Ansis Jansons

Five years ago, kokle player Ansis Jansons decided to cease performing live and founded Forest of Kokles, a school dedicated to teaching the kokle. He believes anyone can play the traditional Latvian instrument. “My real mission is to help people feel and experience music for themselves,” says Jansons. He has developed a teaching method that requires no previous experience with music, and students can already play a piece after their first lesson. Jansons also offers online instruction and lends instruments to those who do not have their own kokle. He finds inspiration in a statement by Latgalian kokle maker and player Donāts Vucins: “Where there is a kokle player, there you’ll find a free spirit.”

Photo credit: Andrejs Komarovs