Chief Conductor and Artistic Director – Valdis Butāns
Valdis Butāns, Chief conductor and artistic director of Orchestra RIGA, has led four saturated and dynamic concert-seasons with the orchestra. Memorable are his conducting programs such as Mercury on the Moon, Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald, Tango-Flamenco-Jazz and a number of new compositions by Latvian composers, including oratorio Time Of Daybreak by Imants Kalniņš, Selga Mence’s oratorio Winds of Ages, Dona nobis pacem by Pēteris Vasks, Caravan by Andris Sējāns.
Valdis Butāns graduated from the Department of Orchestral Conducting at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music with MA degree. In 2005/2006 he improved his orchestral conducting skills at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien) with Prof. Uroš Lajovic. Valdis Butāns was the assistant of conductor Karel Mark Chichon at the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra 2010-2012 and the German Radio Philharmonic Saarbrucken-Kaiserslautern in season 2012/2013.
Butāns has received a Riga City Council Education, Culture and Sports Department’s annual award in culture – White Sparrow – for successful work and festival Three Stars in 2017.
NOVEL. 21st century music
Orchestra RIGASaxophone quartet ATOMOS
Conductor Valdis Butāns
Moderator Liene Jakovļeva
AUTUMN SONG FOR LATVIA
Orchestra RIGAConductor Valdis Butāns
Soloist Armands Siliņš-Bergmanis (baritone)
The Riga chamber choir "Ave Sol"
Mixed choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture “Sōla”
IMPRESSIONS OF LATVIA
Orchestra RIGAState Academic Choir "Latvija"
Soloists Jūlija Vasiļjeva (soprano), Jānis Apeinis (baritone), Aigars Raumanis (saxophone)
Conductor Valdis Butāns
Concert leader Signe Lagzdiņa
CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY
Orchestra RIGAPianist Rihards Plešanovs
Conductor Valdis Butāns
Moderator Raitis Zapackis
SECOND ADVENT CONCERT
Orchestra RIGARiga Dome Girls' Choir TIARA
(conductor and artistic director Aira Birziņa)
Soloist Gundars Dziļums (baritone)
Conductor Valdis Butāns
CHRISTMAS IN JAZZ AND SAMBA RHYTHM in Riga
Orchestra RIGAPianist Andrejs Osokins
Conductor Valdis Butāns
Moderator Raitis Zapackis
CHRISTMAS IN JAZZ AND SAMBA RHYTHM
Orchestra RIGAPianist Andrejs Osokins
Conductor Valdis Butāns
Moderator Raitis Zapackis
LATVIAN LOVE SONGS
Orchestra RIGASoloists Aija Vītoliņa
Raimonds Celms
Conductor Valdis Butāns
WINDSTREAM OPENING CONCERT
Orchestra RIGAOrchestra RIGA bigband
Conductor Steffen Schorn (Germany)
Soloist Kristians Kalva (trumpet)
MOZART REQUIEM
Orchestra RIGARiga Chamber Choir "Ave Sol"
the mixed choir of the Riga Cathedral Choir School
Soloists: Jolanta Strikaite-Lapiņa, Ilze Grēvele-Skaraine, Mārtiņš Zvīgulis and Rihards Mačanovskis
Conductor Jurģis Cābulis
INSPIRED BY PARIS
Orchestra RIGAPercussionist Adélaïde Ferrière (France)
Conductor Valdis Butāns
SOUNDS OF LATVIA
Orchestra "RIGA"Conductor Valdis Butāns
Actress Guna Zariņa
Concert moderator Signe Lagzdiņa
SUPERHEROES
Orchestra RIGAConductor Valdis Butāns
Stories and singing by Daumants Kalniņš
Soloist Zane Dombrovska (vocal)
SUPERHEROES
Orchestra RIGAConductor Valdis Butāns
Stories and singing by Daumants Kalniņš
Soloist Zane Dombrovska (vocal)
THE PRAYER
Orchestra RIGAMixed Choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture "Sōla"
Conductors Kaspars Ādamsons, Artūrs Oskars Mitrevics, Jurģis Rāts
BACH. BRUCKNER. BRITTEN
Orchestra RIGAConductor Jānis Liepiņš
Organ solo – Aigars Reinis
English horn solo – Inese Grāvleja
JAZZ MUSIC AT CHRISTMAS
Orchestra RIGA bigbandConductor Roberts Martini
Soloists: Paula Saija and Daumants Kalniņš
JAZZ MUSIC AT CHRISTMAS
Orchestra RIGA bigbandConductor Roberts Martini
Soloists: Paula Saija and Daumants Kalniņš