Days of contemporary music

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At the heart of the "Days of Contemporary Music", this concert marks both the midpoint and a very special highlight of the program. We are delighted to welcome a top-class guest ensemble consisting of musicians from the Riga Music Academy for this festive occasion.
The evening will focus on lively, cross-border musical collaboration: the Latvian ensemble will present an exciting cycle of brand-new compositional miniatures. All of the evening's works are world premieres and were written by talented composition students. Look forward to a festival of new sounds, musical surprises and a fascinating snapshot of the young, international music scene!

World premieres by
Haonan Guo
Jiwon Seo
Lucie Spedicato
Minji Seo
Niko Yin
Nina Deuse
Sebastian Zaczek

Our guests from Riga perform
Viktorija Majore | soprano
Ilona Meija | flute
Sanita Zariņa | violin
Ēriks Kiršfelds | violoncello
Herta Hansena | piano

The ERASMUS program, funded by the European Union, was initiated in 1987 by Antonio Ruberti, Italy's Minister of Education at the time. The visionary idea behind it is to bring the European idea to life through genuine and concrete cultural exchange. Today, it often seems to be forgotten that Europe is much more than a common marketplace for trade or a security policy emergency solution. Do we know enough about each other? Do we know our European neighbors beyond tourism? Why do the perspectives of Eastern and Western Europe often differ so much, both culturally and socio-politically?
Today's concert project is an ERASMUS-funded collaboration between two music academies from Eastern and Western Europe, in which the common crossroads are explored. It features an ensemble of professors and lecturers from the Jāzeps Vītols Music Academy in Riga, outstanding musicians and highly experienced in premieres and performances of contemporary music.
Prof. Herta Hansena, pianist, is one of the country's most sensitive and precise chamber musicians. Prof. Ilona Meija, also rector of the Riga Academy of Music, captivates with the detailed colorfulness of her flute sound and is an undisputed authority in her field. Cellist Ēriks Kiršfelds, a multi-talented and passionate musician extraordinaire, was the long-time concertmaster of Kremerata Baltica, the Baltic chamber orchestra founded and conducted by Gidon Kremer. The stylistically versatile and open-minded violinist Sanita Zariņa teaches in string departments both at the Riga Academy of Music and at the famous Emīls-Dārziņš Gymnasium for the musically gifted, a school where Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, conductors Mariss Jansons and Andris Nelsons and violinist Baiba Skride, among others, received their education. Singer Viktorija Majore occupies a unique position in Riga's music scene, an artist with an unconventionally wide vocal range, who last year completed her doctorate on the subject of modern vocal techniques.
These artists bring with them the conviction that music of their own time cannot be replaced by anything and is a matter of course. This self-image also stems from the fact that a small and constantly challenged country like Latvia has always had to fight to preserve its language and culture. The promotion and exhibition of contemporary art also has a political, not just a cultural significance there. With this in mind, today they are performing seven works by the young generation of our music academy, all world premieres by students from Prof. Gordon Kampe's composition class. The line-up of the ensemble was suggested by the students and the ensemble was formed as a result. We hope for a future for this project and would like to thank Geigenbau Winterling (Hamburg, Valentinskamp 32) for the loan of the violoncello (Gustave Bernardel).

Text: Prof. Ruta Paidere

Eintritt frei

Registration is required and can be done via eventbrite.

The Days of Contemporary Music are sponsored by the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.

Dates at a glance
07.06.2026, 8 pm
08.06.2026, 7 pm
08.06.2026, 8:30 pm
09.06.2026, 7 pm
09.06.2026, 8:30 pm
10.06.2026, 7 pm
10.06.2026, 8:30 pm
11.06.2026, 7 pm