Concertgoers in Ireland will get a taste of the 2008 Latvian Song and Dance Festival when two choirs—one Irish and one Latvian—perform together in the western county of Mayo.

Cór Mhaigheo, formerly known as Mayo County Choir, and the Dublin-based Latvian immigrant choir eLVe will perform at 8:30 p.m. April 5 in the Town Hall Theatre, Kiltimagh. Tickets for the concert, priced at EUR 5 and EUR 10, will be available at the door.

Cór Mhaigheo also is to perform during the Foreign Guest Group Concert scheduled July 9 in the Dome Square of Rīga’s Old Town during the song and dance festival. To help with expenses for the trip to Latvia, Cór Mhaigheo in March was awarded a EUR 2,000 grant from the Irish government’s Culture Ireland.

Cór Mhaigheo, founded in 1994 and directed by Brian Lennon, performs a wide repertoire ranging from 15th century choral music to contemporary choral and secular works.

The Latvian choir eLVe, conducted by Ingūna Grietiņa, began in 2006 under the sponsorhip of the Latvian Society in Ireland. The choir has become popular in the east of Ireland, but this will be eLVe’s first performance in the west, spokesperson Zane Joyce said in a press release.

Last year, members of eLVe participated in the U.S. Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Indianapolis. This year, like Cór Mhaigheo, the choir is planning to travel to Latvia to perform as part of July’s song and dance festival.