Viktors Jānis Grigulis

1942
Chemist, musician, leader of folk dance and song groups, active public worker

Viktors Grigulis was born on 16 September 1942 in Riga. At the end of the Second World War, he and his parents were sent to refugee camps in Germany, and in 1948 to Corby, England, where he graduated from Corby Gymnasium (1962). He studied piano privately from the age of seven and continued his piano studies in London from 1962. However, his interest in science prevailed and he began to study chemistry at the University of London, graduating in 1966 with a BSc. After obtaining his PhD (1969), Grigulis worked in research, as a chemistry lecturer and in university administration as Director of Undergraduate Admissions in the Chemistry Department until 1990. He was Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science at Westfield College and Head of the Department of Chemistry at Albany College, London.

In addition to his academic work, Grigulis has been involved in music and dance all his life - he started dancing with the dance group “Perkonitis” before the age of 20 (from 1961), and later become its leader. He was an organist at the Corby Catholic Church (1960–1964), founded and led the Latvian men’s vocal group "Londonas trio" (London Trio) (1963–1984), whose repertoire included arrangements of folk songs and songs by other composers. In 1977 he founded and until 2013 directed the dance group "Londona dejo" (London Dancing) and was also the leader of the group’s music ensemble. With this dance group he has performed in England, Greece, Germany, Sweden and with great success at song festivals in exile and Latvia. At the end of 1989 “Londona dejo” toured Latvia with concerts at the Latvian National Opera, Valmiera, and Nigrande.

Nurturing and passing on Latvian traditions, Grigulis has worked for many years as a teacher in children’s summer camps in England, Germany and Latvia, as well as being an active European Volunteering Service volunteer.

He has been Chairman of the European Latvian Youth Association (1969) and a Board Member of the Latvian National Council in Great Britain.

Grigulis was the dance director of the 4th European Latvian Song Festival in London (1977) and the 5th European Latvian Song Festival in Leeds (1982).

He received the Honorary Award of the Cultural Foundation of the World Free Latvian Association (2002) and was awarded the Order of the Three Stars, V Rank (2019).


Information sources

Balvas izciliem veikumiem. (1985, 20. decembris). Londonas Avīze, 1998, 8. Londonas Avīze, Nr.1998 (20.12.1985) (periodika.lv)

Klotiņš, A. Viktors Grigulis. (b.g.). Viktors Grigulis (garamantas.lv)

Tautas deju kopas. (b.g.). Latvieši Lielbritānijā(archiv.org.lv)