July 18, 2024, 20:00
Great Hall

Born in Latvia

Artists:
Aleksandrs Antoņenko, tenor
Kristīne Balanas, violin
Jānis Šipkēvics, vocals
Una Daniela, vocals
Emīls Lisovs, marimba
Etīna Emīlija Saulīte, soprano
Jūrmala Festival Orchestra
Conductor Ainārs Rubiķis

On 18 July, the Festival will include the concert Born in Latvia, which has become a tradition of Jūrmala Festival. The concert will bring together musicians of different generations, music stars born in Latvia – young talents, the most prominent artists of Latvian concert life, as well as internationally renowned Latvian musicians.

Among the artists will be tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko, violinist Kristīne Balanas, and musician Jānis Šipkēvics, who recently released his latest album “Lielās cerības” (Great Hopes).

The stage will also feature Etīna Emīlija Saulīte, this year’s finalist and the youngest participant of the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. The promising soprano received three special awards at the competition – the Dzintari Concert Hall Award, the Jane Carty Memorial Prize, and the Dutch National Opera Award.

We will also hear young percussionist Emīls Lisovs and the versatile vocalist, multi-instrumentalist Una Daniela, who has actively collaborated with the band “Prāta Vētra” (Brainstorm), “Shipsea”, Ozols, and other musicians, but recently has increasingly established herself as a solo artist.

The Jūrmala Festival Orchestra will be conducted by Ainārs Rubiķis.

Approximate duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Performers

Aleksandrs Antoņenko

Aleksandrs Antoņenko

Tenor

The most prominent Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko has conquered the world's most famous opera-theatres and concert halls over the last ten years, performing nearly 30 roles for tenors. Since 2004, he has become the most internationally renowned Latvian tenor, who has successfully debuted in Berlin's operas, Dresden Semperoper, Oslo and Stockholm Royal Opera, Geneva, Paris, Rome and Munich Opera Houses, Vienna State Opera, London Covent Garden and New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Led by conductor Riccardo Mutti, Antoņenko’s debut as Otello in the prestigious Salzburg Festival in 2008 was a tremendous success.  A year later, he successfully debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, where A. Antonenko now returns regularly, playing the leading tenor roles.

Kristīne Balanas

Kristīne Balanas

Violin

A musician of “eye-popping virtuosity” (The Times), Latvian violinist Kristīne Balanas is a 3rd prize laureate of the 66th International ARD Music Competition, 2018 Young Artist of the Year in the Grand Music Awards of her home country, and recipient of the Fundacion Excelentia Young Talent Award from Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain.

Soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, countless others), with frequent guest appearances at the Berliner Philharmonie, Southbank Centre, and Carnegie Hall. Her head-turning transformation from a street musician and Rock-n-Roll singer in Latvia to a graduate with honors of the Royal Academy of Music where she studied under György Pauk, and Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, under Kolja Blacher, in demand for her “savage, bold, dramatic” (The Strad) playing, marks her as an entirely idiosyncratic presence on the stage.

Jūrmala festival orchestra

Jūrmala festival orchestra

Ainārs Rubiķis

Ainārs Rubiķis

Conductor

Ainārs Rubiķis

Latvian-born, Ainārs Rubiķis came to international attention as winner of the 2010 Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition. The following year, he was recipient of the second Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award and subsequently conducted the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester at the Salzburger Festspiele. From 2018 – 2022, Ainars served as Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, gaining critical praise for his consistent high-quality performances across such a diverse range of operatic repertoire. He previously served as Music Director and Chief Conductor of Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre from 2012 to 2014, and was awarded a prestigious Golden Mask Award as “Best Conductor” for the Company’s new production of Bernstein’s Mass. He won his second ‘Best Conductor’ Golden Mask award in 2020 for his new production of Rusalka with the Bolshoi Theatre.

Jānis Šipkēvics

Jānis Šipkēvics (Shipsea) is a singer, author of music and lyrics, audio producer. He co-founded the group "Instrumenti", which released four albums and won the Latvian "Golden Microphone" annual awards for twelve music records. He also created the experimental music project Shipsea. Šipkēvics was a member and co-creator of the a cappella group "Cosmos", which released seven albums, received the Latvian Great Music Award, won six "Golden Microphones", performed at festivals in the USA, Europe and Japan. As a soloist, Jānis has performed in the USA, France, Russia, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Germany. Photo credit: Aiga Rēdmane.

Una Daniela

Una Daniela

Vocals

Una Daniela

Una Daniela: Versatile Musician and Multi-Instrumentalist. Una is a multifaceted musician and multi-instrumentalist who has collaborated with artists such as Jānis Šipkēvics, Ukrainian singer Vera Brezhneva, the band "Prāta Vētra," the band "Astro'n'out," hip-hop artists Ozols and Edavārdi, Ralfs Eilands, and others. Alongside all her creative collaborations, Una continues to perform with the Riga Gospel Choir led by Kristīne Prauliņa and is currently working on creating original music with her band "The Electroads." Musician Jānis Šipkēvics says, "In my opinion, Una Daniela is an absolute wonder in the Latvian pop music scene – endowed with a filigree voice, charisma, and virtuosity in various genres. She masterfully plays different instruments – synthesizers, loopers, percussion, and samplers."

Etīna Emīlija Saulīte

Etīna Emīlija Saulīte: A Rising Star in Classical Music Etīna Emīlija Saulīte has been passionate about singing her entire life, but it is in the last five years that she has seriously dedicated herself to the art. Currently, she is a student at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School, where she focuses on music theory. Her journey in singing began with Edgars Kramiņš, under whose guidance she spent several years and first ventured into academic vocals. This foundational experience paved the way for her continued education at the prestigious Dārziņš School, where she studies under Irma Pavāre. Saulīte's talent and dedication have not gone unnoticed. She recently achieved significant recognition as a finalist and the youngest participant in the Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. Her outstanding performance earned her three special awards: the Dzintari Concert Hall Award, the Jane Carty Memorial Prize, and the Dutch National Opera Award. Saulīte's promising career is marked by her versatility and commitment to her craft, making her a noteworthy young talent in the world of classical music.

Emīls Lisovs

Emīls Lisovs

Marimba

Emīls Lisovs

Emīls Lisovs

Marimba

Emīls Lisovs began his musical journey in the percussion class at Tukums Music School and continued at Jūrmala Music High School under Ģirts Timma. He has performed at major events like the Inese Galante Festival and has won numerous competitions, including first place at "Amber Percussion," "Golden Drum 2021," and the GRAND PRIX at "Wind Stars 2024." He has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Jūrmala City Council for outstanding achievements in international contests. Emīls currently sings in the Riga Secondary School No. 2 choir and plays in the wind orchestras of Tukums Cultural Center and Jūrmala Music High School.