The experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs 2026, whose main concert evenings will take place on October 2, 9 and 10, has now also announced its full programme of lectures and masterclasses. These events will run from September 29 to October 10, covering topics ranging from the potential of artificial intelligence to reshape contemporary music to practices in sound art and free improvisation.
The sessions will be led both by festival musicians - such as Chris Corsano and Laura Cocks - and by specially invited professionals, including artist Leif Elggren and technology‑and‑literature researcher David Jhave Johnston. The entire educational programme is free of charge.
More detailed information about all festival lectures, masterclasses, and panel discussions can be found on the Skaņu Mežs 2026 website. Here, however, is a short overview of the program:
TAK Ensemble: Collaboration in Practice
October 2, 10:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, New Chamber Hall
In this masterclass, Laura Cocks and clarinetist Madison Greenstone will share the TAK Ensemble's 13 years of experience, discussing collaboration as a core principle of the ensemble's work - with composers, with each other, with other artists, and with the broader community as creators of educational and performance festivals.
Michael Foster: The Dynamics of Group Improvisation
October 8, 10:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Jazz Class
American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, and curator Michael Foster invites you to a free improvisation workshop. The work will take place in small sub-groups, analyzing the dynamics of group improvisation and how musicians relate to one another. Participants are encouraged to bring their own musical instruments.
Chris Corsano: Improvisation, a masterclass
October 8, 13:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Jazz Class
American improviser Chris Corsano will share his unique approach to drumming and sound creation, expanding the boundaries of the instrument and exploring different extended techniques.
David Jhave Johnston: AI will transform music.
October 8, 16:00, Art Academy of Latvia, building K2
This participatory AI-generative workshop “AI Music as of Oct 8, 2026 - AI will transform music” by David Jhave Johnston will examine contemporary issues and emergent practices. It attempts to offer a balanced perspective and insights from artistic explorations. After the lecture there will be a small workshop which will culminate in a collective concert.
John Edwards: Improvisation, a masterclass
October 9, 11:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Jazz Class
In this masterclass, John Edwards will play with the participants while explaining his understanding of the concept of "free improvisation" and what it means to improvise "with intent."
John Edwards (born 1964 in London) is a central figure in European free improvisation, known for a fiercely physical double‑bass style and a vast range of extended techniques.
Leif Elggren: Music (sound) and a different kind of presence
October 9, 14:00, Art Academy of Latvia, building K2
Leif Elggren is a writer, visual artist, art book publisher, stage performer, and composer based in Stockholm, Sweden. In this lecture Elggren will invite the audience to reflect on the suspension of time and space, on the future, and on the possibility of moving freely along all coordinates simultaneously; on the realization that everything is impossible, yet lies open and accessible before each and every one of us; on miracles, on the inevitable desire to dominate the world, on violence, and on death as a lifelong friendship.
Christina Kubisch: Complementary Conversations on “Electrical Walks”
September 29, 16:00, Goethe‑Institut Riga
September 30, 18:30, Goethe‑Institut Riga
First‑generation German sound artist Christina Kubisch, in collaboration with the Goethe‑Institut Riga, invites the public to experience her Electrical Walks. This is an opportunity to explore the city using specially constructed headphones that reveal the electromagnetic waves generated by the urban environment - sounds that are often surprisingly musical.
Throughout both weeks, from Wednesday to Friday, 15:00–18:00, a mixing station will also be available at the Goethe‑Institut Riga: The Mixer Project by Kubisch and artist Tom Thiel. It allows anyone, including beginners, to experiment with acoustic and electromagnetic sound fragments captured during the walks, transforming them into new compositions and sound collages.
The walks themselves can be visited at the Goethe‑Institut every weekday from September 28 to October 9, as well as on October 10. Two additional events will accompany them: on September 29, a guided city exploration with headphones together with Christina Kubisch, and on September 30, her artist talk at the institute.
The sound walk with the artist on September 29 is the only educational event of the festival that requires prior registration - it is limited to just 10 participants. Registration is available here: https://ej.uz/electricalwalk.
Discussion with Independent Record Labels
October 10, 14:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, New Chamber Hall
This panel, hosted by journalist Daryl Worthington and featuring Oren Ambarchi (Black Truffle), Vern Avola (EMS Records), Gudrun Gut (Monika Enterprise) and Roberts Blūms (Sāpes Skaņas) will explore the ongoing value and importance of independent record labels in 2026.
The educational program of “Skaņu mežs 2026” is supported by the Goethe‑Institut Riga, the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Riga City Municipality, the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, the Art Academy of Latvia, the Trust for Mutual Understanding foundation, Nordic Culture Point, and the sound‑art project “tekhnē”, which is supported by the European Union and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
