Anitra Tumševica

"The song of my soul, my music – it reaches upwards... every time higher... higher. Over the moment, over sound, and seemingly tangible. It is a gift – to express my love and my thoughts in music... or, in other words, to live in concordance and harmony with myself..."

Anitra Tumševica

The composer and violinist Anitra Tumševica was born on February 4, 1971 in Riga. She studied violin at the Emīls Dārziņš College of Music (Romāns Šnē, 1978–1989) and at the Latvian Academy of Music (Uldis Sprūdžs, 1989–1992). In 2000, she began composition studies with Selga Mence at the Latvian Academy of Music, which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2007, master's degree in 2009. She participated in improvisation master classes in Riga with Anto Pett in 2005, in the Český Krumlov 2003 composition master classes with Marek Kopelent, Lasse Thoresen and Helmut Oehring, the International Workshop for Young Composers in Dundaga (Latvia) with Klaas Torstensson, Rolf Wallin and John Woolrich in 2006, and Mazsalaca (Latvia) with David Lang, Par Lindgren and Richard Ayres in 2010, composition master classes in Riga with Mauro Lanza and Yan Maresz in 2006, Wolfgang Heiniger and John Palmer in 2007, Heinz Holliger in 2008, and Bodø, Norway with Jonathan Stockhammer in 2008.

She has performed in many orchestras, including Rīgas kamermūziķi, the Riga Festival Orchestra, and the New Riga Chamber Orchestra. She was an award winner at the violin competition in Schöntal in 1990. She was in the finals of the young composers’ choir composition competition organised by Latvian Radio in 2007. She was victorious at the opera competition in Bodø, Norway in 2008. She received the Tālivaldis Ķeniņš Award in 2008. The composer received the Diena newspaper Culture Award for the chamber symphony Die Stimme (Voice) (2013). As of 2007, she is a member of the Latvian Composers’ Union.

Her music has been performed in Latvia, Japan (Tokyo, 2005), Finland (2006), Norway (2008, 2009), Sweden (2009), Lithuania, France (2010), and elsewhere. Works has been performed at the New Music Festival Arēna (2004, 2006, 2008), Latvian New Music Days (2009–2011), ISCM World Music Days in Sweden, Visby (2009) and International Contemporary Music Festival Druskomania (2010). Her music is characterized by experimentalism, an expressed programmatism and a focus on the composition techniques of the 20th century.

Anitra Tumševica, Mārīte Dombrovska © LMIC, 2013