For the third consecutive year, the Latvian Music Information Centre has organised a competition for emerging jazz musicians from the Baltic States, with the final taking place as part of Riga Music Week. The main prize, a grant towards a professional studio recording, was awarded to Beāte Meirāne. The Special Jury Award, a Black Hole BH2 microphone donated by Latvian manufacturer JZ Microphones, went to Elza Marija Rudzīte, a student at Jāzeps Mediņš Riga Music Secondary School.
The competition jury consisted of Ragnhild Menes, Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Jazz Forum (Norsk jazzforum) and Communications Manager at Bærum Kulturhus; Aggelos Kleitsikis, Artistic Director of the Athens Jazz Festival and Marketing Manager at Technopolis City of Athens; Pablo Mazuecos Nievas, founder and president of Clasijazz, President of the Spanish Big Band Association, and Head of the Modern Music and Jazz Department at the University of Almería; and Iro Graonidou, musician and International Projects Coordinator at Clasijazz.
The competition final also served as a showcase, giving the international jury an opportunity to discover emerging talent for potential inclusion in the programmes of their respective cultural venues, festivals and projects.
Photo: Vadims Kožins