At the 20th anniversary concert of the Brussels Latvian Choir its long-standing conductor Gita Pāvila receives a Certificate of Recognition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Latvian Ambassador to Belgium
On 2 June 2024, the 20th anniversary of the Brussels Latvian Choir was celebrated with a magnificent and sonorous concert in the hall of the Anderlecht Academy of Music in Brussels. The concert featured both Latvian choral classics and lesser-known works, which were enthusiastically received by the audience.
The Brussels Latvian Choir currently has more than 50 singers and it is worth noting that several of them have been in the choir from the very beginning. The choir's artistic director is conductor Kārlis Rihards Ostrovskis, who is currently studying at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels. Since its foundation in 2004, the choir has been led by conductor Gita Pāvila for 19 years. The anniversary concert was a great moment to thank its long-standing leader. At the concert, the Latvian Ambassador to Belgium, Aiga Liepiņa, presented Gita Pāvila with a Certificate of Recognition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for her long-standing contribution to promoting Latvia's image, selfless work in organising diaspora events, and maintaining Latvian traditions and cultural heritage abroad.
The choir received greetings from the Belgian Latvian Association and the Brussels Latvian Theatre, as well as guests from Europe - European Latvian youth dance group AUSMA, Latvian choir LATVE from Paris and Latvian choir MELUZĪNA from Luxemburg. The Brussels Latvian Choir was also congratulated by the Estonian and Lithuanian diaspora choirs in Brussels. The Lithuanians had prepared a special greeting in Latvian. They also joined the Brussels Latvian Choir and sang together several songs. Former members of the Brussels Latvian Choir were also invited to join the choir. Since its foundation in 2004, the choir's directors have been able to unite singers from different generations of the Latvian diaspora in Belgium, as well as to involve representatives of other nationalities and languages. The choir has participated in the 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2023 Song Festivals in Riga and has regularly performed at other diaspora cultural events in Belgium and Europe.