Musica Baltica, a Latvian publisher specializing in scores and sheet music of Baltic composers, has released its first compact disc, Missa a cappella 1.

The CD features the youth choir Balsis, led by conductor and artistic director Ints Teterovskis, performing two a capella sacred masses: “Missa Rigensis” by Latvian composer Uģis Prauliņš and “Missa Brevis Es-Dur” by Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miškinis.

Balsis has long been considered among the best Latvian amateur choirs and has travelled extensively throughout Europe and the world, performing in the United States, Canada, Australia and many other countries. Teterovskis was also one of the featured conductors in the Rīga 810 choir concert in 2011, as well as the Song Festival closing concert in 2008.

The CD is distributed internationally by Opening Day Entertainment in Canada.

As the numeral 1 in the title would indicate, the CD is the first in a planned series of releases of sacred music. The choir has been recording Canadian Peter-Anthony Togni’s “Missa Liberationis,” a work the choir premiered in December in Rīga.

Balsis has also been nominated for a Latvian Great Music Award in the academic music division for its 2011 release, Sarkans.

For more information on the choir, visit the Balsis website, www.balsis.lv. Further details on Musica Baltica are available online at www.musicabaltica.com.