Guest lecturer, Department of Interdisciplinary Piano
Dr. art. Dzintra Erliha (www.dzintraerliha.com) is a pianist, winner of several international piano competitions in France, Italy, Canada. She studied at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Professor Arnis Zandmanis’ piano class. In 2013 she received her Doctor of Arts degree with a thesis about the biographical context, style and interpretation of Lūcija Garūta’s chamber music.
She is a winner of several international piano competitions, among them a 1st prize at the ROMA-1997 in Italy, 3rd prize at the Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey international piano competition in Canada (1998) and 1st prize in the Nicolai Rubinstein international piano competition in France (1999). Erliha has continued her studies in Canada with the notable Latvian / Canadian pianist Arturs Ozoliņš. She has also participated in international masterclasses with famous professors Lazar Berman, Barry Douglas, Victor Eresko, Igor Lazko, Philippe Giusiano, Birgitta Wollenweber, Zhu Xiao-Mei, Oleg Mantur, Muza Rubackyte, Aldona Dvarionaite and others. She has performed in Latvia as well as Brazil, Australia, USA, Canada, Iceland, France, Finland, Poland, Ukraine and elsewhere. Her CD releases includes: Zvaigznes skatiens / Regard de l’etoile (2008; piano solo music by Lūcija Garūta and Olivier Messiaen); Kvēlot, liesmot, sadegt (2010; decided to L.Garūta`s vocal and instrumental chamber music); Tilts pār jūrām / The Bridge Across The Seas (2010; chamber music by Latvian and Canadian composers; CD is published in Canada); Citādas krāsas / Other Colours (2017; Latvian chamber music for flute and piano (Ilona Meija (flute), Dzintra Erliha (piano)). Her latest CD relase Ar siltu sirdi / Warmhearted (2018) includes Latvian vocal and chamber music; it is recorded together with a world-famous singer, soprano Maija Kovalevska (www.maijakovalevska.com) and Latvia National Opera singer, bass Krisjanis Norvelis.
She is the author of numerous publications: Piano Music of Lūcija Garūta (Riga: Musica Baltica, 80); Lūcija Garūta – Pianist and Interpreter of Her Own Compositions (Music Science Today: The Permanent and the Changeable. I. Daugavpils: Daugavpils University, Saule, 57-73); Hermanis Brauns in Evidences of Contemporaries and Recordings (The 50th anniversary of the department of chamber music of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. Riga: Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music, ULMA, 66-72); and many others.