Men’s Chamber Choir “FRA-CHO-RI”
Artistic Director: Ingus Leilands
Conductor: Andrejs Mūrnieks
Vocal Coach: Guntars Ruņģis
Men’s Chamber Choir “FRA-CHO-RI” was founded in 1986. The choir’s name is derived from the Latin phrase Fraternitas Chori Rigensis, meaning “Brotherhood of the Choir of Riga”. The name reflects both the choir’s spirit of fellowship and its home at Mazā Ģilde, where it has rehearsed since 1987. During the Middle Ages, the building housed the guilds and fraternities of Riga’s craftsmen.
The choir performs regularly in Latvia’s concert halls, churches, schools, and cultural venues, presenting thematic programmes that range from Renaissance music and works by Riga’s German composers to opera choruses and the classics of Latvian choral music.
One of the most significant moments in the choir’s history came in 1988, when FRA-CHO-RI performed the Latvian national anthem publicly at the Freedom Monument for the first time after a fifty-year ban, during a protest against the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Sacred music holds a special place in the choir’s repertoire. FRA-CHO-RI has also performed choruses from operas by great European composers including Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner, Charles Gounod, and Gaetano Donizetti, collaborating with leading Latvian soloists, pianists, and the Orchestra of the Latvian National Opera. The choir has presented a concert programme dedicated to Emīls Dārziņš, and several Latvian composers, including Ilze Arne and Ēriks Eglītis, have written works especially for the ensemble.
In 2010, the choir premiered the concert programme Maestro’s Men’s Songs, dedicated to the music of Raimonds Pauls, featuring several compositions written specifically for FRA-CHO-RI. In 2023, the choir released the album Sigunigunikam, a collection of Latvian folk song arrangements accompanied by guitar.
Since 1990, FRA-CHO-RI has participated in every Latvian Song and Dance Festival. The choir has also performed at international choir competitions, festivals, and concert tours in Italy, Austria, Estonia, Spain, France, Tyrol, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, and Sweden.
For many years, the choir’s vocal coach has been Guntars Ruņģis, soloist of the Latvian National Opera. Among his former students who have sung with FRA-CHO-RI are well-known artists including Jānis Stībelis, Jānis Rībens, Mārtiņš Zvīgulis, and internationally acclaimed conductor Andris Nelsons.
Today, the choir brings together around 25 singers from a wide range of professions and backgrounds, united by their passion for choral singing, cultural exchange, and the joy of making music together.