Liepāja Theatre Loses Voice That Could Out-Shout Even Ice Hall Ventilators

Liepāja Theatre announces a great loss — Ilga Martinsone has passed away, an actress with such a powerful voice that even the Liepāja ice hall ventilators couldn't out-shout her. While Riga's National Theatre is still trying to figure out why their actresses' voices don't carry past the third row, Liepāja has had a voice for 88 years that could reach even the seashore.

Ilga and Gunārs Borgs maintained the theatre's musical repertoire for half a century, and as the theatre's senior staff recall, she was the only one who could sing Kálmán operettas so that they could be heard even in Grobiņa. "When Ilga sang, we didn't even need a loudspeaker — her voice flew to the last row by itself," recalls longtime audience member Jānis.

After leaving the theatre, Ilga joined the folklore group "Atštaukas," where she became what the members themselves call the "musical backbone." This meant that if someone forgot the words or hit the wrong key, Ilga's voice fixed everything. In recent years, her health prevented frequent theatre visits, but she remained faithful to "Atštaukas" until the very end.

Now there will be a void in Liepāja's cultural life that won't be filled by one, or even ten new actresses. Because a voice that can out-shout sea winds and ice hall sound systems is born only once a century.