Meet Latvian meadows at the Nature Concert Hall

This year’s Nature Concert Hall will focus on natural meadows that are starting to disappear from Latvian territory. It may seem that the true natural treasures are found in forests, moorland, rivers, lakes or old parks when in fact the greatest rarities of nature are hidden in meadows.

“We are preserving architectural monuments, old books, dialects and folk songs. These treasures are created by people and nobody doubts the necessity to save them. Meadows should be protected in the same way – as a habitat with great biodiversity and a monument of cultural heritage,” says Andris Soms from the Latvian Nature Conservation Agency.

At the Nature Concert Hall, children and adults will have the chance to participate in over 20 educational and creative workshops in order to experience the story of the meadow vetchling. The concert programme will feature 13 new compositions performed by the musicians Andris Sējāns, Reinis Sējāns, Aigars Voitišķis, Anrijs Grinbergs, Kaspars Tobis and Ingus Ulmanis amidst the interplay of sound, light and dance.

“Nature is one of the greatest treasures that we have been given, and we can truly appreciate its beauty and power only if we understand and cherish it. People should live in harmony with the environment and be aware of their role in the protection of nature, therefore the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council supports such events where art and science complement each other,” explains Selga Laizāne, Head of the Public Diplomacy and Culture Programme Department at the Secretariat of the Latvian EU Council Presidency.

Since 2006, the Nature Concert Hall has combined music, science, video art and drama in its attempts to improve the interaction between people and nature. The participants of these events have the opportunity to get acquainted both with rare and widely spread treasures of nature.

The Nature Concert Hall on 13 June will take place in the Rūši meadow, Smārde parish, Engure municipality. The concert will start after the sunset. Since this is an open-air event, the visitors are invited to take blankets or mats for sitting as well as mosquito sprays and flashlights with them.

Entrance is free of charge.

The event is supported by the Secretariat of the Latvian Presidency of the EU Council with the funding from EEA and Norway Grants. It is organised by the Dabas koncertzāle Society in cooperation with the Latvian Nature Conservation Agency, the University of Latvia and local governments.