Andris Riekstiņš

"What is music to me? A cave to hide in, a fountain, where to draw refreshment for the soul, a chest, where it can be saved..."

Andris Riekstiņš

The composer, violinist, and conductor Andris Riekstiņš was born on January 19th, 1951 in Cēsis. He graduated the violin class at the Latvian State Conservatory with Voldemārs Stūresteps (1974), composition with Valentīns Utkins (1981), and received a master’s degree in string quartet performance in Agne Stepiņa’s class (2003). While a student, he began to work as a violinist for Latvian Television and the Radio Symphony Orchestra (1970–1978). His work continued in the Latvian Television and Radio Popular and Light Music Orchestra (1978–1988), with who he travelled to Sweden, Greece, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Sri Lanka. He also performed with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (1988–1995), performing in Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Sweden.

As of 1995, he is a violin instructor at the Alfrēds Kalniņš Cēsis College of Music. Being the director of the school’s string orchestra and the Cēsis String Quartet, he has arranged the works of many different composers for these ensembles. As the author of the works Poco perpetuo (for violin and piano) and Non tacet (for cello and piano), he was recognized as the best composer at the Augusts Dombrovskis 2nd New Musician Competition – obligatory work competition (1997). For XX.Post scriptum, he was awarded first prize at the international composition competition Sinfonia Baltica (2001).

Guntars Pupa, supplemented by Mārīte Dombrovska © LMIC