Once the contest results had been received, a total of twelve prize winners were determined, each of whom received cash bonuses and grants from Rietumu Bank to help them to continue their musical education.
The contest between young talents, which was organised by Inese Galante, was held in Latvia for the first time. It has evoked a wide response amongst students from schools of music and has been assessed highly by lecturers and experts in this area.
“I am very glad that the first such contest has already been a success, in every sense of the word. The number of people who wanted to take part in it has exceeded all our expectations. We have viewed 280 video records, have listened to 166 performers, and have uncovered a great deal of talented young musicians from their number. Thanks to such a high number of successful respondents, the choice of finalists was really not that simple to make. But what was most important was that we found some incredible new talent, and now they have to be provided with opportunities for growth, financial assistance, and support with the right advice. In this sense, I reckon that the prizes and grants that have been made available by our contest are going to be very handy,” says Inese Galante.
Over the course of three months, students from schools of music across the whole of Latvia which included vocalists in the classical and jazz vocal categories, as well as instrumentalists, could take part in the contest and test themselves by sending in recordings of their performances and by personally participating in the contest.
The applicants were assessed by a competent jury which, aside from Inese Galante herself, included professors and heads of departments from the Latvian Academy of Music, plus directors, performers of classical and jazz music, opera soloists, and others. The best participants were invited to attend the semi-finals which were held in several cities around Latvia. A total of 45 musicians and vocalists took part in the contest’s finals, which were held in Riga, and from amongst their number the winners were determined for the various categories.
The winners who took the top three places in each category were awarded honorary diplomas, as well as receiving cash bonuses and grants from Rietumu Bank to be used in the continuation of their education.
The contest’s prize winners will also be provided with the opportunity of performing at prestigious concerts that will be organised by the Inese Galante Fund, including the “Summertime – Inese Galante Invites” festival, which is traditionally held in August at Dzintari Concert Hall in Jurmala and which gathers together numerous connoisseurs of classical music from Latvia and abroad.
According to Inga Sina, chairperson of the board at the Rietumu Bank Charity Fund, “The contest has again demonstrated the rich traditions of musical education that are available in Latvia and the sheer number of gifted youngsters we have. It is very important to provide an opportunity for those who are striving to devote their life to music to be able to reveal and develop their talent regardless of where and how they live. This is one of the key tasks of our Fund - to help young, talented people from all areas to stand on their own feet and grow professionally. We would like everyone to have an opportunity to be able to reveal their true talents and achieve success.”
Comprehensive information about the contest can be found at www.inesesgalantestalanti.lv . Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
Phone: +371-67020506
Fax: +371-67020563
E-mail:
egailisha@rietumu.lv
