Ventis Zilberts

Ventis Zilberts studied at Pāvuls Jurjāns Music School (with Valda Kalniņa, Šmarions Valdšteins, Zigrīda Āboliņa) and Emīls Dārziņš Special Secondary Music School, graduating in 1966 (prof. Igors Kalniņš class). He graduated Jāzeps Vītols Latvian State Conservatoire piano class in 1971 after further studies with Igors Kalniņš and went on to pursue postgraduate studies at Nikolay Rimsky–Korsakov Leningrad State Conservatoire (prof. Natan Perelman class). In 1974 he joined the faculty of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian State Conservatoire Piano Department; since 1998 Ventis Zilberts is a professor of Piano Department as well as the Chamber Ensemble and Piano Accompaniment Department. Over 50 pianists have graduated his class, including current faculty members of the Academy - Inguna Puriņa, Vita Vēriņa, Normunds Vīksne, Mārtiņš Zilberts.

From 1976 to 2004 he worked as the pianist-accompanist of Latvian Radio, cooperating with approximately 100 singers and instrumentalists and recording over 900 compositions in Latvian Radio Studio. Ventis Zilberts has recorded CDs with flutist Dita Krenberga, trombonist Boļeslavs Voļaks, singers Jānis Sproģis and Ingus Pētersons. Concert tours have led him to many foreign contries – Poland, Bolgaria, Sweden, Germany, France, Portugal, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Uzbekistan, USA and Canada. For his services to the country in 1998 he was awarded with the Order of Three Stars. In 1995 he received the World Free Latvians Association Music Department Prize for popularizing music by exiled Latvian composers in Latvia.