Alvils Altmanis

“I am made free by the fact that I do not compare myself to others.”

Alvils Altmanis

The composer, musician, and teacher Alvils Altmanis was born on July 1st, 1950 in the Sidrabene village in the region of Jelgava. He studied the clarinet at the Jelgava Children’s Music School and at the Jelgava College of Music with Jūlijs Grūtups. He studied at the Latvian State Conservatory in the clarinet class of Eduards Mednis and Ģirts Pāže (1986–1990) and Romualds Kalsons’ composition class (1991–1995).

As of 1986, Alvils Altmanis is an artist of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, playing the clarinet and bass clarinet. As of 1999, he is an associate professor in the music department at the Riga Pedagogical and Education managerial school.

He has given solo concerts in Riga and other cities in Latvia, as a soloist he has performed together with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestras of the Ventspils and Jelgava Colleges of Music. He has played in the wind orchestra Riga, the Jazz Orchestra of Latvian Radio, and the Jelgava big band Gamma. He has participated in jazz music competitions and festivals.

At the festival "Liepājas dzintars" in 1981, he received the award of best instrumentalist. He has recorded many works for clarinet and bass clarinet at Latvian Radio. While still a student of composition, Alvils Altmanis achieved 1st place at the international composition competition in Enschede, Holland. He is also an award winner at many Latvian competitions. Concerts of his works have taken place in Riga and other cities – Ventspils, Daugavpils, Jelgava.

Alvils Altmanis is one of few Latvian composers who have capabilities in both academic genres and jazz music, since he also plays the saxophone. That is why at one time he can freely play, compose, arrange, and improvise in many different music fields and different arrangements. As of 1994, Alvils Altmanis is a member of the Latvian Composers’ Union.

Ligita Ašme, Mārīte Dombrovska © LMIC