About Balticoro
The countries of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) have a long tradition of choral singing. Despite many historical, cultural and scenic similarities, each country is marked by its own musical history and artistic mentality. High emotionality, but also meditative calm and concentration characterise the choral music of the Baltic States, as well as its tendency towards melancholy and melancholy.
The mixed choir Balticoro was founded in 2009 by Gints Rācenis in Hamburg with the aim of making Baltic choral music known.
In addition to traditional folk song arrangements, which make up a significant part of Baltic choral music, the choir sings original works of the Romantic and contemporary periods.
Through Balticoro, the Baltic people living in Hamburg have the opportunity to sing in their native languages and to maintain this tradition. The composition of the choir is international. It consists of music-loving Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and German singers.
After Gints Rācenis regrettably gave up the musical direction of the choir in September 2021, the members of Balticoro reorganised themselves and set up a project for 2022, the participation in the Latvian Song Festival in Esslingen.
Under the direction of Ēriks Kravalis, a professional choir director from Riga, regular choir weekends were held in the first half of 2022 to be fit for participation in the Latvian Song Festival in Esslingen (16-19 June 2022). We were supported by the Latvian Association Hamburg, the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the Federal Republic of Germany and the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After the summer break, we have started regular weekly choir rehearsals again in September 2022 under new direction.
We are looking forward to rehearsing with Andis Paegle, cantor at the Ev.-Luth. parish in Bargteheide, and hope for many new projects.
Andis Paegle, born and raised in Riga, attended the Cathedral Choir School in Riga and studied 'Choral Conducting' at the Music Academy. Even then, numerous music trips took him to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Armenia and East Berlin, later also to England and Australia.
His piano teacher Atis Stepiņš persistently encouraged Andis to learn to play the organ. A course in 'church music' in Latvia then aroused Andis' interest in studying this music more intensively. This was followed by a scholarship to study in Lübeck. Here Andis devoted himself not only to church music but also to the harpsichord and the organ. This was followed by church music studies (A) with choir and orchestra, which he successfully completed in 2009.
Since October 2008 Andis Paegle has been cantor in the Evangelical Lutheran congregation in Bargteheide, where he sets musical accents. Andis also pursues his own musical projects such as 'MoonBach'.
Already in Latvia Andis has sung in numerous choirs, among others he was a tenor singer and assistant in the Latvian State Choir.
We are proud that Andis Paegle has taken over the direction of Balticoro despite his numerous commitments and look forward to many beautiful concerts with him.