Musicians’ Standoff / Third season
Participants in the Sansusī Musicians’ Standoff Tournament:
Adriana Marta Gotlube
I grew up in Riga and received classical violin and viola education. Since the age of thirteen, I have also developed an interest in folk and early music. I play the nyckelharpa (keyboard violin) – an instrument rarely found in Latvia. I participate in various projects both in Latvia and abroad, and also work as a solo artist. I have participated in several early music festivals in Latvia and Estonia. As a solo artist, I performed at the 2024 Walpurgis festival, and I have been a musician in Sweden several times, playing medieval music. I explore different approaches to creating new music and synthesize traditional music with modern technologies.
Edgars Rubenis
Former member of the experimental rock band Mona de Beau and the teenage blues band Driving South, Edgars Rubenis has been practicing as a solo musician based on acoustic guitar for several years now. At the Sanssouci fights, Rubenis will play new works from the upcoming trilogy “Pains And Boogies”, within which he fuses the traditions of early blues and ragtime with elements of contemporary experimental and so-called new music in an exciting dialogue. Reviewing the recording “Sea Unbound”, Toms Treibergs in “Mūzikas Saulė” writes: “(..) the compositions heard on this album are not a bridge built from the bricks of escapism, (..) It is an opportunity to reach a state of attention in which music provides a horizon-expanding awareness, (..) and here the boundary from physics to metaphysics becomes increasingly thin.”
Vitālijs Stankevičs
After graduating from the Jāzeps Vītols Academy of Music, he received a bachelor’s degree in academic singing and a music teacher’s degree. He then continued to study for a master’s degree in opera singing. Vitalijs has been singing in the Latvian Radio Choir since April 2015. He regularly performs with the early music ensemble “Ars Riga”. He also directs and conducts amateur choirs in Riga. From 2022 to July 2023, he was a guest artist at the Talia Theater in Hamburg, where he participated in the main stage of the Avignon Theater Festival. There were also several performances in Paris. He performs as a baritone/tenor soloist in concerts in Latvia and Switzerland.
Dainis Kalnačs
Tenor, soloist of the Latvian National Opera, 2nd year student of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music’s Master’s degree in opera singing. His repertoire includes the role of Nemorino in Gaetano Donizetti’s opera The Elixir of Love, the role of Don Ottavio in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, 4 roles of Andrea, Cochineal, Franz, Piticinaccio in Jacques Offenbach’s opera The Tales of Hoffmann, the role of Cīpa in Jānis Lūsēn, Māra Zālīte’s opera The Bird Opera, the role of Pong in Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot, the role of Paul de Saint-Brioche in Franz Lehár’s operetta The Merry Widow, the role of the Abbe Chazé in Francesco Chile’s opera Adriana Lecouvreur, the role of Don Caloandro Pirolo in Giovanni Paisiello’s opera The Millwife, the role of Aquid in Jean Crassus’ opera Polyphemus. He performs in concerts in Latvia and Estonia. He believes that we do not know what we do not know.
Daniils Bulajevs
A virtuoso violinist born in Riga. At just 20 years old, Daniil has captivated audiences around the world, performing both as a soloist and chamber musician. He has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Marina Alsop and Gidon Kremer, and leads Davinspiro Camerata, a chamber orchestra he founded in 2022. With numerous international competition wins, including the Ana Chumachenko Young Artist Award, Daniil’s talent is undeniable.
Edgars Tomševics
I started learning the piano at Emils Melngailis Liepāja Music Secondary School in the piano class with teacher A. Polanska. I continued at Emīls Dārziņš Music Secondary School with teacher A. Pāže and in 2012 I obtained a bachelor’s degree at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where I studied in the piano class of prof. S. Osokin. In 2019, I received a professional Master’s degree in Music in the class of Aldis Liepiņš. From 2011 until this fall, I worked at the Augusts Dombrovskis Music School, where I also headed the Electronic Music Department. Currently, I am a lecturer at the JVLMA and concertmaster of opera soloists at the Latvian National Opera.
Tomass Ančs
Growing up in a family of musicians, from an early age Tomas’ goals and achievements have been related to playing the cello, while awards in competitions and participation in various master classes have allowed him to get to know the sound of the instrument not only in classical, but also in contemporary music genres. Currently, in parallel with his master’s studies in Helsinki, the young musician’s creative activity is associated with the experimental cello group “Chairmen” and pianist Marta Balodi, giving regular concerts in Latvia and Finland.
Dana Indāne
Dana Indāne (Dana Indāne-Surkiene) is a contemporary voice improvisation artist, singer and author of voice development courses for women. Dana’s academic education includes MA degrees in Theatre Arts and Contemporary Voice Improvisation. Dana has also studied alternative approaches – through meditative, holistic and psychological approaches to voice understanding. For 15 years, Dana has been sharing her knowledge in Latvia and internationally, and also regularly participates in interdisciplinary performance art and music projects as a performer and music author. She has created 2 music albums “Gaidību dziesmas” and “Mūzika teātrim. Naži vistās.”, and represents her own brand FemVoicepPOWER.
Elīna Agneta Lamberte
Elina Agneta Lamberte is a concert kotel player, a student at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, but this academic year she is studying in Norway as part of the Erasmus exchange program. Elina is ready to compete in music, as she has warmed up for the New Year by participating in the lightning tournament as part of the Sanssouci Festival this summer. Elina continues to deal with her inner struggle and arrive on time for rehearsals, concerts, fights and other important events.
Ernests Mediņš
Always open to musical challenges both as a musician and as a composer, arranger. The musical path has been diverse, because high school time was devoted to the jazz and rock music genres, learning exactly how to play the drum kit. Somehow fate took me back to the “roots” – academic music, but the acquired knowledge of popular music is the unique opportunity to play Mahler’s symphony in one day and go to a jazz club in the evening and play a “gig”. Well, I can call myself a composer, because the Master’s degree in Composition has opened new horizons and the symphonic genre is my calling.
Etīna Emīlija Saulīte
The young, promising singer, who, in parallel with her studies in the music history and theory class of the Emīls Dārziņš Music School, is also one of the artists of the Latvian National Opera choir. In June of this year, the singer represented Latvia at the 42nd Hans Gabors Young Opera Soloists Competition, where, after qualifying in the Baltic region selection, she entered the final rounds and was one of the 9 best young soloists in the world. The singer also actively participates as a soloist in various other competitions and concerts. Among them are the concert “Born in Latvia”, the opening concert of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet season, as well as the concert story “Debussy. Must be experienced”, which she organized herself, which was performed at the Great Guild in June of this year. This year, Etīna was nominated in the autumn vote of “Kilograms of Culture”, in the “Start” category, and is also the winner of the annual Emīls Dārziņš Music School award “Emīla Balvas”. Outside of her opera singing career, Etīna is also passionate about composing, painting, and studying physics, which together make her a smart, versatile, and intelligent person as well as a musician!
Rinalds Rozenlauks
I have been learning to play the oboe since I was eight years old at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School with teacher Kristīne Kupča. I have gained experience from such oboists as Dominik Vollenweber, Washington Barella, Kristinan Schmidt, Gregor Witt, Céline Moinet, etc. I have participated in concerts organized by the Operetta Theatre several times. I also create concert programs and concerts myself with great pleasure. I also send all my competitions. I think that I don’t need to publish them all, maybe mention some. 2019 Dubultmēlīši Festival Linardas Cīrulis Award winner 2019 Eduards Mednis International Competition 1st place winner 2020 Naujene WIND 1st place winner 2021 Vivat Future cash prize winner 2022 Naujene WIND 1st place winner 2023 Litauras Vebras Oboist Competition 1st place winner 2023 Ineses Galantes Talanti 2nd place winner 2024 Rising Stars Competition Grand Prix winner
Vadims Dmitrijevs
For the brightest Latvian jazz musicians of the new generation. A graduate of Emīls Dārziņš Music Secondary School, JVLMA and Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, trombonist, singer and composer, as well as a musician of the Latvian Radio Big Band and the European Radio Jazz Orchestra, he has proven himself as an expressive soloist, a master of musical improvisation, who works a lot, giving performances also with his own jazz projects. His debut album “Chapter I” was positively evaluated in the Latvian jazz media – the magazines “Mūzikas Saule” and “Jazzin”. In 2024, Vadims was nominated for the Great Music Award, in the category – “Young Musician of the Year”, later becoming the winner of the Delfi Audience Award. In July 2024, the musician’s second album, “Integration! Live at M/Darbnīca”, was released, which was highly appreciated by several world jazz media, receiving a 4/5 rating on the “all about jazz” portal and 3rd place in the September top of the European media of the “Jazzwise” jazz magazine.
Jānis Ruņģis
Jānis Ruņģis is a multi-instrumentalist, but is mostly known as a versatile and creative guitarist who often engages in improvisations and looping. He composes, arranges, releases and records music of various genres. He has also played with countless artists from different musical worlds. As a child, he played the clarinet, then began to learn the guitar, which led to his first rock band, which further led to learning jazz and other styles. At the moment, he also enjoys singing his original music. Although he is a pacifist by nature, he is ready for musical fights.
Rihard Millers
Baritone Rihards Millers is a soloist of the Latvian National Opera. Rihards comes from Talsi, but, encouraged by teachers at the Talsi Music School, he began to study his singing at the Ventspils Music Secondary School. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in academic singing at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in the classes of Anita Garanča and Krišjānis Norvelis. During his studies, Rihards has supplemented his knowledge in various master classes in Latvia and abroad.
Both during his studies in Ventspils and during his studies, Rihards tests his skills in various competitions. In 2008, he won 1st place in the Latvian Music Secondary School Education Program Vocal Music National Competition and 2nd place in the Alīda Vāne International Young Vocalists Competition in 2013. In 2014, he was awarded the JVLMA and Swedbanka Prize for Creative Achievements. In 2015, he won 3rd place and a special prize for the best interpretation of F. Schubert’s “Ave Maria” at the Klaudijas Taev International Competition for Young Opera Singers in Estonia. In 2022, together with Eriks Miller, he was nominated for the Grand Music Award in the nomination “for excellent interpretation” for F. Schubert’s song cycle “Winter Journey”.
Ernests Ervīns Dovgāns
I am currently studying at Jāzeps Mediņš Music Secondary School in the percussion class in the 3rd year. I come from Alūksne. I have participated in various projects where I play live music. For example, I played live music in the show “tas viss živo musos” as well as played Latvian folk music for the dance group Dzintariņš at the French music festival “festival de montoire”. Music is very close to my heart. Music is a way for me to express my emotions. Sometimes they can be anger, joy and even sadness.
