JURIS ŽVIKOVS (Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music)
26 and 28 November @10.00-16.00 in C-405
27 November @10.00-14.00 in C-405
Juris Žvikovs, born in Jūrmala, is a distinguished Latvian pianist. He began studying piano at the age of seven, continuing at the Jelgava Music School and the Emīls Dārziņš Music High School, before graduating from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. Further studies took him to the Conservatoire de Musique de la Ville de Luxembourg and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University. His teachers included Zigrīda Šillere, Jānis Lielmanis, Arnis Zandmanis, Teofils Biķis, Marko Krauss, and Robert McDonald.
Žvikovs is a prizewinner of several international competitions, among them the M. K. Čiurlionis International Piano Competition in Vilnius (1986, Diploma), the International Piano Competition in Chișinău (1989, 2nd Prize), and the 2nd Jāzeps Vītols International Piano Competition in Riga (1993, Grand Prix). He is also the recipient of major awards, including the Latvian Grand Music Award (1994), and was a Fulbright Scholar.
He has appeared as soloist with leading Latvian orchestras such as Sinfonietta Rīga, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian National Opera Orchestra, and the Riga Festival Orchestra, and has collaborated with many renowned Latvian musicians, including Normunds Šnē, Dita Krenberga, Sigvards Kļava, Mārcis Kūlis, and Kaspars Putniņš. His festival appearances include the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival founded by Gidon Kremer.
Žvikovs currently serves as Associate Professor of Piano at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. He has given masterclasses at institutions such as the Universität der Künste Berlin, California State University Long Beach, the California Institute of the Arts, the Rotterdam Classical Music Academy, ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. As a Fulbright Scholar, he taught at the California Institute of the Arts during the 2009/2010 academic year.
His recordings include a landmark double album of Latvian piano music. In 2013, he was nominated for the Latvian Grand Music Award in the category “Outstanding Ensemble Performance.”