From September 14 to 17, 2023, the international community of music information centers gathered in Latvia (Riga and Liepāja) for its regular annual conference – IAMIC 2023. The top organization of the Latvian Music Information Center gathered representatives of music (information) centers from 20 countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia, Scotland, Spain, United Kingdom, Wales). The main desire and goal of the meeting was to connect even more strongly, exchange experiences and consider current topics related to the activity of the centers.

The first two conference days were held in the National University Library in Riga, with a magnificent view of the city. State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia Dace Vilson, Latvian MIC Director Egīls Šēfers, and IAMIC President Diane Marsh gave opening greetings. They expressed their great satisfaction for meeting in Latvia, a country for which music has always been “a cornerstone of cultural identity, a traditional and integral expression of the Latvian spirit and culture, as evidenced by chronicles from the 12th and 13th centuries”. That this is so is most evident in the tradition of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, started in 1873, which UNESCO recognized as a masterpiece of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. It was with the “Singing Revolution” that Latvia and the Baltic States regained their independence in the 1990s, which was highlighted in the first lecture entitled Education Model of the Riga Cathedral Choir School  by conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns and director Gints Ceplenieks. They were joined by Indra Lūkina (Latvian National Symphony Orchestra), Toms Ostrovskis (Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music) and Deborah Keyser (Tŷ Cerdd – Music Center from Wales) in the panel on Music Education: It’s Role, Objectives and Challenges. This aspect of Latvian musical life is also represented by related topics covered on the second day of the conference: Choral Musical Tradition in Latvia: Past, Present and Future by Kaspars Ādamsons and Aspects of Contemporary Latvian Choral Music and its global reception by Kaspars Putniņš.

In the afternoon hours of the first day, “musical-economic topics” were discussed, through the analysis of macroeconomic indicators of the Latvian music sector and its economic contribution to the economy. This is an additional argument for cultural policy makers in discussions about culture, the role of creative industries in the development of the country and society, as pointed out by Dr. sc. oecc. Prof. Ieva Zemīta. PhD Līga Vinogradova from the Latvian Academy of Culture spoke on the topic How to Network Culture: the Analysis of the Ecosystem of Latvian Music Sector The focus of the second day was extremely interesting and current topics: Cancelling All Russian? Music Censorship during the War in Ukraine with lecturer Edgars Raginskis, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Music with Kārlis Freivalds (Institute of Electronics and Computing) and a great presentation Musical Interaction with Human Brainwaves by Latvian Academy of Music PhD student Jachin Pousson.

The program in Riga concluded with the Voice by Voice concert by the top Latvian Radio Choir conducted by Sigvards Kļavao and Kaspars Putniņš. The concert was specially arranged for this occasion, with works by prominent Baltic composers (Andris Dzenītis, Pēteris Vasks, Žibokle Martinaitite, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Arvo Pärt, Santa Ratniece, Mārtiņš Viļums).

A wonderful pearl of Latvian culture is presented in Saturday’s program: “Lielais dzintars” Concert Hall (in loose translation Amber Hall) in the city of Liepāja on the Baltic Sea. Since its opening in 2015, it has attracted visitors with its architectural design and amber color. It is a true temple of culture where the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1881, as well as a music school, find their home. The participants of IAMIC 2023 had the opportunity to listen to the opening concert of the 143rd concert season, where the new star of concert pianism, nineteen-year-old Israeli pianist Yoav Levanon, performed with the Orchestra. Conducted by Guntis Kuzmaa, the Second Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 18 by Sergej Rachmaninov, and after the composition Musica alba by the Liepaja composer Agra Engelmanis, and the Concerto for Orchestra by one of the most influential Polish composers of the 20th century, Witold Lutosławski.

The closing of the IAMIC conference was reserved for the regular annual assembly of IAMIC members with special reference to the past period and to the future and possible joint initiatives of the member countries.

The Croatian Music Information Center of the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, was presented by Ana Unkić, head of the Multimedia and Documentation Department, and Jelena Vuković, producer and editor at MIC.

Jelena Vuković / Ana Unkić