Andreas Hellkvist

The contemporary music festival deciBels invites listeners to experience springtime vibes of European contemporary music with a diverse concert program. Artists from more than ten countries will participate in the festival, with a repertoire ranging from 20th-century academic music classics to funk and the latest experimental explorations in multimedia. Nine world premieres will be performed at the festival. The Hammond, Big Band & Jazz concert at the Riga Circus Arena will feature a unique jazz music program centered around the legendary Hammond organ and the monumental sound of an international big band. The concert soloist will be Swedish organist Andreas Hellkvist, while the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music Big Band, conducted by Dāvis Jurka, will be joined by students from music academies in the Baltic States, Scandinavia and Italy. The program will feature compositions by Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Jaco Pastorius, Joe Zawinul, and other jazz legends.