Conductors
IVARS CINKUSS (1969)
graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music with a BA in choral conducting in1992. He continued music studies with special interest in early polyphony which led him to Westminster Choir College (Princeton, USA) where he gained an MA in Music in 1995.
Currently I. Cinkuss is Artistic Director for two choirs – chamber choir Ventspils and The Riga Technical University male choir Gaudeamus as well is one of the Chief conductors of the Latvian National Song Festival. Additionally, he supervises choirs in the city of Ventspils, the surrounding Ventspils region, and all the male choirs in the capitol city of Riga. He also teaches singing, ensemble and stylistics at the City of Ventspils Music highschool.
Ivars Cinkuss has prepared and conducted programs with different Latvian Early music ensembles including Barogue orchestra Collegium Musicum Riga, Riga Chamber Players, Ludus and the Latvian Radio Choir. As guest conductor I. Cinkuss has collaborated with the State Academic Choir Latvia and the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
Ivars Cinkuss was also a vocal instructor at the International Early Music Summer School in Ēdole (Latvia) from 1997-1999 and was Principal Conductor of the Riga Dome Cathedral Boy Choir from 1996–1998.
He has also lectured across Latvia in various forums on the subjects of vocal phonetics, musical stylistics and early choral repertoire. In England, Sweden, Germany, USA and Canada I. Cinkuss has been asked to lead seminars on the uniqueness of Latvian choral music and choral singing traditions.
Mr. Cinkuss frequently performs as baritone soloist, for the most part, in Baroque period works. As such he has sung with the National Symphony Orchestra, Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, Riga Chamber Players and the Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
Among recent significant conducting performances are Georg Frederich Handel’s Messiah, world premiere performance of Maija Einfelde’s And God shall dry all tears…, world premier performance of Uģis Prauliņ’s Venus et Amor, Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas (for this outstanding production I. Cinkuss received the Latvian Ministry of Culture award of the Year 2006), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C minor (KV 427) as well as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor, Magnificat and Arvo Pärt’s Passio.
For his musical achievements in the year 2005 I. Cinkuss received The Latvian Ministry of Culture Award and The City of Riga Award in Choral music.