Exciting musical productions are created for a children’s audience every season. Among them is the co-production of composer Edgars Mākēns and director Edgars Šolis – production The Wind in the Willows. The production is best suited for pre-schoolers and younger school-age children.

The production is based on Kenneth Grahame’s well-known work The Wind in the Willows with the peace-loving Mole, the Rat who prefers an idle life on the river, the spoiled, rich Toad, and sensible hermit Badger. The animals’ adventures are recounted by stage masters with great experience in developing children’s productions, and the lively musical score is performed by the LNSO Willow Ensemble, adorned with ferret ears.

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Artist Reinis Pētersons, actors Mārtiņš Brūveris and Valdis Vanags, production leader Guntis Kuzma.

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The second musical production in the LNSO’s repertoire is Jānis Šipkēvics’ fresh song cycle Zenith, a musical production for school-age children. In the production, Jānis and his former classmate and lyricist Marts Pujāts recount their school-year experience in an intuitive and emotional way. Two boys recount, in song, the Riga Dome Choir School of the 1990s: the classrooms, passages, elevator rides, dictation writing, playing Super Mario, and dreams of a pair of new sneakers.

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Jānis Šipkēvics’ evocative music and Marts Pujāts’ witty verse awakens our inner child who lives until the end of our lives. The production will put a smile on your face, inspire honest delight and create a sense of exciting adventure.

Jānis Šipkēvics: “In a peculiar psychology session, compositions of various genres will reconnect us with the magical era of our school years. The music is written as if for an imaginary orchestra, by a child who wants to understand what goes on around him and infuse it all with meaning – playful, existential, funny, moving, transcendental and ordinary in a boyish way.”

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Director Viesturs Meikšāns, set and costume designer Rūta Briede. Performers: Riga Dome Choir School students and the LNSO Zenith Ensemble, leader Guntis Kuzma.

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The programme is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia initiative Latvian School Bag.

Musical production Zenith is nominated for Latvia’s Kilogram of Culture award in the category Surprise in Culture.