Vizma Māra Maksiņa
1955
Conductor, educator
Born 20 December 1955 in Toronto, Canada. Graduated from the Toronto Latvian elementary and high schools. In her childhood, studied singing, saxophone and piano at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. Continued her education at the University of Western Ontario, gaining a bachelor’s degree in music education (1982).
Has sung in the Daina Toronto Mixed Choir from childhood, later also conducting it. Since 1982, has been conducting the Viesturs Toronto male choir, but since 1985 – the Dzirksts (Scintilla) youth vocal ensemble. Has actively collaborated with composers living in Latvia and has performed ambitious and interesting concert programmes, including the cabaret evening From Vienna to Rīga and the musical Esslingen .
Has also achieved remarkable success in music education – has been active as a music teacher and music director at Canadian high schools, in parallel conducting school jazz and brass bands, teaching music at the Toronto Latvian School, Sidrabene Children’s Camp, Garezers summer secondary school and 2 x 2 camps, prepared musical performances for the Portland, Vancouver and Munster song festivals. Choirs and ensembles led by the conductor have won various competitions.
The conductor is convinced that Latvians should pay more attention to their folk songs: “Kodály, Bartok – these great men built their entire creative system on their folk songs. We also need to work a little harder to make our folk songs the very foundation. We should work toward every secondary school having a choir, so that everybody sings.” (Pīrāga, Inta. Conductor Vizma Maksiņa: Latvia possesses very bright, free, creative thinking! Lsm.lv, 8 March 2015)
Along with her teaching, has been actively involved in civic society – he has been a member of Canada’s Latvian National Association and head of its cultural section, been on the board and Steering Committee of the Canadian Latvian Song Festival Association.
A chief conductor at the XXth-XXIInd All-Latvian Song Festivals, conducted massed choirs at four Latvian Youth Song Festivals, five Garezers Days of Song, the VIIth All-Latvian Song Festival in America (1983), VIIIth Canadian Latvian Song Festival (1986), VIIIth All-Latvian Song Festival in Indianapolis (1988), XIth West Coast Song Festival in Long Beach (1989) and many other events.
Awarded the Jaunā Gaita Jānis Bieriņš Memorial Fund Prize (1997).
