Ogre
Choir presentation
The “Ogre” mixed choir was founded in 1972 and takes its name from its home town. For almost 50 years, the Choirs’ artistic director and conductor was maestro Jānis Zirnis, a renowned conductor and teacher. After Zirnis’ retirement in 2022, Jānis Lapsa, his pupil and long-time assistant, took over the direction of the Choirs.
Representatives of various professions sing in the Choirs, and only a few are connected with music on a daily basis.
Throughout the choir’s long history, a highly varied repertoire has been performed, including early music, compositions by the greatest Western composers of the classical and romantic eras, Latvian choral music, contemporary music, folk music, as well as jazz and pop arrangements. The “Ogre” Choirs regularly perform in collaboration with renowned professional musicians. Last season, the choir performed G. Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, alongside two other top amateur choirs, professional soloists and a symphony orchestra, in a concert entitled “Requiem in memory of the victims of the war in Ukraine”.
THE CHOIR DIRECTOR: Jānis Lapsa
Conductor Jānis Lapsa graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music Jāzeps Vītols in 2019 with a master’s degree in choral conducting. During a post-graduate internship, he honed his skills and knowledge with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and conductor Kaspars Putniņš. Artistic director and conductor of three mixed choirs in Latvia – OGRE, SIDRABE, TEMPUS – with whom he has carried out numerous outstanding, high-quality musical projects, and successfully participated in international competitions and festivals. In the course of various musical projects, he has collaborated with many professional musicians in Latvia.
Ogre
Choir presentation
The “Ogre” mixed choir was founded in 1972 and takes its name from its home town. For almost 50 years, the Choirs’ artistic director and conductor was maestro Jānis Zirnis, a renowned conductor and teacher. After Zirnis’ retirement in 2022, Jānis Lapsa, his pupil and long-time assistant, took over the direction of the Choirs.
Representatives of various professions sing in the Choirs, and only a few are connected with music on a daily basis.
Throughout the choir’s long history, a highly varied repertoire has been performed, including early music, compositions by the greatest Western composers of the classical and romantic eras, Latvian choral music, contemporary music, folk music, as well as jazz and pop arrangements. The “Ogre” Choirs regularly perform in collaboration with renowned professional musicians. Last season, the choir performed G. Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, alongside two other top amateur choirs, professional soloists and a symphony orchestra, in a concert entitled “Requiem in memory of the victims of the war in Ukraine”.
THE CHOIR DIRECTOR: Jānis Lapsa
Conductor Jānis Lapsa graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music Jāzeps Vītols in 2019 with a master’s degree in choral conducting. During a post-graduate internship, he honed his skills and knowledge with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and conductor Kaspars Putniņš. Artistic director and conductor of three mixed choirs in Latvia – OGRE, SIDRABE, TEMPUS – with whom he has carried out numerous outstanding, high-quality musical projects, and successfully participated in international competitions and festivals. In the course of various musical projects, he has collaborated with many professional musicians in Latvia.