Māris Sirmais
1969
Conductor, educator
Born on 27 June 1969 in Rīga. Studied at Rīga Music school No 1 and the Emīls Dārziņš Special Music school.
In 1992, graduated from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music choir-conducting class of Professor Ludmila Pismennaja and in 1996 received a master’s degree in the conducting class of Professor Imants Kokars. In 2000, continued his studies in orchestra conducting with Martin Sieghart at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria.
Established the Kamēr... (Until …) youth choir when still a student and was its artistic director and principal conductor for more than twenty years (1990-2012). Together, they won laurels at 70 national and international competitions, winning two Grand Music Awards (1999, 2005) and the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers Prize (2004). With this choir, Sirmais established the annual tradition of a Sacred Music Festival in Latvia (since 1998).
From 1992 to 1997, was the conductor of the Dzintars (Amber) female choir, but in 1997 took over as artistic director and principal conductor of the Latvija State Academic choir. Under his leadership, the choir regularly participates in large-scale performances in Latvia and abroad, performing with the world’s leading symphony orchestras, musicians and conductors. The choir has received the Grand Music Award three times (1998, 2000, 2002) and also the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers Prize (2003).
Has passed on his accumulated experience to future conductors at the Rīga Dome Choir School and Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (since 1987). Regularly invited to be a member of international choir and choir-conducting juries.
“I have enormous respect for people who devote two evenings a week not to earning extra money for their family, not to any other hobby, but to singing in a choir, thanks to which Latvianness is maintained. They, just like folk dancers, kokle players, brass-band members, weavers, knitters and crotchetiers, maintain the Latvian environment. The Song Festival is a festive ritual of the people that is held every five years.” (Māris Sirmais: A choir is the mirror of its conductor. La.lv, 9 June 2013)
A chief conductor at the XXIInd-XXVIIth All-Latvian Song Festivals, of the Rīgai-800 festival, artistic director of the Sacred-music concert and Opening concert at the XXIIIrd Song Festival, artistic director of the Celebration of Song concluding concert at the XXIVth Song Festival, chief conductor at the VIIIth and IXth Latvian Schools’ Song and Dance Festival, at the XIth All-Latvian Song Festival in Chicago, and of Talsi district choirs (since 2003).
“We each of us aspire, as far as possible, to the revelation of art, for the moment that we can say: something is starting to emerge! For a professional, it might only be an inception, but for amateurs it sends shivers down their spines ... For them, this is the miracle of art! And the most beautiful thing is that a person can create this miracle with their own body! Together with the conductor, they can smell the aroma of the composition! That is how I understand the SONG FESTIVAL!” (Mellupe, Anita. Kamēr: Māris Sirmais and Latvia sing, 1995, p 76)
Bearer, Order of the Three Stars, Honorary Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, multiple winner of the Grand Music Award.
