Musical performance “RĒZIJA”
Sometimes the road changes everything
On 20 February, the musical performance “RĒZIJA” will be shown at the Ulbrokas Pērle Cultural Centre - a story based on true events about two friends, Rēzija and Ketrina, whose lives were changed by a car accident on 10 January 2025. After a sold-out premiere and great audience interest, the performance will return to audiences one more time.
Rēzija and Ketrina are fourteen. They are best friends brought together by music, time spent together, school life, long conversations, and the vividness of adolescence. The performance takes the audience through the world of the two girls before the tragedy, allowing viewers to meet them not as headlines, but as living, vivid people with dreams, personalities, and joy.
On 10 January 2025, on the way to a singing competition in Daugavpils, a minibus carrying the Ventspils Music Secondary School youth ensemble and teachers was involved in an accident. The event caused widespread public sympathy, but beyond the public story were the people whose lives could no longer continue as before after that moment. The performance “RĒZIJA” does not try to explain the inexplicable, but rather to come closer to tragedy through the life that was before it and after it.
The libretto for the musical performance was created by musician and writer Ilona Balode-Ūdre, and seven original songs were specially written for the performance with lyrics by Ilona Balode-Ūdre and music by Marta Ritova, KATŌ, Evija Čerevko, and Valters Osis. The performance will be sung and told by around 70 members of the RASA vocal studio for children and young people.
The performance is directed by the head of the RASA vocal studio, Līva Bondare, and the musical director is Valters Osis. “The friendship of Rēzija and Ketrina was special - full of love. I wanted to pass this story on to today’s youth as inspiration at a time when humiliating others is more popular than respect and support,” says the idea’s author, Līva Bondare.
“RĒZIJA” is an emotional musical performance in one part. It has been created with respect for the true events and the people affected by them, while leaving room for light, music, and friendship, which are at the heart of this story.
The performance on 20 February will also have a charitable purpose: 50% of ticket revenue will be directed toward rehabilitation support for a girl who currently needs it. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, further details will not be made public.
During the event, filming and photography will take place. The collected materials may be used for promotional purposes of the event.
