Liepaja Symphony Orchestra

The Liepaja (LEE-a-pie) Symphony Orchestra, founded in the early 1880s, is the oldest orchestra not only in Latvia, but in the Baltic region. Since 1986, when it achieved full professional status, it has expanded its musical reach through recordings and international tours. The orchestra's website states that it was founded in 1881; the year 1883 has also been given. Its founder was conductor Hanss Hohapfel, and its 37 musicians found success playing to the crowds who frequented the seaside resort town of Liepaja in warmer months. Performances were suspended during World War I...