with contemporary composers is a high priority for the choir which has premiered many works of Latvian and foreign composers. Besides active concert life in Latvia and Europe TIARA has won several prizes in international competitions and in 2017, the choir was among the invited participants of 11th World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona.
The choir has performed and participated in the festivals in Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Spain, Hungary, Italy and others. It has won several prizes in international competitions – it is the 1st prize winner of the EBU and BBC radio 3 contest „Let the Peoples Sing” (Great Britain, 2003), 1st prize winner of the International Choir Contest “Cantemus” (Hungary, 2004), Grand Prix and 1st prize winner of the children’s choir contest, special prize for the Basque song and special prize from the audience of the 41st Tolosa choir contest (Spain, 2009), 1st place in the Children’s choir category of XII International Choir contest “Tallinn 2011” (Estonia).
Aira Birziņa, Artistic Director
Aira Birziņa is a never-ceasing, tireless, talented and highly enterprising tender of the Latvian choir music field. She is the initiator of many festivals, seminars and workshops in Latvia.
A dynamic and vital member of international choir contests and new choir music juries, a speaker in conferences and seminars – she has been active in tens and tens of activities in the world of music, including popularization of Latvian music in Japan. Aira Birziņa was the chief conductor of Latvian Nationwide Song Celebration (XXIII – 2003, XXIV – 2008, XXV – 2013). As a producer and the artistic director she organized the Ogre Music Festival. As expert she works in the Latvian Choir Conductors Council.The Latvian state has expressed its gratitude by awarding a gratuity of the Ministry of Culture for her work in the field of national culture (1999).