On 18 September, Imants Ramins, the composer born in Ventspils, celebrates his 80th birthday. To honour the musician on the big anniversary, on 10 November, SIA “Kurzemes filharmonija” will organise a special concert in the Concert Hall “Latvija”. During the anniversary concert, the composer’s musical compositions will be performed by the State Academic Choir “Latvija”, by Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, by soloists Laura Zarina (Laura Zariņa) (violin), Viktorija Majore (soprano), Oksana Nikitjuka (Oksana Ņikitjuka) (mezzo-soprano) and the conductor Maris Sirmais (Māris Sirmais).
The composer and conductor Imants Ramins was born in Ventspils on 18 September 1943. Already at the age of 11 months the boy fled together with his mother and three older sisters. Four years later, the family arrived in Canada. The life of Imants Ramins is mostly connected with this land.
In 1962, Ramins graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto, acquiring a diploma in violin play. Whereas from 1966 up until 1968, he studied violin play in the class of Cesar Bresgen in “Mozarteum”, Salzburg. He also mastered composition, conducting; while playing in the “Camerata Academica” orchestra, he embarked on concert tours and took part in vinyl recordings.
The works of the sound master Ramins have sounded in concert halls that require no comments. The list includes the Carnegie Hall in New York, the Canterbury Cathedral and the Westminster Abbey in England, the Notre-Dame de Paris, Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and many more places. The Latvian Radio Archive contains 91 music recordings by Imants Ramins, the majority of which is choral music. The works by Ramins in Latvia are both played and recorded by the Latvian Radio Choir, by the State Choir “Latvija”, by the Riga Cathedral Girls’ Choir “Tiara”, by the choirs “Ave Sol”, “Kamēr…”, “Muklājs”, “Spīgo” and others.
The musicologist Gunda Mikelsone (Gunda Miķelsone) has expressed the following opinion regarding the works by Imants Ramins: “Even if there is a darker moment in development of the musical composition, it seems that in the music composed by Ramins, the light is falling, spreading and washing over the edges, and that the creator himself enjoys the role of its preserver and conveyor.”
Imants Ramins is awarded the Order of the Three Stars (in 2007), and one of the highest awards in Canada – the Order of Canada, which he has received in 2019. The order has been awarded to the Canadian-Latvian composer for contribution and achievements as a Canadian musician, composer and conductor.
The concert for the 80th anniversary of Imants Ramins, which will take place on 10 November at 19:00 in the Concert Hall “Latvija”, is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Ventspils State City Council. Tickets are available in the “Biļešu paradīze” ticket distribution network, and also at the cash desk of the Concert Hall “Latvija”.
Photo and video recording is possible during the event. Tickets are available at the ticket sales network “Biļešu paradīze”, as well as at the box offices of the Theatre House “Jūras vārti” and the Concert Hall “Latvija”.
