ALA plans second Heritage Latvia tour

Andris Straumanis | 

Teenagers ages 13-15 are invited to participate in the second “Heritage Latvia” English-language tour sponsored by the American Latvian Association. The trip is scheduled July 12-27.

The tour is designed to introduce youth to the homeland of their ancestors. It will concentrate on what is “unique about Latvia, including its history, culture, environment and geography,” the ALA said in announcing the tour.

The trip will begin and end in Rīga, and will include visits to a number of landmarks and cities around the country. Youth also will visit two schools in Latvia.

The first “Heritage Latvia” tour was in July 2006.

For further information, contact trip organizer Anita Juberts, American Latvian Association, 400 Hurley Ave., Rockville, MD 20850. Juberts also may be reached by telephone at +1 (301) 340-8719 or by e-mail at projekti@alausa.org. An application form in Microsoft Word format may downloaded from the ALA’s Web site.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Dzelzs Vilks releases new album

Andris Straumanis | 

After a three-year break, rock group Dzelzs Vilks has released a new album, Sārtā rītausma, featuring nine new songs. The group now begins a tour around Latvia to promote the record.

The release coincides with the group’s 16th anniversary. Dzelzs Vilks includes lead singer Juris Kaukulis, Armands Butkevičs on bass, Mārcis Judzis on drums and Kaspars Tobis on programming.

The group plays in the industrial metal style, but also has branched out into other genres, doing work for the theater and, in 2005, releasing an album of modern folk songs, Kur vakara zvaigzne lec.

Sārtā rītausma was released by Upe Tuviem un Tāliem, which has released several other of Dzelzs Vilks’ six albums.

Sārtā rītausma

Dzelzs Vilks’ new album is titled Sārtā rītausma.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Latvia to perform last in Eurovision semi-final

Andris Straumanis | 

Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will perform last during the semi-final competition scheduled May 10, according to results of the draw announced March 12 in Helsinki.

Bonaparti.lv—a vocal sextet composed of Andris Ābelīte, Andris Ērglis, Normunds Jakušonoks, Roberto Meloni, Zigfrīds Muktupāvels and Kaspars Tīmanis—will perform 28th, right after Austria. If Bonaparti.lv is among the top 10 based on telephone voting on May 10, then it will advance to the final on May 12, joining nine other semi-final winners plus the top 10 finalists from last year’s contest, as well as France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The question is whether six qualified Latvian singers perfomed “Questa notte,” a song in Italian, have a prayer going up against songs that no doubt will have broader popular appeal. But this is Eurovision, which last year was won by Finland’s reptilian monster rockers LORDI performing “Hard Rock, Hallelujah!”

Last year in Athens, Latvia’s a capella group Cosmos came in 16th overall.

Marija Naumova and Prāta Vētra have brought home the best results. Naumova—who performed second to last—shocked a lot of observers and viewers with her 2002 victory in Tallinn, Estonia, which led to Latvia hosting the contest in 2003. Pop band Prāta Vētra took third place in 2002, performing fourth from last in the contest held in Stockholm.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.