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BIO

Raivis was born in Riga, Latvia. He sang in a boys' choir at primary and secondary school and this was his link to music when, at the age of 12, he was so amazed by the sound of a symphony orchestra at a concert of an oratorio that he immediately applied to music school. Raivis played the French horn for six years and switched to the double bass at the age of 18. He won 1st prizes in Latvian national youth competitions on both instruments. At the same time, he became interested in studying composition, and the renowned composer Pēteris Vasks became his mentor.

 

Raivis won an entrance scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied modern double bass with Graham Mitchell and Dominic Seldis, and baroque bass with Cecelia Bruggemeyer. He has been coached by many great bassists including Matthew McDonalds, Joel Quarrington and Bozo Paradžik. In 2014 he composed a double bass quintet which was performed in a public masterclass with Maxim Vengerov. In 2016 he took part in an exchange programme at the CNSMD in Paris to specialise in contemporary music with Nicolas Crosse.

 

As a performer, Raivis focuses on a wide range of music, from early baroque music through historically informed settings to contemporary music. Since 2017 he has been a member of the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, touring concert halls such as the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall and Berlin Philharmonie. He has since appeared with Anima Eterna Brugge, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Ensemble 1700 and has recently joined Concerto Köln.

 

In 2017, Raivis made several trips to Yeravan to study with the Armenian composer Artur Avanesov, who has been an important mentor in his musical development. Subsequently, Wim Henderickx was his teacher for his master's degree at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. Raivis's music has been performed at festivals such as the New Music Festival Arēna, Latvian New Music Days and Baltic Music Days by ensembles such as Sinfonietta Rīga Wind Quintet, Atomos Saxophone Quartet and others. In 2021 Raivis' piece Sweeping Memories was selected by Duo Ebano and performed at Grachtenfestival, Gaudeaumus and November Music festivals in the Netherlands.

 

Since 2021, Raivis has been a member of the Latvian Composers' Union and has collaborated with musicians and ensembles throughout Europe, most recently at the 25th International Festival of Sacred Music in Riga, where his choral piece Noche Oscura was premiered by the Latvian State Choir and Māris Sirmais.

 

Raivis currently lives in Berlin, Germany.

Education

2019 - 2021  

2014 - 2018

Master’s Degree in music composition at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam​

BMus (Honours) at the Royal Academy of Music in London

2016

Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris

Contact

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