Amolins, Leons (1937)
Biography Works
Leons Amoliņš was born on April
19th, 1937, in Riga. His parents were not professional musicians –
but were musical – his father played in a wind orchestra, his
mother sang in a choir. He studied at the Jelgava College of Music
in the choir conducting and wind instrument (trumpet)
departments (1955–1958), and the Latvian State Conservatory
Performance Department in the choir conducting division with
Andrejs Krūmiņš (1958–1963), symphony and opera orchestra
conducting with Vassily Sinaisky (1976–1981) and in the composition
department with Pauls Dambis (1981–1985). He furthered his
knowledge in master classes in opera performance and theatre
production with Jurij Temirkanov in St. Petersburg.
As of 1996, he has been working at the Latvian Academy of
Music, teaching choir and orchestra conducting. He worked at the
Latvian National Opera (1981–1992, conductor, 1986–1990, chief
conductor), the State Academic
Choir Latvija (1975–1981,
conductor), the Latvian Radio Choir (1965–1975, conductor), he was
the Ogre Children’s School of Music director (1963–1965), the
people’s
choirs Delta and Gaudeamus,
the Jumprava Culture House and Sigulda Culture House teachers’
choir conductor. As of 1964, Leons Amoliņš is the chief conductor
of the Region of Ogre Choir, and currently leads the Ogre Teachers’
Choir and the Ogre Teachers’ Chamber Choir, as well as the Jāzeps
Mediņš College of Music Symphony Orchestra. He was a deputy in the
Riga Council (1997–2001). He was the lead conductor of the Song
Festival Symphony Orchestra in 1998 and 1990. As a conductor, he
has spent a significant amount of time or has performed in
individual concerts with almost all Latvian professional music
ensembles. Leons Amoliņš is a member of the Latvian Composers’
Union (as of 1987), chairman of the board (1996–2004). He works
with the Riga Latvian Society Music Commission, and the Augusts
Dombrovskis Public Fund Board. He was elected as deputy to the Riga
Council as a member of the Tēvzemei un
brīvībai/LNNK party, and as of 2002, he is a member
of the Pirmā Party.
He has composed approximately 150 compositions in many
different genres, mainly vocal music and chamber music. Many Leons
Amoliņš author concerts have been held in Riga and other Latvian
cities, where he has also participated as a conductor – a performer
of his own works. While at the opera, he performed ten operas and
nine ballets, and conducted approximately 500 performances. As a
conductor, he has performed with the Latvian National Symphony
Orchestra, the St. Petersburgh, Tomsk, Omsk, Novsibirsk, Lvov, and
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. He has given concerts in Latvia,
Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, and Poland.