The Scientific Research Centre of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music is a hub of 20 researchers working to advance various areas of musicology both in Latvia and internationally: historical musicology, systematic musicology, ethnomusicology, artistic research, and pedagogy.
Although this year is only halfway done, and there are several months of work ahead, it is still important to highlight the most notable results of the researchers’ work:
1. Scholarly articles and publications in the media:
Jaunslaviete, Baiba (2026). Manifestations of the Variation Technique in the Mazurka Op. 30, No. 2 by Fryderyk Chopin, HarMAnalysis Repository.
Available here
Gross, Christine; Christiner, Markus (2026). Sounds of Creativity: Musical, Creative, and Language Factors Associated with Singing and Creative Singing. ResearchGate.
Available here
Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Lauma (2026). Review of the stage production of the opera “Aida” at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet. OPERA with opera news, pp. 904-906.
Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Lauma (2026). The review “The Taming of the Shrew: a performance in-between a laboratory of classical dance and a stage play” [“Spītnieces savaldīšana starp klasiskās dejas laboratoriju un skatuves spēli”] about Regīna Kaupuža’s performance and artistic doctoral research work. Dance.lv.
Available here
Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Lauma (2026). Review of the premiere of the opera “Bohēma” at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet, “Anatomy of misery within a modern metropolis” [“Nabadzības anatomija mūsdienu metropolē”]. Kroders.lv.
Available here
Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Lauma (2026). Latvian theatre starts to leave marks in Europe. Critical Stages/Scenes Critiques.
Available here
Prānis, Guntars (2026). “Gregorian Chant” [“Gregoriskais korālis”]. Latvian National Encyclopedia [Nacionālā Enciklopēdija].
Available here
Prēdele, Zane (2026). Faktoren des musikalischen Erwachens der Letten im 19. Jahrhundert. TAGUNGEN zur Ostmitteleuropaforschung. Marburg: Verlag Herder-Institut.
Vaickovska, Kristiāna (2026). Do you know where the archive of Oļģerts Grāvītis is located and what is stored there? [Vai zini, kur atrodas Oļģerta Grāvīša arhīvs un kas tajā glabājas?] Lsm.lv.
Available here
2. Participation in conferences:
- Ahmedaja, Ardian (2026). The question of borders in the activity of a klapa group. 8. ICTMD Study Group for Multipart Music Symposium (19-22 August 2026). Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Jaunslaviete, Baiba (2026). The Concept of an Infinite Time Flow in Music and Its Manifestations in the Works of Pēteris Vasks. Art Readings 2026 International Conference/ New Art Module Chronos And Topos (23–25 April 2026). Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Kudiņš, Jānis (2026). Defining aesthetic landmarks in Latvian art music after 1991: local experience of post-Occupation, post-Soviet, and bygone postmodernism. The international scientific conference 1991: Fall of Communism and Its Impact on Music and the Arts (28-30 May 2026). Belgrade, Serbia.
- Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Lauma (2026). Opera without a Home: Interim Transitions in Latvia, 1991–1995. The international scientific conference 1991: Fall of Communism and Its Impact on Music and the Arts (28-30 May 2026). Belgrade, Serbia.
- Mellēna-Bartkeviča, Lauma (2026). Contemporary music theatre on European borderline: current vibes in Latvia and the Baltics. International Theatre Congress “What Theatre Does?” (6-10 July 2026). Melbourne, Australia.
- Rokpelnis, Alberts (2026). The Activities of the Musical Instruments’ stores A/S “A. Neuman & Ko” and “Rigas Muzikas nams A. Junoša and A. Feierabends” in Riga in the 1920s and 1930s [Mūzikas preču tirgotāju A/S “A. Neuman & Ko” un “Rīgas Mūzikas Nams A. Junoša un A. Feierabends” darbība 20. gs. 20.–30. gadu Rīgā]. The international scientific conference of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Daugavpils University. HISTORY: SOURCES AND PEOPLE [VĒSTURE: AVOTI UN CILVĒKI] (7- 8 May 2026). Daugavpils, Latvia.
- Zandberga, Diāna (2026). Research Performance “Discoveries of the Choreomusical Performance: “Lure of Light” by Indra Riše and “Crystals” by Anitra Tumševica for Piano and Choreography”. AEC European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) 2026 ‘Alone Together’: Exploring Dimensions of Interdependence and Cooperation (9-11 April 2026). Oslo, Sweden.
- Zandberga, Diāna (2026). A solo concert as the result of artistic research “Temptation of Light” at the University of Cagliari (16 April 2026). Cagliari, Sardinia.
3. Other achievements
Several important events also took place at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music during the first semester. On 6 May 2026, the fifth-anniversary conference of the Joint Professional Doctoral Study Programme in Arts “Arts” and the anniversary concert took place, highlighting the importance and relevance of artistic research. This achievement is further accentuated by the active organisational work that is being carried out to realise the international conference Doctors in Performance 2027, which will take place at JVLMA on 1-3 September 2027.
In June, the summer school for intangible cultural heritage was organised in the Nīca Cultural Space. Students of ethnomusicology and musicology at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, as well as other interested parties, participated in the summer school, taking part in various master classes, exploring the traditional long vocal cries of Nīca and Leiši songs across diverse collections, and performing alongside the Otaņķi ethnographic ensemble and the Nīca ethnographic ensemble.
Several researchers’ publications, monographs and reports are still under development. During the next semester, participation in various scientific conferences is anticipated. The Scientific Research Centre of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music continues to expand its collaborative network, participating in and implementing more than 10 different research projects.
We extend our most sincere gratitude to our researchers and wish them an equally creative and successful upcoming semester!