Invitation to Liepāja, Latvia, 11th-13th May 2023
The Latvian Music Therapy Association, in collaboration with Liepāja University and Liepāja City Council, invites you to join us at two exciting events in May this year.
Firstly, on 11th May at 13:00 there will be a conference entitled “MUSIC THERAPY IN LATVIA AND EUROPE”. This will include presentations from music therapists sharing their clinical and research work, reflections on the history of the development of the profession and visions for future directions. Presenters will include both recently graduated music therapists and those with many years of experience.
Secondly, on 12th and 13th May from 09:00-17:30, there will be a workshop event entitled “A REFRESHING EXCURSION INTO THE ARTS THERAPIES”. Art, Dance-Movement, Drama and Music therapists will share experiential workshops to renew and refresh us personally and profesionally.
Conference: Music Therapy in Latvia and Europe
For a small country and a relatively young music therapy association, Latvia has many achievements to celebrate and share with colleagues in Europe and beyond. We will hear from the founders of music therapy in Latvia, Reiner Haus and Mirdza Paipare, and from many others who are developing the future of the profession.
Workshops: A Refreshing Excursion into the Arts Therapies
We have a wonderful ‘crew’ of workshop leaders from Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Spain, Brazil (via Denmark!) and the United Kingdom. Between them, these therapists have a rich, diverse range of experience and we are really looking forward to participating in their workshops. Click here for detailed information about the workshops on offer and the workshop leaders themselves.
Workshop Program
Each day there will be four workshop sessions, with four, five or six workshops running concurrently in each session. Participants can choose one workshop for each session, or take some time out to enjoy the beach, park or city.:
- 09:00-10:30
- 11:00-12:30
- LUNCH BREAK
- 14:00-15:30
- 16:00-17:30
On May 13th at 18:00, after the workshops, there will be a banquet at the Namins cultural centre with Latvian traditional songs and dances, hot soup and pancakes cooked over the fire.
All conference guests are welcome!
Prices
Please note – these prices are a flat rate for all three days and include both the conference on 11th May and the workshop event on 12th and 13th. There are no discounts for days not attended. It will also be possible to register in person on the day.
| Members of LMTAA, LMuzTA & EMTC affiliated associations | Liepāja University & Riga Stradins University students | All others | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1st March | 70 EUR | 50 EUR | 90 EUR |
| Before 1st April | 100 EUR | 75 EUR | 140 EUR |
| Before 1st May | 150 EUR | 100 EUR | 200 EUR |
| After 1st May | 200 EUR | 150 EUR | 250 EUR |
Single workshop on the day: 50 EUR
Support Ukrainian Music Therapists to Attend the Event
The Ukrainian Music Therapy Association became a member of the European Music Therapy Confederation in January 2023. We would like to help some of their music therapists attend the conference and workshops in Liepāja. We have a volunteer driver and minibus ready to bring them from Poland to Latvia, but need to cover the costs of fuel, accommodation and food. If you would like to donate towards this, you can either:
- make a bank transfer to the Latvian Music Therapy Association using the following details:
Latvijas Mūzikas terapijas asociācija
Registration Number: 40008096147
Account: LV08UNLA0055000560809
Please include the reference “Ziedojums ukraiņu mūzikas terapeitiem, lai apmeklētu pasākumu” (Donation for Ukrainian music therapists to attend event) - donate via gofundme.com – link to follow very soon
Venue
Both events will be held at Liepāja University, Liela iela 14, Liepāja, in south-western Latvia. Liepāja is the birthplace of music therapy in Latvia and we will be meeting in rooms at the University, which runs one of the master training programs. It is a beautiful seaside town, with an unspoilt white-sand beach approached through pine trees. It has a strong musical heritage, with a brand new concert hall, and many musical sculptures around town which you can view by following the musical notes embedded in the pavements. There is even a singing tree where you can sit and listen to songs. Liepāja will be the European City of Culture in 2027. Liepāja has a wide range of accommodation options, all easily found on booking.com or airbnb.com.
As an added bonus, there will be a concert in Liepāja in the lovely new Great Amber concert hall at 19:00 on 12th May. The program will be 20th century music including Richard Strauss’ Symphonic Poem Macbeth and Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto. Here is a link to more information about the concert and to buy tickets: bilesuparadize.lv
Getting Here
The closest airport to Liepāja is in Palanga, Lithuania, approximately a 1 hour drive away. Palanga has direct flights from London Luton (Wizz Air), London Stansted (Ryanair), Copenhagen (SAS), Oslo (Norwegian Air Shuttle), Dublin (Ryanair) and Rīga (AirBaltic).
The next closest airport is Rīga, about a 3 hour drive away. Riga Airport has direct flights from over 100 destinations. The national airline is Air Baltic.
There are 17 buses a day from Rīga to Liepāja, first one at 07:05 and last one at 20:30. The bus leaves from Riga Bus Station, in the city centre, and you would need to take a taxi or bus 22 there from the airport, which takes 20-30 minutes maximum. You can buy bus tickets in advance using the Mobilly app. There are also many car hire options available at Riga Airport. There is only one bus a day from Palanga, at 16:40.
The Organising Committee looks forward to welcoming you to Liepāja!
Jānis Rotšteins
Jana Duhovska
Mirdza Paipare
Līga Krūmiņa
Aralda Bužere
Katie Roth
If you have questions or need assistance, please send us an email to lmuzta@inbox.lv.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Liepāja City Council
Liepāja University
