July 16, 2025, 20:00
The Great Hall

Born in Latvia

Artists:
Ksenija Sidorova, accordion
Zanda Švēde, mezzo-soprano
Aleksandrs Antoņenko, tenor
Ramon Jaffé, cello
Poļina Hļebņikova, cello
and other soloists
Jūrmala festival orchestra
Conductor Ainārs Rubiķis

The concert Born in Latvia has become a tradition of Jūrmala Festival. The concert will bring together musicians of different generations, music stars born in Latvia – young talents, the most prominent artists of Latvian concert life, as well as internationally renowned Latvian musicians, whose performances in their homeland are always a welcome event.

Among the artists will be tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko, mezzo-soprano Zanda Švēde, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, as well as young Latvian musicians. The Jūrmala Festival Orchestra will be conducted by Ainārs Rubiķis.

Performers

Aleksandrs Antoņenko

Aleksandrs Antoņenko

Tenor

The most prominent Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko has conquered the world's most famous opera-theatres and concert halls over the last ten years, performing nearly 30 roles for tenors. Since 2004, he has become the most internationally renowned Latvian tenor, who has successfully debuted in Berlin's operas, Dresden Semperoper, Oslo and Stockholm Royal Opera, Geneva, Paris, Rome and Munich Opera Houses, Vienna State Opera, London Covent Garden and New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Led by conductor Riccardo Mutti, Antoņenko’s debut as Otello in the prestigious Salzburg Festival in 2008 was a tremendous success.  A year later, he successfully debuted at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, where A. Antonenko now returns regularly, playing the leading tenor roles.

Jūrmala festival orchestra

Jūrmala festival orchestra

Ksenija Sidorova

Ksenija Sidorova

Accordion

Ksenija Sidorova

Ksenija Sidorova

Accordion

Praised as “revelatory” (The Telegraph) and playing with “verve, style, attitude and impeccable virtuosity” (ZealNYC), Ksenija Sidorova is the world’s undisputed leading ambassador for the classical accordion. Ksenija’s charismatic performances showcase not only her instrument’s unique capabilities but also her own intense passion and breathtaking skill. Sidorova’s repertoire spans over three centuries from J.S. Bach, Astor Piazzolla, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Václav Trojan.  A passionate advocate of new music, several accordion works have been composed especially for her, including Tõnu Kõrvits’s Dances with Paavo Järvi and his Estonian Festival Orchestra at the Pärnu Festival, Sergey Akhunov’s Chaconne with the Riga Sinfonietta and London Chamber Orchestra, and Arturs Maskats’s Accordion Concerto with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.  24/25 will feature a new concerto by Dobrinka Tabakova, with performances with the Stuttgart Philharmoniker at the Bodensee Festival, being Artist-in-Residence at the latter, with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra at the Jurmala Riga Festival and Sofia Philharmonic.

Zanda Švēde

Zanda Švēde

Mezzo-soprano

Zanda Švēde

Zanda Švēde

Mezzo-soprano

Latvian mezzo-soprano Zanda Švēde has been praised for her “lush timber” (Münchener Merkur) and “full-bodied, sensuous voice and arresting presence” (Post Gazette). She starts her 2024/2025 season with returning to roles of Sonjetka in Lady Macbeth of Mcensk and Maddalena in Rigoletto at her home company Oper Frankfurt. There she will also present a Recital in Holzfoyer with a title Soirée en merLater in the season Zanda will make her role debuts as Eduige in Handel's Rodelinda and Pythia in Rheiman's Melusine. This season will also include return to Latvian National Symphony to perform Beethowen's Missa Solemnis.

Ainārs Rubiķis

Ainārs Rubiķis

Conductor

Ainārs Rubiķis

Latvian-born, Ainārs Rubiķis came to international attention as winner of the 2010 Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition. The following year, he was recipient of the second Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award and subsequently conducted the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester at the Salzburger Festspiele. From 2018 – 2022, Ainars served as Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, gaining critical praise for his consistent high-quality performances across such a diverse range of operatic repertoire. He previously served as Music Director and Chief Conductor of Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre from 2012 to 2014, and was awarded a prestigious Golden Mask Award as “Best Conductor” for the Company’s new production of Bernstein’s Mass. He won his second ‘Best Conductor’ Golden Mask award in 2020 for his new production of Rusalka with the Bolshoi Theatre.