Nationality: Latvian

DĀRZIŅŠ, Emīls

Born in Jaunpiebalga, Nov 3, 1875
Died in Riga, Aug 31, 1910

Dārziņš studied with Rimsky-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He was a music critic as well as a composer, and he is especially well-regarded for his songs and choral works.
Dārziņš died tragically at the age of 35 when he was run over by a train.
Dārziņš is considered the founder of Latvian music criticism.¹

Contemporary Latvian

Image credit: Latvian Music Information Center

Born in Valmiera, Dec 20, 1957

[AR-turs MAH-skahts]

After graduating from the Latvian State Conservatory, where he studied composition under Valentīns Utkins, Maskats dedicated much of his professional career to writing music for the stage.
- As music director of the Rainis Dailes Theatre for 15 years (1982-97), Maskats composed incidental music for nearly 100 productions.
From 1996-2013, Maskats served as the artistic director of the Latvian National Opera.²
- Fun fact: At the Latvian Opera, Maskats worked closely with the company’s music director, Andris Nelsons, for a decade.³
As a composer, Maskats draws inspiration from French poetry, Latin culture, and the world of dance.⁴ In addition to works for the stage (ballet, opera, drama), Maskats has written music for chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, and film.⁵

Learn More
Biography via Latvian Music Information Center

20th Century Latvian

Jānis Mediņš, photographed in 1920

Born in Riga, Oct 9, 1890
Died in Stockholm, March 4, 1966

Mediņš worked as an opera and orchestral conductor and conservatory professor in Latvia until 1944, when he fled the Soviet invasion, eventually settling in Stockholm.
Mediņš wrote some of the first operas in Latvian, and composed the first Latvian ballet.
His brother Jāzeps Mediņš was also a significant composer and conductor.⁶

Contemporary Latvian

Born in Aizpute, Apr 16, 1946⁷

Pronunciation:
[petɛɾɪs vɑsks]
“PAY-ter-iss VAHSKS”
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