The origins of opera traditions in Latvia may be traced back to the eighteenth century, when the first musical productions were staged in the Duchy of Courland and the first traveling opera troupes appeared in Riga. The city’s German Theater, which offered dramatic theater, opera, and ballet productions, was opened in 1782.

The official history of Latvian opera began in 1912, when the Latviešu Opera was established in Riga by Pāvuls Jurjāns. During the First World War, the singers evacuated to Russia. But in 1918, the company returned to Riga as the Latvju Opera, under the direction of Professor Jāzeps Vītols, the founder and long-time rector of the Latvian Academy of Music.

On January 23, 1919, the Latvian National Opera staged its debut performance: Richard Wagner’s opera Der fliegende Holländer