Dzintra Erliha

Pianist Dzintra Erliha, international piano competition award winner, began to play piano at the age of three. Her first teachers were her parents – professional musicians, and quickly revealed her perfect pitch. Erliha studied at the Emīls Dārziņš College of Music (with lecturer Ligita Muižarāja), the Jāzeps Mediņš Rīga College of Music (lecturer Guna Boža) and the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (Professor Arnis Zandmanis), and graduated the Master’s Degree Programme with distinction. In 2013, she received her PhD in Art Science, developing her dissertation about composer Lūcija Garūta (supervised by Associate Professor Baiba Jaunslaviete).

Erliha has won awards at many international pianist competitions, including the Balys Dvarionas competition in Lithuania (1997, diploma), the Roma-1997 competition in Italy (1997, 1st Prize), the Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey Pianist Competition in Canada (1998, 3rd Prize), and the Nikolai Rubinstein Pianist Competition in France (1999, 1st Prize).

With the support of the Marta Kundrāte-Tūtere Memorial Fund, the artist studied in Canada with the distinguished Latvian Canadian pianist Arturs Ozoliņš. She supplemented her knowledge at international pianist master classes with professors Lazar Berman, Barry Douglas, Victor Eresko, Igor Lazko, Philippe Giusiano, Birgitta Wollenweber, Zhu-Xiao-Mei, Oleg Mantur, Mūza Rubackytė, Aldona Dvarionaitė, and others. She has performed in Latvia and throughout the world: the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Iceland, France, Finland, Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere.

The pianist has recorded many albums, including Zvaigznes skatiens / Regard de l`etoile (piano music by Latvian composer Lūcijas Garūta and French composer Olivier Messiaen, 2008) and Kvēlot, liesmot, sadegt (vocal and instrumental chamber music by Garūta, 2010). For the 90th anniversary of Tālivaldis Ķeniņš’ birth, Erliha, along with mezzo soprano Vilma Indra Vītols (www.vilmavitols.com), released an album in Canada called Tilts pār jūrām / The Bridge Across the Seas. In January 2017, she released an album Citādas krāsas / Other Colours, where, along with flutist, Latvian Great Music Award 2015 winner Ilona Meija, she recorded works by Latvian composers for flute and piano. In 2018, along with opera star Maija Kovaļevska and Latvian National Opera soloist Krišjānis Norvelis, released the CD album Ar siltu sirdi / Warmhearted, with all proceeds donated to charity. That recording included vocal and instrumental chamber music by Latvian composers. In summer 2021 she released an album Ēnu spēles upē / Shadow Games in the River (recording included chamber music by Latvian composers for flute, cello and piano).

As of 2017, the pianist actively performs in Scandinavia, participating in projects with other performers, as well as collaboration with composers, and gives master classes to aspiring pianists. In 2018, Dzintra Erliha went on a world concert tour, dedicated to Latvia’s 100th anniversary, performing in Reykjavik, Iceland; Australia – Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and in the United States – Boston, Cleveland, New Jersey, Washington DC and New York, performing both solo and with the distinguished soprano Maija Kovaļevska. In the fall of 2019, Erliha toured the United States not only as a musician, but also as a lecturer, together with the Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to the United Nations Andrejs Pildegovičs.

The pianist actively works in the field of musicology. Many of Erliha’s research papers have been published, including Lūcijas Garūtas klaviermūzika (The Piano Music of Lūcija Garūta) (Rīga: Musica Baltica, 2007), Hermanis Brauns laikabiedru liecībās un skaņuierakstos (The Testimonies and Sound Recordings of the Contemporaries of Hermanis Brauns) (in the collection Jāzepa Vītola Latvijas Mūzikas akadēmijas Kameransambļa katedrai – 50 [The Chamber Ensemble Department of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music – 50]. Rīga: Ulma, 2009), Lūcija Garūta – pianiste, savu skaņdarbu interprete (Lūcija Garūta – Pianist, Interpreter of Her Own Works) (in the research paper collection Mūzikas zinātne šodien: pastāvīgais un mainīgais [Music Science Today: the Constants and Variables]. Daugavpils: Saule, 2009) and others.

Further information: www.dzintraerliha.com

Serena is available for streaming and download on every major digital music platform worldwide, in Stereo, Hi-Resolution Studio Masters (96/24), FLAC, Apple Digital Master,

and Dolby ATMOS Spatial Audio

See Also

NYX Trio

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