Reinis Zarins '09CERT wins Great Latvian Music Award 2011

Pianist Reinis Zarins ’09CERT was recently awarded the Great Latvian Music Award 2011 in the category of Outstanding Interpretation. The award is the highest state recognition in the field of classical music in Latvia.

Zarins received the award for three interpretations: a solo recital (Bach+Messiaen and Kenins+Schumann), a concerto (Mozart's Concerto in G major, K. 453), and a duo recital of twentieth-century works with a Latvian violinist (Messiaen+Ravel and Corigliano+Gershwin).

More about Latvia's Great Music Award

In 1993, on the initiative of the then-Minister of Culture, Raimonds Pauls, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia decided to mark each year’s major achievements in Latvia's concert life with a special award. This began a tradition that both musicians and audiences look forward to.

The award ceremony takes place at the Latvian National Opera House and is broadcast on radio and television.

The high prestige of the Great Music Award both in wider community and in musical circles is ensured by the work of a respectable jury. All through the year, the members of the jury attend concerts and hold monthly meetings, taking minutes each time. In 2007, it was decided to announce the nominees at a special Ministry of Culture press conference in early January. The prize winners are announced during the award ceremony. Voting on the nominees takes place in January, while voting on the prizewinners takes place the very day of the award ceremony.

An artistically valuable and essential part of the Great Music Award is the trophy itself, a silver statuette made by artist Armands Jēkabsons. The Great Music Award ceremony is organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and Latvijas Koncerti ( www.muzikasbalva.lv).