The music of Latvia will be the focus of the sixth annual folkBALTICA festival set April 21-25 in Flensburg, Germany, according to concert promoters.

Among the performers will be the drum-and-bagpipe band Auļi, the jazz-folk group Patina, and the Latgallian folk group Ceiruleits. Former Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga will present a lecture, “The Sun in Latvian Mythology,” on April 24.

The festival, set in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany, will include music and dance, exhibitions, lectures, workshops and films, according to the folkbaltica.de Web site. An estimated 85 performers will be on the program, 35 of them from Latvia.

The Latvians are scheduled to present 17 concerts, three workshops, two exhibitions, two lectures and a dance party.

“Never before has the enormous variety and vitality of Latvian traditions been shown on this scale in Germany,” festival Artistic Director Jens-Peter Müller said in a press release.

Also on the program are young folk artists Laima Jansone, Kristīna Šibina and Liene Igaune. Jansone and Šibina play the kokles and sing, while Igaune is a violinst and vocalist.

Multinstrumentalist and ethnomusicologist Valdis Muktupāvels is scheduled for eight performances.

The Trio Šmite, Kārkle & Cinkuss will have six performances. The trio includes vocalist Zane Šmite, vocalist and violinist Kristīne Kārkle Puriņa, and percussionist and vocalist Ivars Cinkuss. Šmite has previously performed with the post-folklore band Iļģi, Kārkle Puriņa is known for her work with Ceiruleits, and Cinkuss is a respected choir director.

The festival finale on April 25 will include performance of “Es arī,” a crossover performance by The Shin & Owl’s Ethnographic Orchestra. The effort combines Latvian composer Valts Pūce, as well as Šmite and Kārkle Puriņa, with the Georgian folk band The Shin.

Other performers in the festival will come from Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany.

Further details about the festival, including ticket information, are available on the festival Web site, folkbaltica.de.