Song Concert "The Dearest Beside You"

For the third year in a row, on the last Saturday of September at the Latgale Embassy GORS – September 27, 2025, at 19:00 – a song concert dedicated to the Latgalian rose Aija Rimša will take place, featuring a new program, new guests, and songs.

The concert is conceived and organized as a concert of Aija Rimša's songs, where the beloved songs of the Latgalian singer continue to live on. The year 2025 marks 20 years since Aija left this world, making the songs resonate more poignantly and loudly – both the powerful Latgalian folk songs once performed by Aija and her own original compositions. This concert will fulfill Aija’s dream: on stage, her songs will be sung by the legendary singer Olga Rajecka, with whom Aija dreamed of performing, though it was never to be. Now, Olga Rajecka has agreed and confirmed her participation in this concert. Of course, many other popular artists will also gather on stage to perform the songs sung and written by Aija Rimša, to remind and introduce a wider audience to Aija’s life as a talented personality, her journey from the first song to the unfinished, the path of song creation, memories of those close to her, and to sing some more of her many songs.

Special guests of the concert: Olga Rajecka, Ineta Rudzīte, Santa Kasparsone, Guntra Kuzmina-Jukna, the vocal studio of Rēzekne Municipality "Skonai", Gita Dukaļska, Irēna Kjarkuža, Agnese and Andris Širanti, Sandris Sproģis ("Bruģis"), and other guests. Aija Rimša's youngest son will also perform at the concert. The concert will be hosted by Ineta Atpile, the creator of Aija’s song notebook, the co-author of the documentary film "Let the Stars Shine" and Aija’s close friend.​

"Listen, people, to how beautiful the songs created by the people are. I sing them and will sing them for you. I will sing even when I am no longer... Listen, do not lower your wings and do not be sad! Through the centuries, a song created and sung by the people has helped overcome sorrow and difficulties. Listen, sing, fight for yourself, for your loved ones! Do it as I did – by singing," Aija wished us in the autumn of 2005 as she departed into the gardens of eternity. To her – a girl from the heart of Latgale – three things were dear: her native region, family, and sons. In her playful and sad songs, for which Aija herself wrote both music and lyrics, faith, hope, and love were lived, with which miracles could be performed.

The well-known musicologist and Latvian Radio 2 journalist Daiga Mazvērsīte wrote about Aija: "The Latgalian rose, singer, and songwriter Aija Rimša has not been among us for nineteen years, but her songs live on and resonate. In ten musical years – nine song albums! Such is the legacy left to us by Aija Rimša, a simple Latgalian girl with an incredibly broad heart and a musician's soul. Songs came to her naturally and easily, words formed into poems by themselves, to which melodies flowed just as naturally from some internal source. Unfortunately, the life of this extraordinary musician, broken by the blows of fate, was tragically short – only 38 years...

Aija's short but full life, her vibrant personality, talent, unique voice, and song lyrics continue to dazzle and surprise many of her admirers and listeners. It's been 20 years since Aija is "under another sky," yet her voice is still heard almost daily on the radio."

Despite severe illness and surgeries, Aija created music almost until her very last moment. Nine solo albums were recorded, with arrangements mostly made in collaboration with producer Andris Šīrants. Among them are seven programs of Aija's original songs and two collections of Latgalian folk songs: "For You and Loneliness" (1995); "Love Tango" (1996); "Rainbow of Winds" (1997); "Beside You" (1999); "Weddings in Latgale" (2000); "Capricious Girl" (2000); "Evening in Latgale" (2002); "Don't Play with My Fires" (2002); "Under Other Skies" (2003).

"The life journey of singer and songwriter Aija Rimša concluded on October 14, 2005. On October 17, 2015, the premiere of the documentary film "Let the Stars Shine" dedicated to Aija took place, and afterwards, the film was shown in many places around Latvia. In honor of Aija's half-century jubilee, a collection of her song lyrics "Aija's Song Notebook" was published," Daiga Mazvērsīte also dedicated these words to Aija.