Last weekend, the Republic of Latvia Special Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs, Zanda Grauze, visited Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. She was accompanied on the trip by our Organizing Committee members Daina Līzenberga and Diāna Pone.
In Kalamazoo, under the guidance of the local Latvian Association chairwoman Maira Bundža, the Ambassador toured the beautifully restored church building, which was renovated just a few years ago, and stopped by the Latvian community’s vintage market.
In Grand Rapids, the Ambassador met with the board of the Grand Rapids Latvian Association and its chairwoman, Lūcija Dauksts-Gerrits.
Together with Organizing Committee representatives Anda Vizule, Daina Līzenberga, and Diāna Pone, Ambassador Grauze also visited several potential venues for next year’s Festival. Dāvids Heinze, organist and organizer of the Festival’s sacred music concert, introduced her to the magnificent sound of the organ at St. Adalbert Basilica.
The Ambassador also toured the DeVos Conference Center concert hall, the planned venue for the Festival’s mass choir concert.
