Reflecting on a recent concert

On May 4, the Independence Restoration Day, I had the honor to perform with Mixed Choir Juventus,
Mixed Choir Sōla, and Orchestra Rīga in a concert that celebrates the birthday of Vilnis Šmīdbergs,
a Latvian composer. We had to perform an oratorio called “Ugunsskrējiens”. I would like to put my
thoughts and emotions of the whole process of preparation and performance, as well as of the
repertoire itself.

When we first were told about our participation, most of us were quite disappointed, as the repertoire
was really quite difficult, and came at a time when we had to prepare for many other things. However,
once we began to rehearse together with the orchestra, the song grew on all of us, for how powerful
and beautiful it was.

On the day of the concert, all of us arrived with high spirits, and sense of responsibility, for we were
premiering the remake of the oratorio. And we were really satisfied, for we were able to put out quite a
solid performance for the many spectators who had arrived. We were even recorded by Latvian Radio
3, so I am quite excited to listen to the oratorio when it comes out.

To summarize, it was a pleasant experience to sing such a well worked piece of music, but it came
through hard work.