Baroque Orchestra Collegium Musicum Riga

The Baroque orchestra COLLEGIUM MUSICUM RIGA takes its name from an orchestra active in Riga in the 17th century. The present-day orchestra was founded in 1990 by Māris Kupčs – Latvia's most dedicated researcher of Baroque and Classical music and a tireless teacher of young musicians. Collegium Musicum Riga is the leading professional Baroque orchestra in the Baltic states and has performed exclusively on historical instruments for more than 20 years.

Collegium Musicum Riga has been invited to participate in international festivals and projects in the Baltic states, France, Denmark, Norway and elsewhere. Particularly noteworthy are its touring opera productions, performed to great acclaim at such renowned festivals as the “Krakow Opera Summer Festival” (2011, Poland) and the “International Chamber Opera Festival” in Saint Petersburg (2016 and 2019, Russia). It has also developed close collaborations with acclaimed European early music performers, including conductors David Shemer (David Shemer) and Franck-Emmanuel Comte (Franck-Emmanuel Comte), recorder player Erik Bosgraaf (Erik Bosgraaf) and many others. The orchestra's principal concertmaster is the outstanding Japanese violinist Tomoe Badiarova, and its second concertmaster is the Estonian Baroque violinist Olga Kudajeva.

A particular priority for the orchestra is music written in the territory of Latvia in the 17th and 18th centuries, which Māris Kupčs seeks out with unflagging interest in archives in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe. It has given a number of notable premieres: J. A. Hiller's opera “The Hunt”, “Latvian Cantata Ta Simtaa Dzeesma”, G. P. Telemann's “Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh”, Missa sopra “Ein Kindelein so löbelich”, F. A. Feichtner's “Cyrrus und Casandea”, J. V. Meder's “St Matthew Passion”, G. H. T. Perle's cantata “Psalm 98”, C. H. Graun's oratorio “The Death of Jesus” in Old Stenders' Latvian translation, and many other works that would have remained unknown to today's audiences without Māris Kupčs' dedication.

Collegium Musicum Riga and Māris Kupčs have been nominated for the Grand Music Award – in 2010 in the “Musical Ensemble of the Year” category, and in 2017 for “Outstanding Performance Throughout the Year”. The album “Music in Riga. 1570–1800” was released in the summer of 2012 and was nominated for the Latvian Music Recording of the Year Award.

This is the only Baroque orchestra in Latvia and the Baltic states that uses historical instruments and historical performance practices and maintains a regular year-round concert season.

The Baroque orchestra "Collegium Musicum Riga" at the early music festival "Vivat Curlandia!", Photo: Nauris Veiss