As part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra’s annual summer musical journey – the South Kurzeme Festival “Rimbenieks” – concluded on Sunday, 16 August, with a spectacular concert at Kazdanga Culture Centre. Over the course of two weeks, the festival offered a diverse programme of concerts across South Kurzeme, with performances also taking place in Gavieze, Medze and Vaiņode during its final week.
Launched in 2021, the South Kurzeme Festival “Rimbenieks” has grown into a cherished tradition and a much-anticipated summer cultural event for local residents as well as visitors from across Latvia. This year, with the support of the “Liepāja 2027” programme and South Kurzeme Municipality, eight concerts took place at various locations across South Kurzeme from 2 to 16 August, offering a broad musical repertoire ranging from Baroque to works by contemporary composers.
On Tuesday, 11 August, the Liepāja Horn Quartet performed at Gavieze Culture Centre, treating audiences to a colourful and diverse programme that brought together classical masterpieces, passionate rhythms and distinctive works by Latvian composers. The warm and powerful sound of the French horn shone through both international classics and more delicate works by Latvian composers, alongside familiar popular rhythms.
On Wednesday, 12 August, the festival travelled to Medze, where Rietumkrasta Trio performed in the welcoming courtyard of the local Culture Centre. Guitarist and singer Gregors Jānis Mažis, pianist and singer Zanda Ciemīte, and clarinettist Kārlis Catlaks presented an intimate and atmospheric programme bringing together Latvian music from different generations – from classical gems to much-loved popular melodies. The rich, velvety sound of the bass clarinet blended naturally with the piano chords and guitar, while the musicians’ own voices lent each song a personal and evocative character.
On Friday, 14 August, the festival brought audiences together at Bāte-Vaiņode Church, where oboist Renāte Trapāne performed alongside flautist Alise Anna Alksne, clarinettist Madara Eleonora Mežale and bassoonist Edgars Karpenskis Allažs. The musicians presented a diverse selection of 20th-century woodwind repertoire, ranging from the late Romanticism of Karl Goepfart and the elegant, witty Neoclassicism of Jean Françaix to the virtuosic and vivid instrumental writing of Eugène Bozza. The concert also featured Tālivaldis Ķeniņš’ Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon, a work that has recently gained renewed attention within the Latvian music repertoire.
On Sunday, 16 August, the South Kurzeme Festival “Rimbenieks” reached its culmination with a spectacular closing concert at Kazdanga Culture Centre. Under the baton of conductor Guntis Kuzma, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra was joined by the concert’s special guest, virtuoso Lithuanian oboist Robertas Beinaris. The programme featured Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra, as well as one of the finest gems of Latvian symphonic music – Emīls Dārziņš’ “Melancholic Waltz”.
Photos: Gundars Čiževskis, Ēvalds Vanags, Kristers Reinis, Kārlis Volkovskis
The South Kurzeme festival “Rimbenieks” is organized as part of the foundation “Nodibinājums Liepāja 2027.” The programme of “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” is implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, with funding allocated by the City of Liepāja, the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, the Ministry of Culture, and the State Culture Capital Foundation. 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”, legal partner: Sorainen Law Office, Ltd., Jsc; and its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd. Media partners: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd. and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.
The Liepāja 2027 Foundation is seeking a Lawyer and a Volunteer Coordinator Assistant to join its team. To apply, please send your CV and covering letter by 30 August 2026.
Liepāja 2027 continues to implement the project “Fact. Fiction and Democracy” and invites young people aged 14 to 30 to apply for the Summer Academy, which will take place in Liepāja on 22 and 23 August. The training sessions will take place at the Promenade Hotel.
On Saturday, 15 August, Liepāja 2027 visited Riga to join residents and visitors in celebrating the city’s festivities and to introduce the upcoming Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 programme.
