Biography
Eriks Esenvalds, a Latvian composer, has drawn listeners across Western Europe, North America, and the Baltic region through choral works and pieces in additional genres that blend diverse stylistic elements to serve precise expressive goals.
Born January 26, 1977, in Priekule, Latvia, he initially prepared for the ministry with two years of study at the Latvian Baptist Theological Seminary before turning to music and completing a Master’s degree in composition at the Latvian Academy of Music in 2004. He later attended master classes taught by several Western composers that included Michael Finnissy. His sensitivity to vocal writing developed partly during a nine-year tenure, from 2002 to 2011, as a singer in the Latvian State Choir; during the same years he began teaching composition at the Latvian Academy of Music. Recognition arrived from the West when The Philadelphia Inquirer designated him a New Composer of the Year discovery in 2010. From 2011 to 2013 he held the post of Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, where his music has remained especially well received.
In addition to appearances on mixed choral anthologies, six albums devoted exclusively to his music have been released. These comprise the widely praised Northern Lights, performed by Trinity College Choir, Cambridge; Passion and Resurrection, recorded with the Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony; the St. Luke Passion, given by the Latvian Radio Choir and Sinfonietta Riga; At the Foot of the Sky, performed by the State Choir of Latvia; O Salutaris; and, in 2017, The Doors of Heaven, captured by the Portland State University Chamber Choir in Oregon, U.S.A. The last of these marked his first project with a North American ensemble, and its fresh treatment of a Navajo origin myth pointed to further collaborations ahead. His plans for 2018 included a new multimedia symphony inspired by volcanoes.
Born January 26, 1977, in Priekule, Latvia, he initially prepared for the ministry with two years of study at the Latvian Baptist Theological Seminary before turning to music and completing a Master’s degree in composition at the Latvian Academy of Music in 2004. He later attended master classes taught by several Western composers that included Michael Finnissy. His sensitivity to vocal writing developed partly during a nine-year tenure, from 2002 to 2011, as a singer in the Latvian State Choir; during the same years he began teaching composition at the Latvian Academy of Music. Recognition arrived from the West when The Philadelphia Inquirer designated him a New Composer of the Year discovery in 2010. From 2011 to 2013 he held the post of Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, where his music has remained especially well received.
In addition to appearances on mixed choral anthologies, six albums devoted exclusively to his music have been released. These comprise the widely praised Northern Lights, performed by Trinity College Choir, Cambridge; Passion and Resurrection, recorded with the Britten Sinfonia and Polyphony; the St. Luke Passion, given by the Latvian Radio Choir and Sinfonietta Riga; At the Foot of the Sky, performed by the State Choir of Latvia; O Salutaris; and, in 2017, The Doors of Heaven, captured by the Portland State University Chamber Choir in Oregon, U.S.A. The last of these marked his first project with a North American ensemble, and its fresh treatment of a Navajo origin myth pointed to further collaborations ahead. His plans for 2018 included a new multimedia symphony inspired by volcanoes.