Jānis Ozols
1980
Conductor, singer, television personality and food blogger
Jānis Ozols was born on 1 November 1980 in Rīga, into the family of lawyer Nikolajs Ozols (1937-2007) and salesperson Lilita Ozola (née Blome, 1942-2003). His parents had no connection with music, apart from his mother’s years of work in a record shop.
He began his musical education at the Emīls Dārziņš Secondary School of Music (1989-1996) and continued at the Rīga Doms Choir School (RDKS) in the choir conducting class (1996-1999). After completing his secondary education, he continued his studies at the Rīga Doms Choir School for an additional year, studying music management. He obtained his professional bachelor’s degree at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (JVLMA) in the choir conducting class of Professor Sigvards Kļava (2000-2004), and his master’s degree in choir conducting with Professor Jānis Zirnis (2011-2013). He also furthered his studies at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, studying symphony orchestra conducting (2013-2014).
Ozols began his professional experience in music during his school years, singing baritone in the Rīga Doms Choir School boys’ choir (1998-2003), later joining the baritone section of the Chorus Sapiens choir (2001-2004), but his longest and most recognisable period as a professional singer is associated with the Cosmos vocal group (founded in 2002). Singing with Cosmos, Ozols has collaborated with such world-renowned musicians as Bobby McFerrin, The Real Group, Take 6, Manhattan Transfer, The Hilliard Ensemble, The New York Voices, the Flying Pickets, M-Pact and Icelandic music icon Björk. Cosmos represented Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest, reaching the final in Athens in 2006, as well as winning the Jaunais vilnis (New Wave) young artists’ competition in 2004 and the Grand Music Award in 2009.
Jānis Ozols has been conductor and artistic director of several choirs and vocal groups – the choirs Atskaņa (Echo, 1997-2012), Rīga (1999-2000), Jūrmala (conductor and artistic director, 2000-2002), RTU’s Jauna nianse (Young Nuance) vocal group (artistic director, 2000-2003), Dziesmuvara (Power of Song, 2002-2004) and Vanema (2010-2014). He is currently artistic director and conductor of the Babite District youth choir Maska (Mask), founded by the conductor in 2000, and at present one of the best amateur choirs in Latvia, having won laurels at both national and international choral competitions. Since 2017, Ozols has also been the artistic director of the JVLMA mixed choir. He also works with the Garkalne District mixed choir Pa Saulei (With the Sun, since 2010), which is directed by his wife Marta, together with her colleague Margarita Dudcaka. Another of Ozols’ projects is the International Baltic Sea Choral Competition (since 2016). He is the founder, organiser and artistic director of the competition, as well as the Chairman of Board of SIA Baltic Choir Association.
Ozols has led master classes (Latviešu kormūzikas pērles/ Pearls of Latvian choral music) in Stockholm (2014)), as well as working in classical music, conducting and staging works by both renowned composers (Gävle Symphony Orchestra performed Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony (2014)), as well as premiering new talents (Sinfonietta Rīga premiered Rihards Zaļupe’s oratorio Maize (Bread) for orchestra, choir and soloists (2013)). In 2015, he produced an album of original music Ziema (Winter) by composer Laura Jēkabsone, in collaboration with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra string group, pianist Aurēlija Šimkus, the Maska choir, soloists Santa Pētersone, Laura Jēkabsone, Jānis Strazdiņš and Ģirts Ozoliņš, as well as the Balti (Balts) kokle ensemble and guitarist Gints Smukais.
Since 2018, Ozols has been a member of the Board of the Song Celebration Society. During the XXVI Latvian Song Celebration in summer 2018, he was the artistic director for the opening concert and the closing concert Sadziedāšanās nakts (A Night Singing Together). He will conduct the Latvian Song Celebration choir for the first time in the Massed choir concert Tīrums. Dziesmas ceļš (The Field. The Road of Song) of the XXVII Latvian Song Celebration and XVII Latvian Dance Festival, which will take place in Rīga from 30 June to 9 July 2023.
He was a jury member at the final competitions of the All-Latvian School Song and Dance Festival (2015), the Parnu Ballaad jazz vocal competition in Pärnu, Estonia (2013), the 50th Seghizzi 2011 international choir competition in Gorizia, Italy, as well as several LNT television shows, one of them – Latvijas Zelta talanti (Latvia’s Golden Talents).
In addition to his day-to-day work, Ozols is also involved in non-choral-music projects. He is passionate about cooking and publishes his culinary feats in his blog Restorāns Mājās un ne tikai… (A restaurant at home and not just …) (dirigents.blogspot.com) In 2013, he was the host of TV3’s culinary programme Garšīgi dzīvojam (Tasty Living). In 2015, he was the host of Kultūras domnīca (Cultural Think Tank), a weekly Lattelecom 360TV programme. He has been a jury member in several competitions and local TV shows.
Information sources
Ozols, Jānis (8 November 2022). CV. [Text document in an e-mail to the NLL].
Restorāns Mājās un ne tikai... Retrieved from http://dirigents.blogspot.com/
Vadība. Koris MASKA. Retrieved from https://www.korismaska.lv/vadiba/
