In 2026, from March 1 to 14, the Liepaja International Star Festival - one of the most important events in classical music in Latvia - will take place for the 34th time, which every year brings together outstanding artists from Latvia and abroad.
One of Latvia’s most brilliant pianists Reinis Zariņš will return to the Liepāja International Stars Festival with a deeply personal and spiritually rich program — Rihards Dubra’s monumental piano work “Visions of the Way of the Cross. Light”, awarded the Grand Music Prize in 2025 in the category of “New Work of the Year.”
The concert on March 8th will be a spiritual journey inviting the listener to pause, reflect, and immerse themselves. Dubra’s music, rooted in Christian tradition and symbolism, combines a contemporary language with inner peace and the search for light. “Visions of the Way of the Cross. Light” is like a meditation in sound — profound, slow, and contemplative, yet emotionally powerful and filled with hope.
Reinis Zariņš, known for his intellectual and focused approach to repertoire, creates a musical dialogue between silence and sound, darkness and light.
“The path to the light is the way of the cross – a path through the depths, through the deepest depths of the soul, and that night is deepest before dawn,” says the pianist. “It is very natural music, it breathes and flows very naturally. There are moments when it calms down and allows us to rest from that torment. It seems that we are walking that path together.” Zariņš emphasizes that this is a unique work in the context of Latvian and world piano music.
The Festival, organized by the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, has become an integral part of Liepaja's cultural life, offering bright concerts, high -quality repertoire and unforgettable musical adventures.
The 34th Liepāja International Stars Festival will open with a magnificent symphonic music concert, in which the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Guntis Kuzma, will perform together with Japanese violinist Yuki Hirano, as well as Belgian clarinetist Annelien van Wauwe. One of the highlights of the festival will be a performance by the world-famous Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi. A sophisticated chamber music program will be offered at the festival by one of the most outstanding Polish ensembles – cellist Bartosz Koziak and pianist Krzysztof Książek. In turn, a magnificent and emotionally saturated finale is expected at the end of the festival, in which the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will perform with the brightest stars of Northern European music – conductor Christian Lindberg and pianist Roland Pöntinen.
The festival program is available here.
Tickets for the Festival concerts can be purchased at "Biļešu Paradīze".
The 34. Liepāja International Stars Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the Liepāja City and Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Riga.
