Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (Latvian: Jāzepa Vītola Latvijas Mūzikas akadēmija), formerly the Riga Conservatory, is a higher music conservatory in Riga, Latvia. The junior institute is the Emīls Dārziņš Music School.
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History
The Latvian Conservatory of Music was founded in 1919 by Latvian composer Jāzeps Vītols, who became the first director of the Latvian National Opera. He remained director until 1944, excepting 1935–1937 when the director was his choral assistant Pauls Jozuus. Junior and senior courses covered around 9 to 10 academic years. Beginning in 1940, the structure of the conservatory changed: lower junior courses were transferred to the secondary education system and later became a base for Jāzeps Mediņš's and Emīls Dārziņš's secondary schools of music. Higher courses were offered in the conservatory. Beginning 1 October 1951 LPSR Institute of Theater was attached to the conservatory, reorganizing it to a faculty of theater with departments for acting and directing. In May 1958 it was renamed Jāzeps Vītols Latvian conservatory. In January 1964 the conservatory was momentarily renamed to J. Vītols Latvian institute of Art, but in July the earlier name returned to the earlier name.
Organization
Departments
The Academy is divided into the following departments:
Piano Department
Department of Accompanists
Department of Compulsory Piano
Department of Chamber Ensemble and Piano Accompaniment
Department of String Instruments
Department of Wind Instruments
Department of Jazz Music
Department of Orchestra Conducting
Department of Choir Conducting
Department of Vocal Music
Department of Early Music
Department of Choreography
Department of Music Education
Department of Instrument Performance Teaching
Department of Music Technology
Department of Composition
Department of Musicology
Department of Humanities
Department of Science and Research
Department of Self-Financed Studies
Department of Doctoral Studies
Notable teaching staff
The following have been Academy Rectors:
Jāzeps Vītols (1919—1935)
Pauls Jozuus (1935—1937)
Alfrēds Kalniņš (1944–1948)
Jēkabs Mediņš (1948–1950)
Jānis Ozoliņš (1951–1977)
Imants Kokars (1977–1990)
Juris Karlsons (1990–2007)
Artis Sīmanis (2007–2017)
Guntars Prānis (2017–2024)
Ilona Meija (since 2024)
Lūcija Garūta taught composition and music theory from 1940 and was elected to a professorship in 1960.
During the republic, the State Conservatory had only one Jewish professor of music, Adolf Metz, head of the violin department. Many Jewish students emigrated to Lithuania.