Engelmanis, Agris (1936 - 2011)
Biography Works
Agris Engelmanis was born on
April 26th, 1936 in Liepāja. After finishing primary school, he
studied in the Liepāja College of Art, which he graduated with
distinction in 1956. In parallel, he privately studied piano. After
obligatory military service (1956–1959), he
studied in the Liepāja College of Music, in the music theory
department. He studied at the Latvian State Conservatory in the
composition class (1965–1971) of Ādolfs Skulte. He worked as a
teacher of composition and theory in the Liepāja College of Music
(1964–2001), and was the director of this school (1989–1996). He
worked also as the Director of the Music Division at the Liepāja
State Theatre (1975–1979).
Agris Engelmanis has done much to develop the cultural life
of the city of Liepāja: he was the chairman of the Liepāja Culture
Fund (1995–1997), the Latvian Music Society’s Chairman of the South
Kurzeme Region, worked on many different competition juries and
regional cultural commissions. The composer’s choir songs have been
frequently performed at the All Latvian Song Festivals. As of 1977,
Agris Engelmanis was a member of the Latvian Composers’ Union, and
he has been a member of the Composers’ Union Executive
Committee.
Agris Engelmanis died on April 7th, 2011.