Smidbergs, Vilnis (1944)
Biography Works
Vilnis Šmīdbergs was born on June
14th, 1944 in Ventspils. He only began to learn music at the age of
14, and he enrolled at the Ventspils College of Music, where for
the first three years he studied choir conducting, after that –
music theory with Dzintars Kļaviņš, and composition with Kārlis
Tenne. In 1964, he finished the Ventspils College of Music and
enrolled at the Latvian State Conservatory (now the Latvian Academy
of Music) in the Composition Department, but after two months he
was called to military service. After returning, from 1967 to 1971,
he performed in the art rock group Katedrāle,
helping build the foundation for Latvian rock music. He was a part
of the intelligentsia of the time – he spent time at the legendary
cafe Kaza, he met Biruta Delle, Māra Ķimele,
Aivars Neibarts, Ināra Eglīte, Armands Melnalksnis, and others. He
began a friendship with the composer Mārtiņš Brauns. In 1970, he
resumed his studies at the Conservatory in the composition class of
Ādolfs Skulte, and graduated that in 1975. In 1977, for the first
time he travelled to the composer’s new work centre in Ivanovo and
altogether visited 12 times.
In 1977, the first line-up of the
group Sīpoli was formed (their name
came later) and he invited Mārtiņš Brauns to participate, and in
1978, he left the group. From 1982 to 1989, he was the sound
director of the Riga studio of the Soviet record
company Melodija. At times he was also
the sound director at Latvian Radio, TV,
and Telefilma, and he directed a number
of amateur groups, and worked as the musical director of the dance
ensemble Daile. As of 1992, he has been
working at the Riga 5th College of Music as a teacher of music
theory, as of 1993 – the Interior Ministry State Police Wind
Orchestra.
He has received the Latvian Great Music Award
2010.