This project investigates the role of collective singing during times of social crisis in the Baltic and Scandinavian regions, from around 1800 to the present. Singing together seems to be a universal human response to crisis—a notion recently reinforced by recent viral videos of singing in Ukrainian bomb shelters. Scandinavian and Baltic countries, known for their rich traditions of collective singing, have historically used song to foster cultural resilience, resolve conflicts, and promote inclusivity. Examples range from Denmark’s singing resistance after the Second Schleswig War and WWII to Norway’s response to the 2011 Utøya attack, and from Lithuanian deportees singing in Siberian labor camps to Baltic citizens singing for independence from the Soviet Union. 

Scholars agree that singing traditions in these regions play a key role in shaping social cohesion, cultural identity, and heritage. Yet, despite these apparent similarities, no studies have directly compared singing practices across Scandinavia and the Baltics. The CRIES project addresses this gap, investigating the diverse social impacts of collective singing during crises. It seeks to clarify how singing can foster communal bonds while also carrying the potential to foster exclusion or discord. Given Europe’s current challenges—warfare, lingering impacts of COVID-19, and rising digital isolation—studying practices that enhance social trust, and cohesion is more important than ever. 

Spanning from 1800 to the present, CRIES combines historical analysis, computational humanities, musicology, and ethnography. The project examines both historical and contemporary cases, including a study of Ukrainian refugees in Scandinavia and the Baltics, to explore if and how collective singing supports cultural identity in displacement. 

Working with prominent partners such as national libraries and Europe’s largest choral festival, CRIES provides an interdisciplinary perspective on how singing traditions function in various crisis contexts. This research aims to offer insights for policymakers on the unifying and potentially divisive effects of collective singing, especially during times of social upheaval. By developing a digital archive, CRIES will make its findings accessible to researchers and the public, underscoring the enduring importance of collective singing as a powerful, double-edged tool for social cohesion and resilience. 

The main objective of the project is to investigate how and to what extent collective singing influences cultural resilience, trust and cohesion in periods of social crisis. This includes an analysis of the role of singing in the process of nation-building and its potentially controversial aspects. The project will provide insights into how to use collective singing as a tool to build inclusive societies, especially among demographic groups at risk of exclusion. The expected results include a nuanced understanding of the role of collective singing in societal development.

Project Lead Partner: Aarhus University (Denmark)

Project Partners:

Aarhus University, Denmark

Latvian Academy of Culture, Latvia

University of Tartu, Estonia

Lithuanian Institute of Literature and Folklore, Lithuania

Project Leader LKA: Prof. PhD. Rūta Muktupāvela

Rūta Muktupāvela (Project leader in LAC) 

Anda Laķe (Lead project participant) 

Aleida Bertran (Project participant) 

Agnese Karlsone (Project participant) 

Rasa Laua (Project administrator) 

Do and how do we affirm ourselves as a “singing nation”? LAC seminar explores everyday practices of collective singing

13.03.2026

On 9 March at 16:00, a seminar titled “Collective Singing Practices: Similarities and Differences in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Denmark” took place at the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) Gara māja as part of the seminar series “Learn What You Don’t Know!”. The seminar focused on the social significance of singing together and its role in different historical and contemporary societal contexts. The event was organised within the framework of the research project “CRIES: Collective Singing in Times of Social Crises: Exploring Its Potential in the Nordic and Baltic Regions”, implemented by LAC within the EU research programme CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe).

The project is carried out by a consortium including Aarhus University, the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, and the University of Tartu.

The seminar continued the discussion on the social power of singing together and the identity of the so-called “singing nation”, addressing the question of why and in which situations societies choose to sing together and what role this practice plays during times of crisis and social change.

Project leader Prof. PhD Rūta Muktupāvela introduced the aims and tasks of the project, the work completed so far and the expected results. Within the project, collective singing is analysed from both historical and contemporary perspectives across the Baltic and Nordic regions, highlighting its significance in shaping national identity, strengthening social cohesion and fostering community resilience. As the researcher noted, collective singing from the second half of the nineteenth century to the present day has served as an important instrument for social solidarity, emotional mobilisation and the reinforcement of cultural identity, particularly in times of social crisis. The seminar emphasised that songs can both strengthen communities and delineate social boundaries, thus becoming important indicators of cultural and societal processes.

Project lead researcher Prof. Dr. sc. soc. Anda Laķe, drawing on a population survey conducted in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Denmark, addressed the question of when, why and what people sing together today, analysing manifestations of collective singing in the everyday lives of residents of the four countries. A. Laķe emphasised that in Latvia collective singing is closely linked to the representation of national identity and society’s self-understanding – from folklore and the tradition of the Song and Dance Celebration to various contemporary informal forms of singing together. At the same time, the researcher encouraged a critical reflection on the notion of Latvia as a “singing nation”, raising the question of how those who do not identify with collective singing practices fit into this identity narrative.

The historical perspective was presented by project visiting researcher Prof. Dr. art. Valdis Muktupāvels, who focused on the repertoire of collective singing in Latvia and its social significance across different historical periods. Analysing song repertoires from the nineteenth century to the present, V. Muktupāvels demonstrated how collectively sung songs reflect societal values and political processes.

The seminar was complemented by creative activities that allowed collective singing practices themselves to become part of the science communication experience, encouraging participants to reflect on the emotional and social impact of singing together.

The seminar was organised within the framework of the CRIES project funded through the CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) and HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) programmes with support from the Latvian Council of Science (project No. ES RTD/2024/38). More about the project: https://www.lka.edu.lv/en/research/research-projects/international-research-projects/c-r-i-e-s/

Public opinion survey conducted on the experience of collective singing in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Denmark

13.02.2026.

In February of this year, within the framework of the CRIES project, a public opinion survey was carried out to examine experiences of collective singing in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Denmark. The survey has been conducted in cooperation with market research company TNS Latvia, selected through a public procurement process.

The survey has been organised into three axes: the experience of singing collectively, collective singing and its perceived social changes, collective singing in periods of social crises.

This aim survey has been exploring the interplay of factors such as the sense of belonging, the representation of national identity, the expression of national sentiments and the perceived value of collective singing as a resource for overcoming crises from an emotional perspective. The analysis of this survey will provide a unique opportunity for understanding the status of collective singing in each of the surveyed countries.

Participation in the seminar “Nationalism and Community” at Aarhus University

19.12.2025.

On 5 December 2025, Aarhus University and the Centre for Grundtvig Studies (Denmark), led by Katrine Baunvig, organised a Christmas seminar titled Nationalism and Community. The event encouraged interdisciplinary perspectives and discussion on nationalism and singing.

IACS research members, Principal Investigator Rūta Muktupāvela and researcher Aleida Bertran, presented "Exploring the Landscape of Current Collective Singing Practices in Latvia." Their presentation examined Latvia’s national label “The land that sings,” and sought to map the diversity of contemporary collective singing practices in Latvia. Drawing on preliminary data from the CRIES project fieldwork, they discussed practitioners’ views on the potential of collective singing for social cohesion, as well as the phenomenon of the Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Celebration.

CRIES project leader Katrine Baunvig delivered two presentations on collective singing: one on conceptualisations of Alsang and Fællessang during the Second World War in Denmark, and another on using computational methods to study nineteenth-century Danish collective singing archival sources. CRIES researcher Lea W. Borčak presented research on resistance to communal singing in Denmark, emphasising the need to examine exclusion within collective singing practices.

The seminar concluded with a workshop on Northern European folk music led by Professor and ethnomusicologist Valdis Muktupāvels, who explored the unique and shared features of traditional folk songs across the region.

CRIES project researchers participate in the HERA kick-off conference in Nottingham

Photo credits: CRIES Project

Photo credits: Joseph Westcott-Michel

On 24–25 November 2025, the IACS research team for the CRIES project participated in the Knowledge Exchange for Slow Hope kick-off conference at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. The event was organised by the HERA and CHANSE Crisis – Perspectives from the Humanities networks, which also fund the CRIES project.

The conference gathered research teams funded by these networks to discuss the role of the humanities in times of crisis. Funded projects addressed topics such as sustainability, rurality, postcolonialism, and ethical philosophy. The programme included expert-led roundtables, project brainstorming sessions, and methods cafés to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.

The CRIES project was represented by Principal Investigator Elo-Hanna Seljamaa and Researcher Sofia Joons from the University of Tartu (Estonia), alongside Project Manager Stine Guldahl Holst and Social Media Specialist Rie Schmidt Eriksen from Aarhus University (Denmark).

The CRIES project is introduced to the Danish royal family during a state visit

31.10.2025.

On 28 October 2025, Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark conducted a state visit to Latvia, accompanied by Danish and Latvian diplomatic and state representatives. As part of the official programme, the royal delegation visited the Latvian Academy of Culture’s current premises at the Tobacco Factory, including the Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies and performative arts buildings. During this visit, the CRIES project was presented by Project Leader Katrine Frøkjær Baunvig, IACS research team Principal Investigator Rūta Muktupāvela, and researcher Aleida Bertran.

The presentation addressed the semantic evolution of collective singing in Denmark and analysed historical and conceptual connections between the Alsang movement and the Singing Revolution in Latvia. It further outlined recent fieldwork conducted as part of the project, including research undertaken in Latvia during the International Folklore Festival Baltica 2025 and the XIII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration.

The presentation emphasised the distinctiveness of the CRIES project as a comparative study of Scandinavia and the Baltic countries. The state visit concluded with a performance by the Latvian Academy of Culture’s mixed choir Sōla, which offered an artistic representation of Latvian and Danish singing traditions.

Fieldwork research carried out at the 13th Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration

20.07.2025.

The XIII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration took place in Riga from 5 to 13 July 2025. As part of the planned fieldwork, the IACS research team conducted participant observation at multiple sites across the city, focusing on youth engagement, digital broadcasting and mediated participation, as well as the festival repertoire and its subtle transformations over time.

Fieldwork was carried out during the event Honouring and Meeting of the Regions at Viesturdārzs, and the Vērmane Garden Festival at Vērmanes Dārzs, which featured performances by diaspora folk ensembles from Latvian cultural centres abroad. Observation also took place during the public screening of the Sacred Concert choir performance at Doma laukums, where citizens were able to sit on benches and follow the concert without being present at the main venue. In addition, the IACS research team attended the Folklore Group Programme: Dindaru, Dandaru, Creating Regional Patterns at the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum of Riga, as well as a rehearsal concert at Mežaparks.

This wide range of settings enabled the IACS research team to examine different formats of singing and dancing performance and their diverse relationships with the festival audience.

CRIES researchers document collective singing at the "Baltica 2025" festival

02.07.2025.

The International Folklore Festival Baltica 2025 was held from 26 to 29 June 2025 in Latvia. During the festival time, the IACS CRIES project team—comprising Rūta Muktupāvela, Agnese Karlsone, Aleida Bertran, and ethnomusicologist Valdis Muktupāvels—conducted intensive ethnographic fieldwork.

The team conducted thirty express interviews with festival participants representing diverse age groups and regions of Latvia, in addition to participant observation. The research examined the concept of crisis and the social significance of collective singing. The Baltica Festival is particularly relevant to the CRIES project, as it played a pivotal role during the Singing Revolution and continues to shape understandings of belonging and the Latvian folk community.

In parallel, a creative ethnographic approach was used to record soundscapes, capture video footage, and photograph the same scenes from multiple perspectives. These materials document both the sensory atmosphere of the festival and the embodied experience of collective performance.

A significant moment of the festival was the “Songs for Ukraine” event in Mālpils, which featured the Ukrainian folk ensemble Perlynka and bandurist Darya Leleko, who is currently living in exile in Latvia. Coinciding with Ukraine’s Constitution Day, the event was attended by the Ukrainian Ambassador to Latvia. Rūta Muktupāvela, Principal Investigator of the Latvian research team within the CRIES project and advisor to the Latvian Minister of Culture, conveyed the official support of Latvia. The event included a shared singing experience among Ukrainians and Latvians, exemplifying solidarity and mutual support during times of crisis.

CRIES researchers participate in the 16th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe

28.04.2025.

The 16th Conference on Baltic Studies in Europe (CBSE) “Converging Paths: The Baltic Between East and West”, held from 24 to 26 April in Cambridge (United Kingdom), gathered leading Baltic scholars. Organised by the Baltic Geopolitics Programme of Cambridge University, the event featured significant participation from the Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies of the Latvian Academy of Culture (IACS). Its researchers presented recent work and actively contributed to international discussions.

IACS researchers addressed a range of timely and socially relevant topics. Lead researchers Anda Laķe and Rūta Muktupāvela examined collective singing as a space for both social inclusion and exclusion, while lead researcher Gustavs Strenga focused on the role of public speech in the historiography of medieval and early modern Livonia.

Contemporary cultural processes were also in focus. Researcher Zane Radzobe analysed how the war in Ukraine is reflected in Latvian theatre, while researcher Līga Vinogradova and research assistant Laura Brutāne discussed promoting youth civic participation through cultural activities in Latvian museums. Research assistant Žanete Eglīte contributed to a panel on the role of regional institutions in strengthening societal resilience in the Baltic region.