Other events in Baltic States

The highest honor in Latvian music – the Grand Music Award ("Liela muzikas balva", LMB) was presented in a ceremony at the Latvian National Opera House yesterday, as LETA learned from LMB 2008 spokeswoman Inga Vasiljeva.

The awards ceremony was hosted by opera singer Dita Kalnina and conductor Ints Teterovskis, producer of the event – Dace Puce.

The Grand Music Award is the highest honor in Latvian music, it was established in 1993, following an initiative by the then-Minister of Culture Raimonds Pauls.

Here are some of the categories and nominees. For "Debut of the Year", three artists were singled out: pianist Andrejs Osokins, Rihards Bramanis for his role as Papageno in Mozart’s "The Magic Flute" and composer/percussionist Rihards Zalupe. In the category "Concert of the Year", the nominees are the a capella group "Cosmos", "Songs of David" – Gunta Davidcuka, Kristine Adamaite and Artis Simanis, and the New Music Festival "Arena's" opening concert. In the category "Outstanding Performance", the nominees are: "Sinfonietta Riga" for the "Arena" festival’s opening concert, Riga Dome Boys’ Choir for its December concerts – J.S.Bach’s "Christmas Oratorio” and mezzo soprano Ieva Parsa for her interpretation of works by Britten and Berio in the concert "Passion Play".

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to choir conductor Gido Kokars.

The Grand Music Award is a cash prize of LVL 1,000, and a silver statuette, designed by artist Armands Jekabsons.

Members of the jury were musicologist and Latvian Music Academy professor Anda Beitane, musicologists Martins Boiko, Ilze Sarlovska-Liepina and Zane Gailite, music journalist Olga Petersone, Latvian State Radio journalists and musicologists Guntars Pupa and Maruta Rubeze, chairman of music information and concert organizing agency Latvijas koncerti Guntars Kirsis, director of Musica Baltica Solvita Sejane and editor-in-chief of the music magazine Muzikas Saule Orests Silabriedis.