One of the most celebrated works in contemporary European performance is coming to Latvia for the first time. The internationally acclaimed Lithuanian opera-performance Sun & Sea (“Saulė ir jūra”) – winner of the Golden Lion for Best National Participation at the 2019 Venice Biennale – will be staged at Liepāja Great Amber Concert Hall from 8 to 11 April 2027, as part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme.
Sun & Sea is the creation of director Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, playwright Vaiva Grainytė, and composer Lina Lapelytė. The production challenges the conventions of classical opera, expanding the boundaries of the genre by bringing together performance, visual art, and music.
At the heart of the work is an artificial beach, where soloists sing about the climate crisis, consumer habits, and contemporary society amidst seemingly ordinary scenes of seaside relaxation. The libretto blends humour, irony, and sharp social commentary, creating a striking contrast between the airy visual aesthetic and the weight of global existential concerns. Each musical fragment becomes an allegory of humanity’s relationship with nature, the environment, and society, triggering us to reflect on our own place within the world’s ecosystem.
Speaking ahead of the Liepāja performances, the opera’s creator Vaiva Grainytė said: “Liepāja’s proximity to the Baltic sea brings the piece back to its native shore. The opera-performance Sun and Sea was developed from both our childhood memories and our present-day experiences of the Baltic shoreline and its characters. The remnants of military presence add another layer, emphasizing the fragility voiced by the beachgoers. We are very excited for the piece to meet Latvian audiences.”
The opera-performance will run several times per day from 8 to 11 April 2027.
Tickets are available at Biļešu Paradīze ticket offices throughout Latvia and online at www.bilesuparadize.lv/en. Please note that as of 1 September the ticket price shall increase.
Please note that this opera performance is a standing event, and audience members will experience it from standing areas in the 1st and 2nd balconies.
Sun & Sea is organised as part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme, with funding from the Liepāja City Council and the municipalities of South Kurzeme and Kuldīga and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture. The event is supported by the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, Jsc; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, Jsc; its partner in legal matters, SIA “Sorainen ZAB”, Ltd; and its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd. Media partners: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd. and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.
Photo: Sun & Sea, opera-performance by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė, and Lina Lapelytė, the former taxi park in Vilnius, 2021. Photo by Evgenia Levin. Courtesy of the artists.
Photo by Martynas Norvaišas.
Foundation Liepāja 2027
Public relations specialist
Kristiāna Paula Lībiete
Phone: + 371 22 355 771
E-mail: kristiana.libiete@liepaja2027.lv
On Sunday, June 21, as part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme, the community festival “Pļava” will take place at the cultural venue “Sventāja” in Liepāja.
On Friday, 29 May, at 17:00, the contemporary art exhibition Mierā! (At ease!) was opened in the courtyard of cultural centre “Wiktorija” Organised by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, the exhibition brings together artworks that explore creative practices of peacebuilding, and the works will appear at the storefronts of 36/38 Graudu Street in Liepāja, where they will remain on view until 29 June.
Liepāja 2027 is inviting two visual artists for a summer residency taking place from July 22 to August 19, 2026. The works created during the residency will become part of the programme of the project “Lāčplēša Garden Festival,” a partner of Liepāja 2027. Applications accepted until: June 14, 2026