Imants Mežaraups

1958–2013
Composer, pianist, music teacher and conductor

Imants Mezaraups was born on 10 October 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He studied at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia (1967–1976) and graduated with Leon Bunkin Award for Most Outstanding Pianist. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania (1976–1983), where he obtained two Bachelor’s degrees, in music and engineering, magna cum laude, followed by a Master’s degree in composition. During his Master’s studies, he learned with George Crumb, George Rochberg and Richard Wernick, and additionally studied conducting which he continued during his doctoral studies. He was awarded the Michael Hurley Cross Prize. He continued his musical studies at the Esther Boyer School of Music at Temple University in Philadelphia (1989–1995), where he obtained a doctorate in composition and developed his conducting skills. He was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honour Society. He received the Dr B. Stimson Carrow Award in Music Education and the Dean Emeritus Helen Laird Tribute Award.

He began his career in 1975 as organist and leader of musical life at Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. John in Philadelphia, where he worked until 1995. He taught music theory and was a choir and orchestra conductor at the University of Pennsylvania and Lafayette University. From 1985 to 1993 he worked at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania as Head of the Performing Arts Department, where he taught music theory, history, composition, and electronic music. There he also conducted orchestra, chamber ensembles, choir, and jazz ensemble. He was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award. Mezaraups continued his teaching career at the University of Temple, Boyer School of Music (1994–1995), where he taught music theory, composition, and orchestration, and was a concertmaster.

In 1988 Mezaraups came to Latvia with ensemble “Kolibri” for folklore festival “Baltika”. The ensemble performed traditional music in its own special sound, which was ensured both by the singers and the instruments and by the arrangements, many of which were created by Mezaraups. Since then, Mezaraups’ compositions have been heard in Latvia. He also made valuable contacts with Latvian musicians. Visits to Riga became more necessary every year until he moved to Latvia in 1996. He worked as a teacher at the Latvian Academy of Music (LAM) and the Jazeps Medins Secondary School of Music (JMSSM). After four years here, he tried to return to the USA, where he also lived and worked for a while as a teacher at the Wilmington Quaker School, but in 2003 he returned to Latvia again. He worked at the Riga Cathedral Choir School and at Talsi Evangelical Lutheran Church as a choir conductor and organist. In 1999, he was admitted to the Latvian Composers’ Union. He also worked in music journalism.

Mezaraups first became the chief conductor of the Song Festival already at the age of 19 at the 2nd Latvian Youth Song Festival in Rochester, USA, in 1977. Afterwards he was the chief conductor of the 4th Latvian Youth Song Festival in Cleveland in 1982, the 5th in Montreal in 1985 and the 6th in Sherbrooke (Quebec) in 1987. He was also the chief conductor at the 7th Latvian Song Festival in Milwaukee in 1983 and the 9th West Coast Latvian Song Festival in Portland in 1982.

Mezaraups has received various prizes and awards both in Latvia and the USA, including the Copyright Infinity Award 2012 for his composition “Musica arcuate” for string orchestra.

Mezaraups passed away unexpectedly at the age of 54 on 21 July 2013. The artist is buried at the Tunkeli Cemetery in Akniste.