Children's choir Varaviksne (The Rainbow) was founded 15 years ago when conductor Karlis Beinerts became the headmaster of Riga 3rd Music school and initiated choir classes. From a group of 8 students in the first year, Varaviksne has grown to a choir of 45 singers. In 1995 Varaviksne was awarded 1^st prize and Grand Prix in the all - Latvia music school choir competition organised by
Latvia Radio. The choir and its soloists participate in the opera performances Turandot, Tosca, and Fire and Night staged by the Latvian National Opera.

The choir has been on concert tours to

• Denmark (1993),
• Germany (1995, 1997, 1998),
• England and Wales (1996),
• Sweden (1997).

Records by Varaviksne have been broadcasted over Latvian, Danish, Swedish and German radio, as well as Latvian, Welsh and German TV.   CD Recorded at the St. Paul Church, Anglican Church and Latvia Radio Studio, Riga Producer Karlis Beinerts © 1998 MP3 format Sound examples: Quia fecit mihi magna (680K 0:41) Rasa un Zvaigznes (588K 0:38)

REVIEWS

...A choir of high professional standard with superb sense of ensemble, a clarity of sound, training of voices and musicality, unusual for children.

Europa Festival (Hjoring, 1993)

...Not knowing who was producing the rich beautiful sounds, one might have though it was the singing of a well-trained adults choir, but lifting one's eyes to the balcony it was clear that the unusually sonorous and "clear-as-bells " voices came from a little over 30 young people aged 9 - 16.

Münsterlandiche Tageszeitung (1995)

...Choirs from all over the world enthused listeners in concerts, to which all tickets had been sold out. Good, no - marvellous were they all. Though one choir stood out amongst the others: youth choir Varaviksne from Riga. In the programme book we could read the words of conductor Karlis Beinerts: "Both the choir and the conductor are merely instruments. The choir in the hands of the conductor, but the conductor in the hands of God ". Bold words - you think at first. But when you have heard the choir sing, you admit, that this man has every right to talk this way. The choir sang and thelisteners held their breath. What was it? Heavenly sounds? They no longer seemed earthly. The soul quietened admitting that somewhere, beyond our consciousness, something wondrous must exist, something divine - else there wouldn't be such music.

Lippe Actuelle (1997)

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Last edited 03/07/02