Viesturs Gailis
1955
Conductor, educator
Born on 20 March 1955 in Rīga. Studied at the Department of Choir Conducting of the Emīls Dārziņš Special Music secondary school.
Studied at the Conductor’s Department of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian State Conservatory in the choir-conducting class of Professor Daumants Gailis (1974-1979), mastered orchestra conducting with Vassily Sinaisky (1979-1981). He continued his studies at the Leningrad State Conservatory with Arvīds Jansons and Mariss Jansons. Supplemented his knowledge at the Vienna School of Music, as well as in Germany and Russia.
He has been the conductor of several choirs, including the Gaismaspils (Castle of Light) Academy of Sciences choir (1974-1980), Valmiera the Valmiera teachers’ choir (1975-1882), Imanta Valmiera male choir (1979-1982), and was founder and artistic director of the Minjona female choir (1975-1985). In addition, became increasingly active in the field of symphonic music, founding and directing the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra (1976-1979) and Chamber Orchestra (1978-1982).
From 1984 to 1991, he was the conductor of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, later its artistic director and principal conductor (1991-1994), as well as the conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (1998-2000) and the founder and leader of the New Rīga Chamber Orchestra (since 2000). As a guest conductor he has performed with such prominent orchestras as the Thuringian Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Hofer Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Styrian Chamber Orchestra (Austria), Pro Arte Symphony Orchestra (Austria), Miskolc Symphony Orchestra (Hungary), Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland), Westfalen New Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany), Hagen Symphony Orchestra (Germany), Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and others.
Since 2000, has been a lecturer at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and artistic director of its Figaro opera studio. Under his guidance, several, undeservedly forgotten operas by Latvian composers, including Hamlet and Lolitas brīnumputns (Lolita’s Magic Bird) by Jānis Kalniņš, Gunda by Ādams Ore and Vaidelote (Priestess) by Jāzeps Mediņš, have been staged once again.
“... Conductor Viesturs Gailis is undoubtedly a person with a clear understanding of his objective and the capacity to attain it. He is interested in Latvian opera as it is today, in its past and in its future. And here we are – Hamlet as a completely self-contained, truly admirable in its ambitiousness, artistically vibrant and impressive open-air staging,” writes musicologist Guntars Pupa about the 2004 performance of Hamlet. (Gaile, Olga, CD presentation of the opera Hamlet by Jānis Kalniņš. Lmic.lv, 21 December 2005)
He has also staged rarely heard opuses by foreign composers: Cephalus and Procris by Franz Adam Veichtner, Engelbert Humperdink’s fairy-tale opera Hänsel and Gretel, and Ottorino Respighi’s opera Maria egiziaca (St Mary of Egypt), which was nominated for the Grand Music Award (2013).
A chief conductor at the massed-choir and symphonic concerts of the XXIst and XXIInd All-Latvian Song Festivals, as well as chief conductor of various regional song festivals and choir gatherings.
