Liepāja Symphony Orchestra & Gintaras Rinkevičius
Biography Liepāja Symphony Orchestra & Gintaras Rinkevičius
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (LSO)
The origins of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (LSO) can be found in 1881, when the Liepāja Philharmonia was formed – the first philharmonic in the Baltics. After World War II, the orchestra renewed its work as part of the Liepāja College of Music, in turn, in 1986, the orchestra gained the status of professional orchestra as an independent entity. Along with concerts in Liepāja, Rīga, and other cities in Latvia, the LSO regularly performs in the Baltic States and have performed in other parts of the world such as Austria, Azerbaijan, Greece, India, Japan, China, Great Britain, Malaysia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Sweden. One of the most valuable traditions of the orchestra is the International Star Festival, which has taken place ever spring since 1993. The festival, initially the Pianist Star Festival, was founded by conductor Imants Resnis, the leader of the collective for many years (1992–2009), and the orchestra has collaborated with almost 200 notable soloists from all over the world. The LSO has also worked closely with the record labels Odradek Records, Wergo, Toccata Classics and SKANI. A particular important goal of the LSO is to facilitate and popularise the music of Latvian composers; the orchestra participates in premieres and commission new works. In the previous seasons, all the 12 Liepāja Concerti, a monumental series of works commissioned by the LSO, have been presented to the public and critics. The LSO has twice received the Latvian Grand Music Award, and are seven time recipients of the Latvian Recording award. A further confirmation of the high quality of the orchestra’s performance is participation in nationally significant events and the openings of new cultural spaces - the Latgale concert hall GORS, the renewed Rīga cultural centre Ziemeļblāzma and the Latvian National Library. At the end of 2015, the LSO also performed in its new home – the Liepāja concert hall Great Amber.
Gintaras Rinkevičius
is one of the most distinguished, internationally recognised Lithuanian conductors, who graduated both the Saint Petersburg and Moscow Conservatories. He is a professor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, the founder, artistic director and lead conductor of the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, and he has won awards at many international conducting competitions. From 1996 to 2003 he was the lead conductor at the Latvian National Opera, and from 2007 to 2009 he was the lead guest conductor.
He has directed opera performances including Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Verdi’s La Traviata, Aida, Nabucco and Un ballo in maschera, Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, and many others, as well as many ballets. The Lithuanian conductor has been awarded the Latvian Grand Music Award two times (1996, 1999).
