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Amber is a jewel created by time. The golden drop of pine resin gains its value over hundreds of years. And in Liepāja we make music already for centuries.
Musical life in Liepāja reached academic level in the beginning of 1880s, when a philharmonic hall was opened in the city, and foundations were laid for Liepāja Symphony Orchestra.
The Revolution of 1905 and the storms of the First World War broke many strings in Liepāja musical life, but with the declaration of free and independent Latvia, creativity flourished once again.
In 1922, Liepāja Opera opened its doors for the first time. It shared the premises with the New Theatre of Liepāja. The People's Conservatory was established at the same time; Italian singer and professor Francesco Paolo Losacco (1867–1931) worked there as a vocal pedagogue until 1931. In 1927, Liepāja Philharmonic Hall was reopened.
Led by conductor Arvīds Pārups (1890–1946), the musicians, choir and soloists of Liepāja Opera staged world-famous operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Gounod, Peter Tchaikovsky, Gioachino Rossini and Georges Bizet already in their first seasons. Opera classics are still a vital part of the intellectual life of Liepāja, performed in concerts and by our musical guests, and included in the music school routines that prepare local talents for future brilliance.
The musical traditions of Liepāja have been polished by great conductors, gifted musicians, and vocalists whose mastery has brought them onto the stages of opera houses around the world: Malvīne Vīgnere-Grīnberga (1871–1949), Arturs Priednieks-Kavara (1901–1979), Mariss Vētra (1901–1965), Edgars Zveja (1924–1986), Miķelis Fišers (1915–1984), Aleksandrs Viļumanis (1910–1980), Alfreds Tiltiņš (1904–1992), Erna Kukaine–Latiševa (1909–1977) and many more.
Musical life in Liepāja reached academic level in the beginning of 1880s, when a philharmonic hall was opened in the city, and foundations were laid for Liepāja Symphony Orchestra.
The Revolution of 1905 and the storms of the First World War broke many strings in Liepāja musical life, but with the declaration of free and independent Latvia, creativity flourished once again.
In 1922, Liepāja Opera opened its doors for the first time. It shared the premises with the New Theatre of Liepāja. The People's Conservatory was established at the same time; Italian singer and professor Francesco Paolo Losacco (1867–1931) worked there as a vocal pedagogue until 1931. In 1927, Liepāja Philharmonic Hall was reopened.
Led by conductor Arvīds Pārups (1890–1946), the musicians, choir and soloists of Liepāja Opera staged world-famous operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Gounod, Peter Tchaikovsky, Gioachino Rossini and Georges Bizet already in their first seasons. Opera classics are still a vital part of the intellectual life of Liepāja, performed in concerts and by our musical guests, and included in the music school routines that prepare local talents for future brilliance.
The musical traditions of Liepāja have been polished by great conductors, gifted musicians, and vocalists whose mastery has brought them onto the stages of opera houses around the world: Malvīne Vīgnere-Grīnberga (1871–1949), Arturs Priednieks-Kavara (1901–1979), Mariss Vētra (1901–1965), Edgars Zveja (1924–1986), Miķelis Fišers (1915–1984), Aleksandrs Viļumanis (1910–1980), Alfreds Tiltiņš (1904–1992), Erna Kukaine–Latiševa (1909–1977) and many more.
Among the conductors who worked in Liepāja Opera were Pāvils Jurjāns (1866–1948), Walter Hahn (1911–1941), Otto Wilhelm Carl (1886–1944), Teodors Reiters (1884–1956), Bruno Skulte (1905–1976) and Arnolds Lapiņš (1905–1982), the first academically educated Latvian who completed a full course of musical studies abroad, at the Vienna Academy of Music. Another great conductor who began his road to fame in Liepāja was Arvīds Jansons, father of world-renowned conductor Mariss Jansons. After the Second World War maestro Valdis Vikmanis (1915–2011) re-established Liepāja Symphony Orchestra under the wing of Liepāja Music School. By today it is the oldest orchestra in the Baltic States still performing. Liepāja Musical Drama Theatre was the first in Soviet Latvia that dared to stage a work by an author living in exile, in 1959 performing the opera "Ugunī" (In Fire) by Canada-based composer Jānis Kalniņš.
When Latvia regained independence, Liepāja musicians got a new lease of life. In 1992, conductor Imants Resnis (1949) took over Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (LSO). Under his baton, the orchestra gained international acclaim. LSO's professional mastery and ability to attract world-class musicians was confirmed in 1993, when maestro Resnis established the International Piano Stars Festival, since 2017 known as Liepāja International Stars Festival.
When Latvia regained independence, Liepāja musicians got a new lease of life. In 1992, conductor Imants Resnis (1949) took over Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (LSO). Under his baton, the orchestra gained international acclaim. LSO's professional mastery and ability to attract world-class musicians was confirmed in 1993, when maestro Resnis established the International Piano Stars Festival, since 2017 known as Liepāja International Stars Festival.
