Konsert med Ilona Meija og Dzintra Erliha

Ilona Meija (flute) and Dzintra Erliha (piano) have been performing together in Latvia and abroad since 2011. In 2017 the musicians published a CD; Other Colours, which includes music by famous Latvian composers: Pēteris Vasks, Jānis Mediņš, Lūcija Garūta, Maija Einfelde, Dace Aperāne, Santa Bušs and others. Both musicians currently work at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. They are performing in many countries as soloists and chamber musicians.

At the concert at The Nordic House Ilona Meija and Dzintra Erliha will perform beautiful music by Latvian composers for flute/piano: compositions of Jānis Mediņš, Lūcija Garūta, Pēteris Vasks, Jānis Lūsēns, Andris Dzenītis, Santa Bušs and others; as well Dzintra Erliha will perform piano solo works of F.Chopin and A.Skrjabin.

The concert is free.

Ilona Meija (1971) studied flute under Vilnis Strautiņš and chamber ensemble under Gunta Sproģe at the Latvian Academy of Music. In the 1990s she continued her studies in masterclasses by Craig Goodman and Andreas Blau. Meija has played in the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and the Latvian National Opera orchestra as well as Rīgas Kamermūziķi (Riga Chamber Players). She has been the principal flute of the Sinfonietta Rīga State Chamber Orchestra since 2006 and has performed as a soloist with all of the leading Latvian orchestras. She has also played with the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the Nordic Symphony Orchestra. Since 2018 Meija became a professor at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where she teaches flute. She has led masterclasses in the Netherlands, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden and Latvia. In chamber ensembles, Meija has played together with musicians such as Jautrīte Putniņa, Pēteris Plakidis, Dzintra Erliha, Herta Hansena (piano), Larisa Bulava (organ), Ieva Saliete (harpsichord), Ivars Bezprozvanovs, Ēriks Kiršfelds (cello), Dzintars Jurgelaitis, Jānis Semjonovs (bassoon), Andra Dārziņa (viola), Ilze Urbāne, Liene Denisjuka (flute), Alexey Lundin (violin) and many others. As a part of masterclasses, she has performed in concerts with famous European flute players Philippe Benoit, Philippe Bernold, William Bennett, Daniela Troiani, Giedrius Gelgotas and Renate Greiss-Armin. Meija has played on many radio and CD recordings as a chamber musician. She has been the president of the Latvian Flute Players Association since August 2014 and received the Latvian Great Music Award for outstanding work in an ensemble (Sinfonietta Rīga and other chamber ensembles) in 2015.

Dr. art. Dzintra Erliha (www.dzintraerliha.com) is a pianist, winner of several international piano competitions in France, Italy, Canada. Currently, she is the guest – lector of Jazeps Vitols Music Academy in Latvia. She studied at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Professor Arnis Zandmanis’ piano class. In 2013 she received her Doctor of Arts degree with a thesis about the biographical context, style and interpretation of Lūcija Garūta’s chamber music. She is a winner of several international piano competitions, among them a 1st prize at the ROMA-1997 in Italy, 3rd prize at the Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey international piano competition in Canada (1998) and 1st prize in the Nicolai Rubinstein international piano competition in France (1999). Erliha has continued her studies in Canada with the notable Latvian / Canadian pianist Arturs Ozoliņš. She has also participated in international masterclasses with famous professors Lazar Berman, Barry Douglas, Victor Eresko, Igor Lazko, Philippe Giusiano, Birgitta Wollenweber, Zhu Xiao-Mei, Oleg Mantur, Muza Rubackyte, Aldona Dvarionaite and others. She has performed in Latvia as well as Brazil, Australia, USA, Canada, Iceland, France, Finland, Poland, Ukraine and elsewhere. Her CD releases includes: Zvaigznes skatiens / Regard de l’etoile (2008; piano solo music by Lūcija Garūta and Olivier Messiaen); Kvēlot, liesmot, sadegt (2010; decided to L.Garūta`s vocal and instrumental chamber music); Tilts pār jūrām / The Bridge Across The Seas (2010; chamber music by Latvian and Canadian composers; CD is published in Canada); Citādas krāsas / Other Colours (2017; Latvian chamber music for flute and piano (Ilona Meija (flute), Dzintra Erliha (piano)). Her latest CD relase Ar siltu sirdi / Warmhearted (2018) includes Latvian vocal and chamber music; it is recorded together with a world-famous singer, soprano Maija Kovalevska (www.maijakovalevska.com) and Latvia National Opera singer, bass Krisjanis Norvelis.

She is the author of numerous publications: Piano Music of Lūcija Garūta (Riga: Musica Baltica, 80); Lūcija Garūta – Pianist and Interpreter of Her Own Compositions (Music Science Today: The Permanent and the Changeable. I. Daugavpils: Daugavpils University, Saule, 57-73); Hermanis Brauns in Evidences of Contemporaries and Recordings (The 50th anniversary of the department of chamber music of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. Riga: Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, ULMA, 66-72); and many others.

In 2018 she has performed world concert-tour, devoted to Latvia 100-anniversary. She performed concerts in Iceland (in March; Reykjavik); Australia (in April / May: Sidney, Melbourne, Adelaide), USA (in September/October; Boston, Cleveland, New Jersey, Washington, New York) both as soloist and chamber musician.